<p>Simple question: which is better for biomed undergraduate, Duke or MIT? My friend got this thing from Duke so he's already accepted there and MIT RD, but he's a finalist for some full ride scholarship at Duke that's really prestigious. Assuming he gets a full ride from both (which may not be certain), which is better for biomed? Btw, I'm going to MIT (got accepted EA and plan on going into Physics), so any other info about MIT you want to tell me would be great too! Thanks. :)
And yes, I realize I'm posting in the MIT forum, so I'm posting this in the Duke forum as well.</p>
<p>There’s not a simple answer to that question – both schools are great options for biomedical engineering. He should make his choice based on which school he likes best, because he’ll be well-educated at both schools.</p>
<p>Duke is easier for biomed and will probably give you a higher GPA. You will learn more at MIT and be challenged more.</p>
<p>(At least, that’s my perception. I may be wrong.)</p>
<p>MIT doesn’t have a specific ‘biomedical engineering’ program - you can do 2A (mechanical engineering) with a focus in biomedical engineering, or you can do 20, which is biological engineering. But there’s no separate major, and if that’s important to your friend, he should take that into account.</p>
<p>If he’s a finalist for a Robertson or a Morehead scholarship, apparently winners are treated like kings. This is in stark contrast to MIT, where we’re all pathetic, tooling serfs 
I have a friend that goes to Duke and loves it, but the cultures of Duke and MIT couldn’t be more different. He’s a Robertson scholar so PM me if your friend wins and would like to talk to him.</p>
<p>Thanks for the input!
I asked him if he is a finalist for those, and I’ll tell you when he gets back to me.
He might be considering Biological Engineering, but I’ll ask him that too (I’ll see him tomorrow). I’ll PM you if he’s interested in talking to your friend, and I can’t imagine why he wouldn’t want to.
What are you studying at MIT? Do you know any Physics majors?</p>
<p>I PMed you.</p>
<p>Thanks dude.</p>
<p>Heh, I’m an MIT alum, and my sister is a student at Duke. Neither of us is/was biological/biomedical engineering, though.</p>
<p>Really, for BME-ish stuff, you can’t go wrong with either school. This is the point where you start considering the little things (and also, when applicable, scholarships).</p>
<p>Your friend should go wherever he will be happiest. Seriously. This will make a huge difference. Even though MIT is an awesome school that will provide you with an awesome education, it is not for everyone. He might actually be miserable here- which would seriously hinder the quality of his education.</p>
<p>As everyone else said, you really can’t go wrong either way. </p>
<p>Also, it doesn’t really matter what you officially major in. He should check out the curriculum and research and all of that for both schools, but whether your degree actually SAYS “biomedical engineering” or “mechanical engineering” with a resume/transcript that shows tons of research and courses in the field…not so much of a difference. I could be off on this, but it’s my impression that a lot of schools don’t actually offer a biomedical engineering degree- in many places its offered as a minor, a concentration, a subdivision of mechanical engineering, whatever. So it’s not like any employer is going to be like “sorry, only if the word “biomedical” is on your diploma.”</p>
<p>^^LauraN is right…You don’t need a degree in biomedical engineering to do it. In fact, it may be more attractive if you major in another discipline of engineering and then apply what you know later to biomedical problems. The various facets of biomedical engineering are pretty unrelated. </p>
<p>If you want a more integrated approach to biomedical engineering and you think the environment is more suited to you at Duke, then you should pick Duke. </p>
<p>Once you reach the top 10 of colleges, you’re probably better off in the long run picking whatever environment that you find intellectually stimulating and which you feel comfortable in.</p>
<p>Thanks for the input everyone. He’s going to have a tough choice, but at least he has a choice, which is more than I can say for some of the other people I know.
He’ll be better able to decide when he visits both though.</p>
<p>my bro is actually at MIT right now in the biomed program, and he loves it. He turned down Duke to be at MIT and he’s very glad he did. It wasn’t really a tough choice for him.</p>
<p>I just want to throw out there that my dad graduated with a degree in chemistry and is now a radio broadcasting engineer/vice president of a big Hispanic radio corporation. Study what you love and don’t be afraid to change the course if need be.</p>
<p>Thanks for all the good advice everyone. My friend appreciates it and I suppose he’ll have to make the hard choice soon.</p>
<p>To all of you at MIT, I can’t wait to see you there next year! I’ll be studying what I love, and that just happens to be Physics.</p>
<p>I’m assuming you’re talking about the Angier B. Duke Scholarship - a full-ride to a college like Duke is no small thing indeed, but of the 3 people I personally know who were offered it, only 1 accepted, with the other two choosing Harvard and MIT (all three were biology-inclined students, too).</p>
<p>Oh, thanks for mentioning that. I asked him what it was called, and he said “Universal Scholarship”. Have any of you heard of that?</p>
<p>i had this exact same dilemma last year around this time…i was deciding between full rides at MIT, Duke, and Johns Hopkins BME. Rankingly speaking i went to the lower school for BME, but you can’t go wrong with either one of them. it came down to where i felt most comfortable and which one i thought had the most options for me…i visited all three and jhu although a great school was out because i hated baltimore and i just couldnt see myself there for 4 years…i ultimately decided on MIT for the following reasons (in no specific order):
- i loved Boston
- i didn’t want a cutthroat environment around (no ranking or honors at MIT )
- if i decided to switch majors, MIT has a better engineering school overall (no.1 btw)
- i just fell in love with MIT :D</p>
<p>^would you have made the same choice if little aid at MIT vs. fullride at duke. hard to say i know.</p>
<p>i probably would have…i visited duke first and then MIT, and when i stepped foot here i knew i wanted to be here at all costs</p>
<p>Oh, maybe your friend was offered the “University Scholarship” – like the Angier B. Duke Scholarship, it is a full-ride, but the University Scholarship is awarded based on financial need (assuming I understood everything correctly). If your friend was offered a University Scholarship, I would guess that what MIT would offer through financial aid would be more comparable, and your friend’s college decision could revolve less around money.</p>