Hi everyone,
I was fortunate enough to be accepted into the U with the Singer scholarship (full tuition) and the Foote Fellows honors program, which eliminates core curriculum requirements. I love the school and the financial benefits are also leading me to strongly consider it, but I need to know more information about the BME program. I was also accepted into Georgia Tech (which has the #1 BME program according to US News) so I need to be able to compare Miami to GT in order to help me make my choice.
So, does anyone know the answers to the following questions (which I am having trouble finding the answers to online):
Is there a building just for BME, or are classes and labs held in various different buildings?
What types of resources are there just for BME students (any study spaces, labs/ equipment rooms, etc.)?
Does the lack of a chemical engineering major at UM lead to a lack of molecular-level and chemical-based BME classes at UM?
What percentage of BME undergrad students do research?
What study abroad options are there for BME students?
Thank you!
Also, what is the student to faculty ratio within the department? And I have read that the number of students in the major has increased within the past decade or so but with no increase of space, so what effects does this have?
@wannabeBlueDevil We too are interested in in this information. My daughter was accepted to BME with a $22,000 scholarship. She sent an inquiry to her admissions counselor asking who might provide some more information on AP Credits and the biomedical engineering program. We also wanted to understand the timeframe on the new science and engineering building referenced in the article linked below. She heard nothing… She’s doing the 'Cane for a Day program in a week and a half so hopefully gains some insight there.
http://news.miami.edu/stories/2017/01/university-of-miami-announces-creation-of-the-frost-institutes-for-science-and-engineering.html
@RelocatedYankee Thanks for the info! After I hear back from some more schools I will plan to email some people as well. Let me know if you find out anything else. I will post back here if I do.
@wannabeBlueDevil Daughter revisited UMiami today. Paired up with a current engineering student. It was a surprise. Student said engineering was “a joke” at Miami. Sounded like the student was the child of an employee and went to Miami only because of a tuition waiver. Calculus class was sparsely attended. While the U might be a great place to study marine biology, her impression was that the engineering department was not the dynamic place she had hoped. It was well worth it to visit and find that out now.
@RelocatedYankee -When you say “paired up”, is that through the Cane for a Day Program or some other arrangement? Thanks.
@fallschurchmom Yes Cane for A Day. Two prospective students paired with a current student in the program to which they applied. I presume the current student volunteers for Cane for a Day so I was surprised that the student was not enamoured with the engineering program.
Thanks for the info! Very surprised that someone would volunteer to discuss a program they didn’t love. Remember that it is only one person’s opinion and, perhaps, if parent works at the University, not the best judge… Hopefully, your child was able to ask other questions about the program that helped determine whether they would feel the same way. We have registered for this program a week or so ago but haven’t heard back yet from the U. Best of luck to your daughter.
@RelocatedYankee
Wow, thanks for this info. Certainly disappointing. Good luck!
My younger son is a Freshman at the U majoring in Biomedical Engineering. It’s too early to say too much about the program, but he’s involved in some great Engineering clubs and loves it so far. As my older son graduated from the U in '15, we did a lot of research before sending my current son there for Engineering (my older was pre-med). My older son had some friends who graduated in Engineering and got either a good job or good Grad School. I think @RelocatedYankee D was paired with a bad example. Just for background’s sake, my son had other good opps in his decision (36 ACT, 4.0 uw).
Wondering why he picked UM then? Merit money? @VHFather
Thanks.
@AimingTop50 He did get merit aid, but he had some at other schools too. It was really a combination of a couple of factors: 1) he plans on going to grad school afterwards, so he won’t do the 4+1 at the U, but he’ll go to a MIT type of school for that 2) he wanted to enjoy his one chance at college, much like his older brother did 3) it’s a really good school, and he has found other really bright students. He’s having a great time (loved going to Ultra), there’s tons of cultural opportunities that he has found, and he’s working hard. Sometimes there’s more to life than Top 10 lists…
Yeah I agree. When it comes down to it, if i’m getting the same amount of money from UM and say Rochester, I’d pick Rochester…
But it would be a very touch choice. I love the campus and culture… Especially love the gym… And the academics are stellar as well.
I wish they hadn’t closed their BSMD program, though. UM would be one of my first choices, then 
i don’t know if i am too late but I just finished my second year as BME undergrad and it has been okay. The first year is a lot of getting used too and i dont think the course load is evenly distributed. For example first year they make you take physics, english, a cognate, intro to engineering, calculus and maybe something else not too sure. Personally I would advise to swap out the cognate and later on take it during fall sophomore year. (or else you will be taking physics 3, bio 1, chem 2, and electrical circuit theory all at once) anyway you can look up the course sequence on their website since I think some things have changed. A lot of foreign professors which may be difficult to understand but they aren’t out to make you fail. First two years are actually more or less the same for everyone on BME. I liked my advisors later on and found it easier to speak with professors however I do not think it is the most challenging curriculum for someone truly interested in pursuing engineering as a major. Also just a disclaimer, I am transferring out and majoring in applied physics just because it better aligns with my career goals but not because of an issue with the college on engineering itself.