<p>Hello guys!
I need your advice. I have narrowed down my choice for college to two schools: MIT and JHU (BME program). JHU has offered me the purely merit based Westgate Scholarship (full tuition for 4 years as long as I maintain a 3.0 GPA). MIT did not give me any money. Generally speaking, money is a bit of an issue, but my parents keep telling me that they would pay, so I should be able to come out of college without (or very little) debt.
I am interested in a career in R&D of prosthetics/neural interfaces/implants/biomechatronics, and am very much set on pursuing a PhD in one of the related areas, most likely some subfield of Bioengineering, or perhaps a subfield of Mechanical Engineering. I have looked around the web, and have found that the suggested traditional path into this field is Mechanical Engineering for undergraduate study, and then a top school for BioEng/ BioMedEng for PhD studies. I am tempted to agree with this plan, as it provides a very good backup plan in case graduate school plans fall through.
However, in light of Hopkins generous scholarship, I am very interested in examining the possibility of a BME or perhaps BME+ME double major at JHU, with similar plans of attending MIT/ Stanford for BioEng (those schools are the most well-known in the specific subfield I wish to pursue) for my PhD.
I am having a difficult time choosing between the two, because honestly, the MIT environment, and also the name, is hard to pass by. Having gone to several selective summer programs in high school, I realize the importance of a competitive environment. I understand that JHU would also provide a good environment, but I do not believe it is quite on the same level (correct me if I am wrong). Still, honestly, seeing as JHU accepted me as a scholar, I am very sure that I will have much better access to top professors and good research opportunities there than at MIT. Additionally, I am tempted to believe that it would be easier to stand out from the pack at JHU than MIT. On the other hand, if I am correct, a BME degree offers very few backup plans, as it is a relatively new, very general major, and few industries really recognize it as versatile.
The problem really comes down to this: (1) Where do I have the better chance of getting into a good grad school (MIT, Stanford level) and (2) If, in the unlikely (and I mean unlikely), scenario that grad school plans fall through, which college would guarantee me better job opportunities right out of undergrad.</p>
<p>MIT is the more prestigious degree, although JHU is known for biomed.</p>
<p>The best way to become a biomed engineer is to become an expert in one classical engineering field and then apply to medicine (though you can take electives in biomedical applications as an undergrad.) Biomed engineering at some places can be a survey which doesn’t really prepare you to make contributions to the field. If you take JHU, a double major with mech E may be a good idea.</p>
<p>The one thing about MIT is that you are on your own in the hands-on engineering classes. Often they will just you a hard project to do and expect you to figure it out with a group of fellow undergrads…The teaching in some of the lab classes seemed minimal. </p>
<p>It is easier to go to grad school at MIT in engineering with an MIT undergrad degree than from another school for a bunch of reasons. Firstly, you will have a research rec from an MIT professor, someone willing to vouch for you and say that you could work in their group. Secondly, the attitude at MIT is sort of that a master’s is a finishing degree for engineers, so the bar is not that high for an undergrad to get a master’s (in EECS and chem E), you just needed a 4.3/5.0 and you were automatically admitted. However, these are 1-year master’s programs. PhD is harder, but for that research will help.</p>
<p>Don’t drink the expensive MIT Kool-Aid that many posters will feed you here at MIT forum. </p>
<p>MIT is a great school, but not worth 200k, especially compared to JHU – just speaking academically. Take the prestigious JHU scholarship and degree. you will do just fine in both job and grad school opportunities, especially in BME. Someone so good to get this scholarship will undoubtedly do well enough. MIT is full of graduates from “lesser” schools.</p>
<p>^MIT might be expensive, but the Kool-aid is free.</p>