<p>So I've narrowed my colleges down to those three (I also got into UNC Chapel Hill, NC State, WashU, waitlisted at Stanford), and my head is about to explode trying to make up my mind.</p>
<p>What I'm looking for:</p>
<p>-Pre-med/Med school preparation
-strong tilt towards biomedical engineering
-college life</p>
<p>Those three are the big ones, in a nutshell. Any pointers about how those three colleges are in terms of those points would be appreciated. I didn't get into the BME program at Hopkins :(, but how good are their related fields (bioengineering, etc.)?</p>
<p>In terms of money, Duke and Penn cost about the same for me, while JHU is about 10k lower. Why Duke and Penn don't use FAFSA is beyond me. </p>
<p>All 3 are great. Congrats. If it were me (and it was, many years ago) I'd choose Hopkins. Unbelievable research opportunities. I chose Hopkins over Penn (didn't apply to Duke) and never regreted it. And the $10k advantage is significant. And don't worry about BME--it is really designed for engineers, not doctors. There are similar, very good programs in the Whiting School that don't require separate admission. Good Luck.</p>
<p>If money's an issue, you may be able to get Penn and/or Duke to match what Hopkins is offering.</p>
<p>If you can, you really should try to visit each school (again, if you've already done so) to see which one "feels" the best to you (it's worth it before you decide where you'll spend the next 4 years). But don't let your head explode! You really can't go wrong at any of the three schools.</p>
<p>For what it's worth, with its 4 undergraduate schools (College, Wharton, Engineering, and Nursing) and Medical, Dental, Veterinary, Law and other graduate schools--and major hospital, clinical, and research facilities--all located on the same relatively compact campus, Penn offers the greatest breadth and depth of academic, interdisciplinary, and research opportunities to its undergrads, and strongly encourages them to take advantage of those varied opportunities (by taking classes in more than one school, utilizing the University's dedicated undergraduate research office, etc.). In general, many--if not most--college students end up concentrating in something different than what they initially had planned when they applied, and it's nice to have a wide array of options available to explore.</p>
<p>Totally disagree. My friends who went to JHU probably did worse than their counterparts who went to less cutthroat schools. Pre-med is a commodity in many respects, its all about GPA and MCAT. If you go to a place that has great access to research, even better. JHU's med school does not prepare you any better than say Amherst, would. </p>
<p>Plus the weaker social life. I would go to Duke or Penn (personally Duke).</p>