<p>*Note: posted in other college forums too to get more perspective</p>
<p>Hi everyone. The title is pretty self explanatory, but just to reiterate, I got into Duke (Pratt), UPenn (SEAS) and JHU (accepted into Biomedical Engineering program).</p>
<p>I've been to 2 Duke TIP programs so I'm familiar with the campus (at least the west campus). I've also visited Hopkins, but not Penn.</p>
<p>I know that Hopkins is ranked #1 in BME and that many undergrads get jobs in industry straight after college. However, I am really gearing towards med school.</p>
<p>In addition, taking classes at Wharton is really enticing. I know it's a bit of a stretch but I would love to minor in econ/finance/etc. at Wharton. Just something I've always wanted to do. Call me crazy, but I'd even consider applying as a transfer to the Jerome Fisher program. Also, Penn is an ivy-league, and while I know that is not very meaningful, it is still pretty cool.</p>
<p>So who should I pick and why? As far as the atmospheres goes, I am rather clueless. Any insight would be helpful. Thanks in advance!</p>
<p>I’m a Hopkins BME alum and now in grad school Duke. I also double majored in economics at Hopkins. I read through the comments posted on the Penn and Duke thread and I generally agree with what others have said. All three programs are quite strong in BME and while Hopkins is ranked #1 (and while I do believe its the best program out there), the different between #1 and #3 is not very big and shouldn’t be your deciding factor. I would recommend you make every effort to attend SOHOP/Blue Devils Days/Penn Preview and get a feel for the schools and the campus cultures and see where you feel the best fit.</p>
<p>In terms of the BME programs themselves, all three programs have very broad, very strong research programs that you’ll be able to get involved in as an undergrad. All three also have world-class medical centers where you could get clinical exposure as a pre-med. The BME programs do have a different philosophy in terms of their undergraduate curriculum. Penn and Duke have more requirements for every BME major and limit you to 3 or so elective courses in your area of concentration. Hopkins on the other hand has fewer major requirements and more room for taking classes specifically in your area of interest. Both approaches have their pluses and minuses, but I was quite happy with the system at Hopkins as it allowed me to focus on the things I knew would be relevant to me.</p>
<p>As for your interest in economics/finance, none of the schools have a core curriculum to take up your time, and all three schools make you take a certain number of humanties/social science credits, but Duke and Penn put some limitations on what you take (ie Penn requires 2 humanities, 2 social sciences and 3 of your choice) while Hopkins tells you take 18 credits of humanities/social sciences for your “distribution requirements” and let’s you decide what you want to do. This makes it very easy to minor in Economics or Financial Economics (6 classes = 18 credits) or even double major with econ (10 classes = 30 credits), especially if you come in with some AP credit.</p>
<p>As for what people do after graduating, I don’t know much about Duke and Penn in that regard, but Hopkins is a lot more pre-graduate/professional than you think. Across the university, there is a huge focus on research and many students naturally end up in graduate/professional school. In BME, about a third of graduates go to work in industry, while a third go to med school and a third go to grad school (a handful like me end up in MD/PhD programs).</p>
<p>I know this probably can’t be answered very objectively by anyone but how are grades at Hopkins/Duke/Penn like? Would it be easier to maintain a high gpa at ___than at the other schools? Curving…inflation…deflation…etc.?</p>