@Lindagaf, I think he already paid his deposit at Northwestern. Regarding calling Brown, I seriously would NOT pick Brown for BME over Northwestern. it isn’t a better school in that major.
My son chose Northwestern over Brown for Biomedical ENG, Now he is worried if he made right decision
Personally, based on what I know, I would NOT do BME at Brown, Northwestern may be the right choice.
Northwestern is better than Brown for Engineering. I’d choose it over Brown, certainly.
It’s a very, very powerful “brand name”. It’s as if you were worrying that people know Coke better than Pepsi, so to speak. 
Don’t worry. Really.
Do not let your son know about your doubts, as it’d sow doubts not just into his choice, but in his abilities (ability to choose right for his first adult decision, ability to succeed).He’s done amazingly well and got into terrific schools. He’s shown intelligence and character. No reason to doubt his choice. (I know you’re trying to be a responsible parent there, but there’s nothing to worry about. Northwestern is a powerhouse and a huge brand-name.)
Since the COA is a concern and Northwestern didn’t package loans, have him borrow the subsidized portion of the federal (stafford) loans - $3,500. He can “bank” them. If he doesn’t need them, he’ll still have them "just in case. It’ll ease your concerns and will allow him to not work during his first year, or to work very little. However, I wouldn’t turn down the work study. Work study is “pay as you go”, so if he can only work 5-6 hours a week (very, very doable, especially if he can get a job like at the library counter, checking books out) he’ll be paid for that, and if he finds it’s too much and gives his two weeks’ notice, he’ll still have the money he earned at first and he’ll have a few items for his CV.
He may be able to work a little over the summer, to have a litle nest’s egg “just in case”, if that eases your worry.
Northwestern has a medical facility on campus and I can’t imagine there’d be a problem getting his medical supplies.
@MYOS1634 thank you so much
It just seems to me that the concern is that “Ivy is Better, Because it’s an Ivy.” There is this odd assumption that job recruitment will be better at Brown than at NU. Not only would that be wrong, but BME usually needs a grad degree for employment in the field, so undergrad won’t likely be the terminal degree anyway.
Northwestern engineering has been one of those that have gone out of their way to infuse real world experience into the education. The “Engineering First” curriculum require freshmen to design prototypes for real world clients. The students can then leverage this first-year experience for their subsequent internships, research, service learning, and/or co-op program. One thing they like to emphasize is engineering design and there are plenty of opportunities for that. As far as the co-op program goes, it is one of the most well-established in the country. Since 1989, two BME majors from Northwestern have won the “co-op student of the year” award.
http://www.wsj.com/articles/the-power-of-unsolvable-problems-1456255158?tesla=y
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21914600
http://www.spinalcordinjuryzone.com/news/1981/student-innovations-benefit-patients
http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/ct-met-northwestern-penguins-20130329-story.html
http://www.mccormick.northwestern.edu/academics/undergraduate/core-curriculum/engineering-first.html
http://www.mccormick.northwestern.edu/career-development/index.html
http://ceed.asee.org/coop_past_winners.html
http://designforamerica.com/about/
Very few Ivys have good engineering programs. Don’t second guess your decision.
great information @IWannaHelp, thanks
The OP and his son live in Georgia, and son was accepted at Georgia Tech where he would have in-state tuition and much better weather, and he turned down GT for Northwestern?! U.S. News ranks GT as #3 in BME, Northwestern not even in the top ten. I realize USN rankings aren’t always the “final word” in college rankings, but GT is very highly regarded in BME by all relevant ranking entities, including engineering-specific ones. If given a choice between only GT or NU, I would pick GT with absolutely no hesitation.
Perhaps OP didn’t want the environmnt at GTech, which means insane workload, competition, and grade deflation, lots of pressure, etc. Northwestern is super prestigious but is more balanced in all areas that, together, are life.
@Defensor, GTech likely costed more than NU with fin aid.
If the only classes a student took were in BME… and if Georgia Tech had Northwestern’s reputation, prices after FA, etc… then it might make sense to pick GIT over NU. Alas, Northwestern is stronger than GT overall academically (and since over half of the classes are taken outside of the major, that’s important for undergrad…) and offers the usual advantages that elite private schools hold over even the good state schools. And if the OP is paying less to go to NU, and fit is good, the choice is almost a no-brainer.
yes GTech was 48k ( no in-state fees due to my status), no financial and yes the environment at GTech, which means insane workload, competition, and grade deflation, lots of pressure, etc.
@Defensor @MYOS1634 @prezbucky But why am I been refered to as OP
OP = original poster
If Northwestern is stronger academically overall than Georgia Tech, then that means the non-degree courses at NU would be more difficult. So it would be easier to keep your GPA higher at GT. I definitely wouldn’t want non-degree courses dragging my GPA down.
GT would be very close to home for the OP’s kid, and I’ll take the sunny South over the long winters and below zero wind chill factors at NU. If there’s not a substantial difference in cost, I would pick GT over NU in a heartbeat for BME.
Um, @Defensor, the OP is paying virtually nothing for NU (a few thousand a year).
Defensor,
Northwestern’s BME is ranked #9 in the latest USN ranking. Also, GATech has a huge engineering population while Northwestern has smaller student to faculty ratio, which translates to more research opportunities available per student.
There are also other academic programs such as double majoring in Econ or managerial analytics certificate (through Kellogg school of management) that are available at NU (if, say, he wants to become a management consultant with focus in biotech industry).
So Northwestern can still be a better choice even if the cost is the same when you take all those into consideration, especially given that it’s not a huge difference between #9 and #3.
@Defensor, the OP just said GT was $48K/year for their kid, and esrlier posts say NU is a bit over $3K/year.