<p>Hey guys as you may all know... today is the May 1st deadline and I stil need to make a decision. I was admitted into RPI and Gtech for biomedical engineering and UIUC for electrical engineering and waitlisted at UMich (because I applied late). RPI has given me the best financial aid offer at around 20k while Gtech and UIUC i have to pay pretty much the full tuition. Financial matters isn't really a problem right now and I understand that all these schools have great engineering programs.</p>
<p>My main question is this: What are the job and post graduate study prospects of each of these colleges? Basically which college would give me the most for my money and give me a good start in the field of engineering.</p>
<p>all of the schools are top notch…i personally think RPI is the most grad school oriented out of the four…not so much with research facilities (i’d say RPI has the least research out of the four on the list), but they do send the most number of kids to grad school towards getting a PhD…</p>
<p>any of them would give you the same chance at landing a nice job after graduation…</p>
<p>^ Do you mean that RPI is the least grad school oriented? Because that I would accept.</p>
<p>As far as recommendations, what you need to first figure out is EE or BME. GT is an outstanding BME school (#2 nationally) where as none of the other schools (including RPI) are known for BME. As far as EE, GT, UIUC, and Michigan are all in the top 10 (GT allows free transferring between majors, so you should consider it as an EE option, as well).</p>
<p>R.P.I. is outstanding for BME. The department has access to one of the best biotech research centers in the world. (And yes, undergraduates do participate in research at RPI). </p>
<p>Rensselaer’s CBIS is now ramping up to full power:</p>
<p>" The past year has been highly successful for the CBIS. Research awards have approached $12 million, over 90% from federal sources such as NIH, NSF, DOE, among others. Industrial consortia have been initiated, including one that is focused on developing the next generation of the blood thinner heparin based on safe and reliable bioprocessing rather than isolation from animals. In 2010 our faculty, students, and postdocs/research scientists published over 150 papers in a wide range of top journals in their respective fields. Most exciting, though, is that our center continues to grow.</p>
<p>On our web pages you will meet some of our CBIS faculty, students, and staff. You will see our beautiful 218,000 sq. ft. facility together with state-of-the-art core facilities that enable biomolecular and cellular research to be performed. Rensselaer builds on its initial nearly $150 million commitment to biotechnology research and education that involves facilities, faculty hires, and research and educational programs. I invite you to explore our Center and learn how Rensselaer’s investment in biotechnology is changing the world." </p>
<p>Jonathan S. Dordick, Ph.D.</p>
<p>Howard P. Isermann Professor
Director, Center for Biotechnology & Interdisciplinary Studies</p>
<p>So BME at RPI is quite robust, especially for a small private school.</p>
<p>Employers visit some schools and not others. They also set target schools among the group they visit. It’s easier to be hired if you attend their target school as opposed to a non-target, and much, much easier to be hired if you attend a school that they visit (target or not) than a school they do not visit.</p>
<p>what i said about RPI…it is the most undergrad focused out of all of those…i also think the rankings don’t really show much about the school…few years ago, it was ranked like 14 for engineering…now its ranked like 26…yet the quality of students they accept has only gone up…i think part of the reason for even the undergrad rankings being lower at RPI than at the other schools is bc it is very undergrad oriented and doesn’t have the crazy research potential as the other schools might have…but to me, research potential doesn’t mean say much about how good the undergrad program is…sure that matters in grad school, but what i base undergrad quality on is how tough it is to get in (and thereby quality of students), and the rigor of the curriculum…which i’d say all those schools are on par with each other with…i might even say RPI is a little tougher than the rest</p>
<p>but that’s just based on this list that came out recently…</p>
<p>^^only RPI made that list…although i’m sure the other schools are just as tough…especially GT…i’ve heard that school puts kids through hell…</p>
<p>also what i said earlier about RPI and grad school…despite being focused on undergrad, they tend to send a lot of kids into grad school, as opposed to sending like everybody into the working world…lot of science and engineering PhDs have their roots at RPI</p>
<p>Hello fellow CCers! I am a graduating high school senior who plans to study BME. I have narrowed down my decision to three colleges, and I would like to get some input from others here, for I have read very good advice over the last couple months regarding college decisions. Between MIT full price, GaTech at 20 grand a year, and UM full ride (stamps scholarship), where do you think would be the best place for me to go for a BME undergraduate education? Thanks for your input, it is much appreciated!</p>