Grad School After JHU BME

<p>I recently got into the BME program at Johns Hopkins, and I plan on attending graduate school for engineering (not BME). I was wondering if I should stay in this major if I plan on getting a Masters in either Chemical Engineering or Electrical Engineering, or if I should switch into a more traditional engineering major. Any help would be greatly appreciated.</p>

<p>Just to clarify a few things:</p>

<ol>
<li><p>The only reason I would stay in BME is because it is #1 in the country and I’m hoping this would be looked upon favorably by top graduate engineering programs regardless of the individual engineering discipline. It really doesn’t matter to me which engineering I major in as an undergrad, so long as I can attend grad school for chemical or electrical engineering.</p></li>
<li><p>I guess also what I’m wondering is if anyone knows which graduate programs recent BME majors have been accepted into (and whether or not the prospects would be just as good coming from another engineering major at Hopkins).</p></li>
</ol>

<p>Do something because you like it, not because it looks good on a resume. I do not know how grad schools view it, but a lot of times people go from chemical, mechanical, electrical etc. as an undergrad to graduate school in BME. I have never heard of a specific case of someone going the other direction, but I am sure that so long as you work hard as an undergrad you would be able to get into these other fields after graduation.</p>

<p>Thanks for your response Madtown. I’m pretty sure that I want to stick with BME undergrad because it does sound pretty interesting. I’m still wondering though if anybody (maybe current Hopkins students or alums) could tell me some common graduate schools or programs that BME majors from Hopkins usually end up at, if they know from their experiences at the school.</p>

<p>I agree with Madtown - study whatever you find interesting. Why do you think you want to get a masters specifically in ChemE or EE? Is there something specifically in those fields that you’re interested in?</p>

<p>About a third of BME grads go to graduate school. While many of these are in BME, there are definitely people who join graduate programs in Chemical Engineering, Material Sciences, Biophysics, etc because their research interests fall in these fields. Regardless of what graduate program you apply to, you’re going to have to demonstrate why you want to pursue graduate work in the field through your undergrad coursework and research work. If you’re sure you want to go to graduate school in Electrical Engineering, for example, you’re going to have to show that you’ve taken EE related coursework and done (at least somewhat) EE-related research. It’s possible to do EE related coursework as a BME major if you concentrate in the robotics/instrumentation focus, but if EE is really want you’re interested in, then why not major in EE?</p>

<p>In addition to finding BME pretty interesting, I guess the main reason I wouldn’t want to just major in EE or ChemE is because there is a chance I will want to apply to medical school later on (as you can clearly see, I’m a little unsure of what I want to end up doing after undergrad, but hey, I’m only 17 years old) and BME would more easily allow me to complete the requisite pre-med courses. If I decide later on that I don’t want to go to med school, I would try to go to graduate school in for either EE or ChemE as they are more lucrative than BME, and honestly, I think I would enjoy myself just fine studying any field of engineering. Given this, I take it that BME would be a good option for me considering it would allow me to apply to medical school or to get into graduate school for another engineering discipline?</p>

<p>bump</p>