Hey guys, so I’ve narrowed down my choices to these two universities for my undergraduate education; I will be studying biomedical engineering with plans to attend medical school afterwards. Northwestern costs me roughly 10k while Vanderbilt will cost me only about 2k. Financially, Vanderbilt definitely seems more enticing since Northwestern is almost 5x as much. I really don’t want my parents to have to pay much, but I haven’t seen any recent discussions regarding my major at these two universities. If you guys could just shed some light as to what advantages each university would have for my major and if they would outweigh the financial contrast, I would gladly appreciate it. Thank you!
Vandy has a pretty good BME program (from what my friends majoring in it have told me) and the proximity to the Vanderbilt University Medical Center provides ample opportunity for research.
Congratulations on your outstanding offers and on the excellent price points. I recommend you Follow the Money and be done with worrying about one BME program vs another. The two colleges are very comparable in excellence and in finanical resources spent on each student. However, if your parents can comfortabley come up with 10 grand a year, there are some online resources that profess to rank programs. You can consider ROI…Return on Investment.
One of the caveats you need to consider it that YOU are a big factor in Return on Investment. Not everyone will make strong GPAs in engineering which is typical for STEM programs but GPAs should not discourage you as the job market is much better for engineers and STEM majors. Not everyone will be willing to move where the most high paying jobs exist is another factor to weigh. Some of us have career destinies in markets that do not offer the highest salaries and some of us will be happy in second tier job markets.
Northwestern has an higher reputation for “overall” Engineering programs but Vanderbilt, like Duke, has a well regarded and highly ranked BME program in sync with the fact that Vanderbilt serves an entire section of the United States as leader in medical care.
http://premium.usnews.com/best-colleges/rankings/engineering-doctorate-biological-biomedical/page+2
you have to pay to see this list
Vanderbilt is ranked #15 in BME compared to NW’s #13 in BME, indicating that Vandy, like Duke, has a notably strong BME program melded with research and a medical complex. It is super easy to stroll into Vanderbilt’s medical complex and medical school in Nashville. Weather is 100% more pleasant with four seasons and gorgeous falsl and springs. Of course Northwestern is in a suburb of the Windy City. The suburb NW is in is rather Posh and nice (Evanston…I have been there). But it takes a while to take transportation into Chicago, although I am sure students do this on weekends. Chicago is every bit as massive and complex as any major city on Earth.
Nashville in contrast, has the warm hearth factor with the university sprawled in a beloved position close-in to the city and it’s business district but surrounded by walkable places to dine on every side. Vanderbilt undergrad has a rather cozy insular campus that is old-fashioned and yet it has many top graduate schools on grounds as well.
Nashville is one of America’s favorite Third Coast Cities. This means cities in the inland…not on the coasts …where most people live.
Nashville, Austin Texas, Santa Fe, New Mexico…are interior mid-sized destination cities that are beloved in the USA for their educational institutions and their cultural arts concentrations. Chicago should be viewed like NYC in scope.
I would focus strictly on comparing BME to BME and I don’t think two places difference on this list matter. good luck
They are peer U’s so cost is a major factor since med school will set you back $250K. Also, check out the Princeton Revue to see what current students say about things like happiness, and quality of life at both schools.
BME is the one of the most difficult routes to med school as it tends to generate low GPA’s. Good luck.
If your parent’s can cover the cost of attendance at either University, then I would go to the University that you feel the most comfortable at. The difference in cost is not a lot for the quality of education you will receive at both institutions. Fit is important.
I would go to Vandy if I were you. I’m also an admitted student, and you’d be paying 2k a year for the university with the #1 happiest students. And besides, the winters at NW are so harsh compared to those in Nashville.
One of my sons graduated from Vandy last year and another will be graduating from NU in June. In addition to what has already been mentioned, something else to consider is that NU is on the quarter system. There are many advantages such as fitting in more courses during the four years (my son will be graduating with 3 meaningful majors) and disadvantages such as more time pressure and complications in finding summer jobs/internships because of the academic calendar.
In addition to what was said above:
Based on experience, Vanderbilt is the closest thing to an Ivy-State School combination there is (Duke being another one. Quite a few other people used a similar description. Northwestern from what I’ve heard is a lot more serious. If you like serious, go to NW. If not, Vanderbilt is a great place (esp. if you’re into Greek Life. However, I’m getting a feeling that administrators want to get rid of it with all their stupid rules so the future seems somewhat uncertain)