I applied to 11 schools all to their Biomed or Bioengineering program (I know most will have FYE, but you get the point) depending on the school.
Michigan
UIUC
Purdue
Minnesota
Pitt
Maryland
OSU
UNC (joint program with NCSU)
Georgia Tech
Bucknell
Northwestern
Assuming I get into all of them (which probably won’t happen), what do you think would be my best choice? I really like Michigan and GT’s programs and when I visited Purdue it was also very impressive. I think I have a list set in my head, but wanted to know if anyone knows something I may not that could maybe sway my thinking a little bit. They’re all pretty close in my eyes, which is why I came here to see what people think.
This list varies very widely. What are you looking for in a school? Is strength of program all that matters?
Think about:
location
money
school size
school spirit/atmosphere/social life
programs (strength and flexibility-- what if you change your mind? Would you be more likely to change your mind to another engineering degree or something along the lines of pre-med?)
The only personal experience I have is with UNC/NCSU after attending several programs and a summer camp there, and then shadowing the Wake Forest BME Department and meeting many current and graduated students of the joint program. NC State is a stronger engineering school for sure (it’s what it’s known for, and actually offers most of the degrees!). This means that if you want to focus more on biomechanical, electric engineering with BME, etc. then this is likely the better choice. UNC has the hospital system and better bio/chem/premed courses. If you are more interested in the medical side (cells, medicines, etc) then this is the school to go to between the two. I had been set on NCSU for BME, but after my shadowing experience realized that UNC would likely be the better choice because of the smaller program size within the school itself. The students told me that this small size meant more research opportunities and smaller classes for their major. It’s worth noting that NCSU professors travel to UNC for the BME courses and that you may take the BME bus back and forth and take courses at either school, but you will likely take the majority at the school you attend. The schools themselves also have different atmospheres.
I have no idea if you actually wanted all of that information or not, and I may be a bit biased, but the UNC/NCSU program is definitely unique. Out of the others listed, I am only familiar with GT and OSU’s BME, and can say that GT has one of the best of all of them and that OSU is surprisingly strong, has an excellent campus culture (imo). but will be more expensive and larger.
@BB1313 Thanks so much for the info! For the exact reasons you stated are why I applied to UNC over NCSU. Money is a issue with my family, which is why although Michigan is my top choice I may have to settle somewhere else. Location isn’t that high a priority for me, and I am cool with any type of size school, but would rather have a smaller sized program… I am interested in MAYBE going onto medical school so I have made that a factor in deciding where to go.
UNC probably won’t give you much money, they hardly give any to the in-state students like myself. But it’s an amazing school and probably the best college atmosphere I’ve seen, and you should definitely still apply and see! Private schools that meet 100% of need would be nice too since they’re smaller and generally affordable. Idk your stats but if you’re applying to NW then maybe schools like Duke or Vandy would be a good reach too.