Hello everyone!
I had a few quick questions regarding my RD Application to Johns Hopkins - mainly dealing with my major selection.
My first question is whether I can apply to the BME (Biomedical Engineering) program as well as the SAIS program? I know those are two very different fields of study, but is is possible to apply to both? (with BME as my first choice major)
Along with that I was wondering if they look less favorably on an application with two widely different majors, specifically for the JHU BME program, but more generally for applications in general?
Any feedback would be greatly appreciated!
Thanks!
Not it will not look less favorably. It is common for students to change majors multiple times and if the combination is possible on Common App than it should work. Do not worry about impression selecting certain combinations of majors give because they are insignificant or rather nonexistent. If you are a qualified student they want, then you will get in.
Wait, do you mean the SAIS program as in the BA / MA program for a Master’s degree? SAIS is a graduate school. I don’ think you’ll be penalized for having two widely different interests; if you can convey a passion for both and show that you can be a strong STEM student, you’ll be fine.
@XAtlas Thanks for the feedback!
@OnMyWay2013 Yes sorry for clarification I meant the direct matriculation program with SAIS where you receive a BA/MA in 5 years. Is that possible to do with BME as my first choice major?
So you aren’t planning to do BME and SAIS at the same time; it’s more that, if BME doesn’t work out, you’ll do the other? I think it’ll be fine, as long as you can demonstrate passion for both areas. If worst comes to worst, you can always reapply for SAIS in undergrad.
You apply to SAIS your sophomore year of undergrad and spend your senior year, along with an additional fifth year, completing MA graduate courses at the Washington D.C. SAIS school. The only way you could do both is if you completed your BME degree requirements in 3 years, and I’ve yet to meet anyone who has done that. It might be possible if you came in with AP credit for all your first year math and science requirements (Calculus, Physics, Biology, Chemistry). The BME program is 129 credits (http://www.bme.jhu.edu/undergraduate/degree-requirements) and you could test out of about 28 of those credits leaving you to complete 100 credits in three years (which is about 16 credits a semester). While this is possible, you would be taking many difficult classes together to fit it all in, and on top of that you would need to complete the BA requirements for International Studies too, which is another 60 or so credits (10 a semester) when excluding the GE requirements you’ll complete with the BME overlap. Even with GE course overlap, you would probably be completing about 24-26 credits a semester, which is unheard of for your entire time at JHU (no advisor would ever sign off on this). Nearly all students take 15-20 credits a semester.
Basically, my quick check on degree requirements has confirmed this path is a suicide mission. A miserable experience and poor grades would be the likely outcome.
I recommend you think about what field you are more interested in and want to pursue as a career. You can always take a few courses in the other topic for curiosity (I had a similar problem and this worked for me). Ideally you start with BME as your major and then you can always switch out if you change your mind (it’s near impossible to switch into BME from another major).
I actually do know two people who have graduated with BME in 3 years (one actually graduated in 2.5), but suffice to say that early graduation with BME is not only rare, but also contingent on you taking lots of summer classes and/or coming in with lots of AP credit.
From an admissions perspective, applying with BME and IS as your two listed majors won’t hurt you so long as you can justify your varied interests.
However, from a practical standpoint if you expect to graduate with a BS/BA in 4 years double majoring in those two fields would be extremely difficult -maybe even impossible though I can’t say for sure since I don’t have any first hand experience with that specific combination. For a bit of perspective I’m double majoring in BME and CS , two fields which have a lot of overlap in terms of requirements if you play your cards right, and I’ve had to take 18-19 credits every semester to stay on track. (The maximum credit load a student can take is 19.5 without obtaining permission from the registrar and their advisor). By contrast BME and IS have very little overlap in terms of graduation requirements BME has about 100 credits of various science/engineering with 18 credits of humanities whereas IS requires at least 50 credits from specific departments (History, Political Science, etc) all of which are designated as humanities or social science classes.
Tldr this combination won’t hurt you in admissions, but from my perspective is extremely impractical.
Keep in mind the SAIS program requires you complete the IS major in three years, not four, so you’re asking if it’s possible to complete both the BME and IS majors in three years.
Am I reading the major requirements for IS wrong or is the major actually only 66 credits + 9 credits KSA N/Q/E distribution?
Assuming I read that correctly (and I probably missed some requirement which would increase the total number of IS credit), to compete this program you’d need take 129 BME credits + 75 IS credits - 27 overlap credits = 177 credits.
That’s approximately 22 credits per semester, every semester, for 4 years. As @NixonDenier pointed out though, you need to graduate with both degrees in three years to be eligible for the 5th year SAIS program. That’s putting you at 29.5 credits per semester which, I am comfortable with saying, is impossible.
My advise would be to apply as BME with the intention of picking up a minor in IS, History, or another similar subject.
Thank you both so much! I think that is the best possible plan