<p>Hello! :) As the decisions finally rolled out, I have narrowed my choices to these three universities. I am an international student who wanted to major in BME/bioengineering. Here's my pros/cons list:</p>
<p>RICE</p>
<p>Pros
Residential College System tight, small community (<= 1000 people in freshman class)
Quirky and fun culture
Lots of traditions and events
Texas Medical Center largest medical center in the world
Great bioengineering program, always in the top ten.
Best value costs the least (54k)
Houston!
Beautiful campus
Nice mascot :)
OK weather suitable for people from tropical regions </p>
<p>Cons
Less prestige :P (not well known in my community. People keep staring at me like I'm insane when I mentioned Rice)</p>
<p>Note:
My relatives live near Rice. </p>
<p>NORTHWESTERN</p>
<p>Pros
Residential Colleges though its not as cohesive as Rices
Engineering First program very design-oriented
More prestige worldwide (or at least to those who have been drinking the USNews kool-aid)
Quirky traditions the rock, feral scream
Near Chicago
Beautiful campus
Certificate program at Kelloggs (I don't have plans to participate in the program yet, but it's nice to be able to mix it up)</p>
<p>Cons
Biomedical Engineering program is not in the Top 10 (#12 or something)
COLD WEATHER D: Dont know if I can stand it.
Freshman class size is rather big (2000 people)
Cost: 61k</p>
<p>JHU BME</p>
<p>Pros
#1 Biomedical Engineering program, very hard to get into so Im pretty proud (even though there must be some godly miracle happening in the process
)
So many research opportunities BME freshmen are directly involved in BME-related studies instead of only taking introductory courses
Concepts and classes taught by experts in that field, or even by those who discover it in the first place.
Johns Hopkins Hospital
National Aquarium Baltimore (lol, minor point, but I love aquariums)
Prestige :P, especially for anything medical-related. The name Johns Hopkins is said to open doors/job opportunities worldwide
Nice mascot :)
Relatively small freshman class (1300 people)</p>
<p>Cons
Very scholarly culture known for being competitive and rigorous due to lack of grade inflation and great percentage of premeds.
Lack of school spirit
Baltimore D: Too far away, and I heard that the city is unappealing. Parents are concerned about the citys safety.
COLD WEATHER
Cost: A WHOPPING 65K</p>
<p>Overall, Rice really clicked with me. I love the whole Hogwarts atmosphere and the laid-back, fun culture (it's called Happy School for a reason :) ). I'm quiet, so maybe Rice can do me good and bring me out of my shell. Not a lot of people in my community can understand why I love Rice, though - so I'm a bit worried about how Rice is viewed by industries/companies worldwide. </p>
<p>NU's culture is also great, but I think its BME is not as strong as Rice's. </p>
<p>JHU's BME is stellar, but the whole 'cutthroat' reputation is a turnoff. I know a lot of people at JHU is still happy despite the competition, but I'm afraid of taking the chance. Plus, Baltimore is not a very appealing city, and going there will cost me an extra 11k (is it worth it?). People have been telling me to just take JHU because it's prestigious and renowned worldwide, but... I don't know. </p>
<p>I've seen people on CC drop NU and JHU BME for Rice, or even those who drop Ivies and MIT for JHU BME. I'm so conflicted.
So can anyone provide some feedback? Thank you very much! :)</p>
thanks.</p>
It seems that I can’t go wrong wherever I go.</p>