<p>Hey, by May 1st I need to decide between Johns Hopkins, University of Virginia, and University of Maryland, College Park. I would be pursuing Bio(medical/materials) engineering with the intention of attending medical school or grad school after my uidnergrad education. Here are the factors, with money being a HUGE one:</p>
<p>UMD, College Park:
COST: about $12,000/yr
MAJOR: Bioengineering
Special Programs: Honors College - Gemstone (prestigious 4yr research program)
RANKINGS: Top 20 Engineering school, 56th overall</p>
<p>U of Virginia:
COST: about $40,000/yr
MAJOR: Biomedical Engineering
Special Programs: none
RANKINGS: BME program ranked 19th, 25th overall</p>
<p>Johns Hopkins:
COST: about $30,000/yr
MAJOR: Materials Science and Engineering (specializing in biomaterials or nanotech)
Special Programs: none
RANKINGS: 13th overall, 1st for BME (I am not in BME, but in Bioengineering dept)</p>
<p>Any and all comments or suggestions are welcome. Thank you for any help you can offer me!</p>
<p>JHU, better labs, a lot more research options, and if you ever decide to go abroad, JHU has research centers for all forms of bio related engineering all over the world.</p>
<p>It appears you wanted to do BME, so you need to evaluate how much you want to do that. Mat sci at JHU will allow you to take bme classes, but it’s not the same as being a BME major (still, you could do BME research at JHU if you wanted) at the other schools. But in general, why is this a dilemma? If money is huge, you should be looking at JHU vs UMD. And in that case, i would go to JHU. I turned down being a banneker key scholar (along with the secondary gemstone thingy as a maryland resident) and possibly being a jefferson scholar at UVa (was a finalist before I withdrew my app) for JHU without batting an eye.</p>
<p>I can’t see the case for picking UVA, given that it’s more expensive than JHU for you. For me it would come down to JHU vs. UMCP, and I would pick JHU with your financial situation (in fact, I did pick JHU with similar numbers).</p>
<p>I appreciate the advice. I am going to the Spring Open House and Overnight Program at Hopkins this wed/thurs to get a feel for the campus and people at Hopkins.</p>
<p>Apart from the academic side, what can anyone tell me about Hopkins in terms of social atmosphere and the type of people there? I have visited UVA and love it, and I have been to Maryland many times and I suppose I could see myself there but it would be more of an extension of high school.</p>
<p>I have heard rumors (and of course i emphasize that they are simply rumors) that Hopkins is extremely competitive to the point that students will sometimes sabotage other students to get a higher class ranking. Also, I heard that many students don’t really balance the hard work ethic Hopkins demands and the fun side of college. Can anyone help me in confirming these or assuring me they are simply silly rumors?</p>
<p>Thanks!</p>
<p>OH… also, for med school, which will prepare me the best? I assume JHU, but also JHU is obviously extremely demanding and perhaps grades would be lower there than at another school. On the flip side, i suppose JHU would prepare me better for the MCATs and would obviously look a lot better on an application. Any comments?</p>