<p>Hi all,</p>
<p>I would like some advice regarding my college choice between Johns Hopkins and USC, majoring in Biomedical Engineering. </p>
<p>I have visited both campuses, and enjoyed my experience at both of them. I realize that Johns Hopkins is #1 in BME, but at USC I received a presidential scholarship plus awarded the research merit scholarship, which especially attracts me. </p>
<p>I would really appreciate any thoughts on this issue.</p>
<p>Telling us your final cost of attendance for both schools after scholarships and aid have been applied would greatly help us give you advice.</p>
<p>in general i would say definitely go to hopkins for BME. but i hope you realize that hopkins has a very distinct campus “feel” that is not for everyone, and same for USC.</p>
<p>Please see recent thread regarding biomedical engineering. The original poster is sdinnu.</p>
<p>Going to USC would cost me about $25K less/year than Hopkins. But I feel that the research opportunities are more valuable, as USC has already offered me the opportunity to start the fall of my freshman year.</p>
<p>a guaranteed research opportunity is indeed extremely valuable, especially if you’re looking for either a) grad school or b) med school.</p>
<p>add in the combined 100k savings… looks like USC may be the better option for you overall.</p>
<p>confuzzled,</p>
<p>i was just in your situation trying to chose between Rice (rank 6 in bme) vs USC’s bme</p>
<p>my difference in money was smaller than yours but is still comparable, about 70k over the course of the four years.</p>
<p>I recently chose to go to USC and here is why. USC is not a bad in school in any terms. Not only is it a top 25 college, but it is extremely well rounded, which its engineering program ranking 11 ( i think) for this year. Of course, its BME isnt ranking that high, but that doesnt mean the program is going to be any weaker than the rest of their engineering classes. Also, as an undergraduate, i think it is much wiser to save up money and be able to pay for the more expensive school during grad or for me, med school. Lastly, the BME program at USC is pretty small, 60-70 kids per year which means the classes will most likely be small and have a significant difference from the HUGE classes that you might have at a large college like USC. I got the trustee with the merit research award and some other university scholarship so going to USC was almost a full ride. </p>
<p>I know your difference is different, and the caliber of JH BME (good job btw!) is different than USC/Rice. Just make sure that you are going to a place that sets you up for success and will allow you to perform. Also if you are planning to go into industry, Southern California is a great place to be for BME jobs and with viterbi’s 5 year program, you can come out of a rank 11 engineeing school in 5 years with your masters. If you wanna go to med school like me, then be wary of a place like JH since they have a special policy where you have to apply to apply to medical schools. They will not write you a recommendation letter for med schools unless they allow you to apply to med schools. Definately look into that fact! (Its the reason JH has such an amazing med school acceptance rate)</p>
<p>anyway, feel free to ask any more questions! i know its an amazingly difficult decision to make!</p>
<p>I am currently a junior at USC majoring in Biomedical Engineering, and was fortunate to receive the Trustee scholarship and merit research award upon my acceptance to USC. Additionally, Johns Hopkins was one of the other schools I was considering when I was making my college decision. While Johns Hopkins is particularly known for their BME program, I knew I would ultimately receive a quality engineering education and degree at either university. However, I dont think I would’ve been able to have the same outside-the-classroom experiences that I’ve had at USC.</p>
<p>Its great that youve been able to visit both campuses and feel comfortable at each school, although they both have very different campus environments. USCs location within sunny Los Angeles is very appealing not only for the opportunities to students after graduation looking to work in the BME industry, but LA offers so many different fun things to do from restaurants and concerts, to sporting teams and the beachthere is really something for whatever your interests may be outside the classroom.</p>
<p>I was attracted to USC because of the school spirit and resources at the university level (Ive been able to take classes in economics, accounting, kinesiology, and cinema), with the personalization and opportunities at Viterbi. Viterbi prepares and supports its undergraduates and many BME students choose to go into industry or go onto medical school, law school, get their MBA, or do a Masters in Engineering, which is what Ive opted to do through Viterbis Progressive Degree.</p>
<p>Viterbi gives you a taste of Engineering your first semester with BME 101 (Intro to Biomedical Engineering) and the Freshman Academy program which teaches students the implications and applications of Engineering with hands-on experience, while two coaches (other undergraduate engineering mentors) show freshman the different resources available within Viterbi.</p>
<p>I knew I wanted to get involved with research, and with the merit research award I started working in a lab my first semester at USCthis is something you won’t find at many other universities, and it also allows you to work (and get paid) in a lab where you are interested in the ongoing research conducted by that USC faculty member. It is truly a unique and amazing award if research is of interest to you. Many of my friends who didn’t receive a merit research award are also currently researching as undergraduates.</p>
<p>Studying abroad was also something very important to me. I knew after talking to my Viterbi advisors that it was not only possible, but encouraged, and last summer I had the chance to travel to Paris through the Viterbi Summer Overseas Program, take classes, and travel Europe. As a nice bonus, I was able to apply my Trustee Scholarship to my tuition costs overseas, and the Presidential Scholarship carries over too.</p>
<p>Ive been fortunate to get involved in a variety of clubs and student organizations within Viterbi, USC, and Greek Life, while taking advantage of everything that the greater Los Angeles area has to offer. I hope this gives you a little more insight into USC Biomedical Engineering and why I chose both of these. I also wrote two short blog posts on both of these topics at: viterbivoices.usc.edu/clairec. Many of my other engineering friends have blogged about Viterbi too at viterbivoices.usc.edu. If you have any more questions, please dont hesitate to email me at <a href=“mailto:vstudent@usc.edu”>vstudent@usc.edu</a>. Best of luck with your decisionboth are amazing schools! Fight On!</p>
<p>Claire</p>
My S is a trustee at USC and regent at UCB BioE for this fall. He is deciding between the two.
How was your experience with USC BioE after 4 years? Hope that will help to make the decision easy.
With those cost concerns, I’d probably go with USC. If your family can handle the extra 25K / year without any debt or problems, then Hopkins will offer the advantage for BME – research / resources / etc.