<p>I am very torn between these three schools. I love the research opportunities at Hopkins, the holistic education at Columbia, and the general social atmosphere at northwestern. But, the fin aid offers are much different - Hopkins and Columbia I would pay 120k over 4 years, while at northwestern I would pay 40k. Is going to northwestern considered a significant step down from Hopkins bme? Also, I am absolutely not premed.</p>
<p>^Not at all. As one of the oldest in the country, the BME at Northwestern is no slouch; it’s still in the top-20 and is one of the largest and broadest programs with a large team of faculty and lots of exciting research. According to their website, over 70% of BME majors participate in research.</p>
<p>Also, unlike most other schools, the first-year curriculum at Northwestern is very hands-on and design oriented; after your first-year, you’d already have considerable hands-on experience which will give you the confidence to get involved in more design projects, including Design for America, which started at Northwestern.
<a href=“http://designforamerica.com/[/url]”>http://designforamerica.com/</a>
Many engineering grads come out of schools without actually making a tangible product of any kind, but at Northwestern, everyone has at least one product for a real industry client before graduation. Some have so much fun in their first taste in design during their freshmen year that they continue to get involved through Segal Design Institute <a href=“DESIGN INNOVATION - Segal Design Institute, Northwestern University”>DESIGN INNOVATION - Segal Design Institute, Northwestern University;
<p>No, Northwestern is still a great school. Also, it leaves room for you to change your major if you want to…you might not stay BME.</p>