My top 3 schools are Northwestern University, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, and Georgia Tech. I am interested in Biomedical Engineering (mainly) and also Chemical E.
I want to apply early to all these schools to get through the application process sooner, demonstrate my interest, and hopefully enjoy the reportedly higher acceptance rates of early applicants.
Northwestern has a binding ED policy, whereas the other two have non-binding EA policies.
Currently, NU is my #1 school. If someone asked me what my number one school is, I would say Northwestern without hesitation.
**I am worried about shutting myself out from the other two schools by applying to NU early decision, and I’m also worried a little about financial aid and not spending all of my money on undergraduate when I want to go to grad school (although Northwestern’s website does say I can be released from the ED binding contract if it is not financially possible to attend).
All three schools have world-class engineering programs. All three offer research opportunities, which would prepare me for grad school, and all three have strong internship/co-op programs that would give me valuable industry experience. All three schools have faculty doing incredible biotech research, and all three would be rigorous and prepare me for the world.
NU’s biggest advantages to me are “whole-brain engineering” and the immediate practical experience as well as the quarter schedule system that results in taking more coursework that makes it easier to pursue multiple things and graduate on time. It also has a much lower student:faculty ratio than the other schools, and the class sizes are smaller, so it will be a more personal experience
UIUC’s biggest advantage to me is the absolutely incredible variety and depth of BME electives that would let me go deep into my specific interest when I figure it out.
GT’s biggest advantages to me are the strength of its research program and its recognition as one of the best BME schools period.
**I plan to at the very least pursue a master’s degree, so I need a school that will prepare me for graduate school and help me get into strong graduate programs. I am strongly interested in research and disease-fields and genetics. All three schools will allow me to do research, pursue those areas, and prepare me for grad school.
**Is it worth it to apply ED to NU? I would really like the greater ease of graduating in 4 years without sacrificing the pursuit of interests while still being involved in BME outside of the classroom through research, internships, and/or co-ops that it offers, and I would love to have a more personal undergrad experience that northwestern’s size would allow. I really want to demonstrate my strong interest and hopefully get a better chance of acceptance.
Any help is appreciated. Thanks for reading my long post, I’m not expecting a definitive answer, but I really think that discussing it and seeing different angles will help me decide in the fall.