<p>Hi, I want to major in biomedical engineering (premed). I am really confused about which school to choose. So far my thought process: </p>
<p>Duke:
Great BME program, and is also the strongest overall school of the four. It's beautiful and I can totally see myself loving it there...the acceptance rate was low this year and I know I'll have a competitive class!!!! But it's out of state tuition..</p>
<p>JHU BME:
AMAZING BME program, but I've heard horror stories about how cutthroat it is...and it costs as much as a nice house over the four years!!! Also if I didn't like BME, JHU isn't as good for other types of engineering</p>
<p>Cornell:
It's an Ivy.....haha. Yeah. The engineering is probably the best of the ivy league, but still nothing like Duke or JHU. And it's still pretty pricey. </p>
<p>University of Michigan:
Love it already. I live in state and got a full tuition scholarship for four years so financially, it's solid. the BME program isn't the best, but it has a good med school and a good hospital. But it's just disappointing to stay in state when I've worked so hard my whole life....maybe I'm just being immature </p>
<p>So what do you guys think i should do? Thanks!</p>
<p>I can’t comment on the other schools… but I have to say you should not at all be concerned about the “cutthroat” aspect of Hopkins. It’s a complete lie. Students here, like at most top schools, are competitive. That means they all want to get good grades; it does not mean that they are going to sabotage other students when doing so. All of the BMEs on my floor work together and study together, it’s a really collaborative atmosphere. I’ve never heard of anyone NOT sharing notes or NOT trying to help out a friend when it comes to coursework in any field of study at Hopkins.</p>
<p>You can’t make a wrong decision with the schools you’ve listed - try visiting them all and see which one feels “right.” I know Hopkins is offering the SOHOP opportunity which will give you a great insight into the school.</p>
<p>I’ll also add that all the engineering departments at Hopkins are quite exceptional. There are only about 350-450 engineering students per class at Hopkins making it one of the smallest, most attentive colleges of engineering in the US, if not the world. </p>
<p>Students get advising one-on-one all the way through from the summer before freshman year and classes are all taught by faculty. I have several friends who have children at JHU for engineering and they all way it is an excellent education. Is it challenging? Absolutely! Is it ‘competitive’? It’s more students vs faculty examinations. They also spend a lot of their free time just hanging out, playing sports, going to parties (frats and non-frats), and eating around Baltimore. </p>
<p>I definitely suggest a visit but Hopkins BME is at the very forefront of global Biomedical Engineering and JHU as a whole is a small, world-class institution filled with some of the brightest minds of this generation. </p>
<p>If I were you:</p>
<p>JHU, then Michigan, then Duke, then Cornell.</p>
<p>Sorry for going this thread and changing the topic. I stumbled upon this site today and saw this post. May I ask which school in Michigan are you at right now?</p>
<p>confused hampster: posters are discouraged from posting identifying information, so whatthefoucault should avoid ID’ing his high school.</p>
<p>Whatthefoucault, what you don’t mention is how much of a hardship it would be to pay $240,000 for your education. If it’s not big deal, then I would say Duke/JHU. If it’s a challenge for your parents, need significant loans (say >30K for 4 years etc), then I would seriously consider UMich. Although instate, college will still be a vastly different experience than what you are having in HS. Your hard work in HS is being acknowledged and paid back by your scholarship and that’s nothing to sneeze at.</p>
<p>So do you guys think I will lose something from my premed education by NOT going to JHU? Because my parents are now saying they will pay only 12000 a year. I mean, is it heard of for Michigan premed students to go to top med schools like Hopkins, Harvard, UPenn, Duke etc?</p>
<p>In my opinion, it does not matter where you go if the obstacle is finance. I strongly recommend Michigan because it rewards you for your achievements.</p>
<p>Duke and JHU are the strongest schools on your list, but Cornell and UMichigan are both fine schools and neither will hinder your ability to go to medical school (in the grand scheme of things, they are both top schools). On the other hand if you want to get a job right out of school I would lean towards Duke/JHU if its possible financially. </p>
<p>Also at Michigan it will be easier to get a high GPA because there will be lots of students who aren’t aiming for grad/professional school and who don’t need to get good grades. This doesn’t mean that you won’t find smart peers - you’ll definitely find them at UMichigan, but they won’t weigh down the curve as much.</p>
<p>“Also at Michigan it will be easier to get a high GPA because there will be lots of students who aren’t aiming for grad/professional school and who don’t need to get good grades. This doesn’t mean that you won’t find smart peers - you’ll definitely find them at UMichigan, but they won’t weigh down the curve as much.”</p>
<p>“So do you guys think I will lose something from my premed education by NOT going to JHU? Because my parents are now saying they will pay only 12000 a year. I mean, is it heard of for Michigan premed students to go to top med schools like Hopkins, Harvard, UPenn, Duke etc?”</p>
<p>You won’t lose a thing. Get a high GPA and great MCAT scores while attending Michigan and you can go anywhere. There is no way I would EVER get into huge debt to attend Cornell, Duke, or JHU as long as I could go tuition free to Michigan. I wouldn’t go to HYPSM for that matter either. Save your money for medical school. Please don’t put yourself into such a financial bind, it isn’t worth it! Btw, Michigan IS also a top medical school and they do favor their own graduates over other schools.</p>
<p>OP, if it is a 240k difference, I would definitely go with UMichigan. Sending FA appeal letters to JHU, Duke, and Cornell that explain that you’ll attend if you’re given a grant that brings the cost close to the cost of UMichigan is probably worth a shot. </p>
<p>While I would choose JHU or Duke if the costs were equal, I don’t think that either degree is worth 240k more than a Mich degree. If you do well at UMichigan, you’ll be able to get a grad degree at JHU or Duke if that’s what interests you.</p>