I am an international student. Torn between 2 choices- Rice with scholarship (100k) or Duke without scholarship for Biomedical engineering?
I also have an offer from UCSD, USC, GTECH. CALTECH. Please advise. Thx in advance
Between Rice and Duke, I would choose Rice. Plus, with a scholarship, it’s a no-brainer.
Between UCSD, USC, GATech and Caltech; I would look into GATech and Caltech.
So the final choice I would make is between GATech, Caltech and Rice. Which one is cheaper? I’m guessing Rice is, so I would choose that. Caltech isn’t a bad option either, but if you choose that, prepare for rigorous classes, because it is very hard to maintain a good GPA at Caltech. GATech is a very large school, so if you can handle huge classes, GATech is okay, but I still give preference to the other two.
Here’s a short comparison between GATech, Caltech and Rice:
Without any scholarships, GATech is the cheapest.
With scholarships, Rice is probably the cheapest.
Caltech has the most rigorous courses.
GATech is the largest.
Caltech is the smallest.
I hope I’ve helped.
Are you kidding?? take Rice. Its fabulous and what a nice scholarship! Congrats! Agree with the above poster that Rice, Ga Tech and Cal tech are best options of your choices. Dukes engineering is not as competitive.
Congratulations on your acceptances. You’ve got great options. I don’t put a huge reliance on rankings, but they’re a relatively good place to start. Here are the latest rankings.
http://colleges.usnews.rankingsandreviews.com/best-colleges/rankings/engineering-doctorate-biological-biomedical
As I see it:
If ranking is most important, choose Duke. Its Biomedical Engineering program is ranked #2 compared to Rice at #5
If finances are most important, choose Rice. It’s a great school and at $100k off retail, it’s a bargain. Be prepared for a VERY humid climate.
If weather is most important, choose UCSD. Its Biomedical Engineering program is ranked #7 and and San Diego is a gem of a city.
Keep in mind that many change their majors, and if you choose to change, even within engineering, Rice’s options are stronger than Duke’s in the other engineering fields. JMO.
It’s easier to switch to most any major at Rice, from what I’ve seen. I think it’s tough making up the $100K differential in those schools after graduation. IF money is an issue, I’d go to Rice.
FWIW, DS#1 turned down instate Ga Tech (would have been very cheap) for Rice. Never looked back.
Rice is fantastic; top notch academics in a much more collaborative and friendly atmosphere than you would likely find at an ivy-type school. At the discount you are getting there, I would jump at that in a heartbeat.
Is electrical engineering also good in rice? Anybody doing engineering there? Are there medical device companies in Houston? I am interested in undergrad research and entrepreneurship. Thank you all for v. Useful replies.
But if you got into Caltech, that’s like winning a lottery, imo. Nothing to sneeze at, and will open doors for you
The downside is no merit, and a tiny class
It’s all about your ability to pay…
Duke’s BME is top-notch. Only Hopkins has a marginally better program. Also, think twice before taking advice from people who think that the second best BME program in America is “not competitive”
@PaulDirac That was only one person’s opinion. Think twice before you post.