Please advise. Being accepted to mentioned colleges and program. I need your advice, experience or opinion. There is another previous discussion WPI vs UConn Honors. I’d like this discussion without considering the financial differences between them. I’d like to disregard the tuition aspect for this one, however the job opportunities, continuous education and salary after graduation it is very important.
I’d much appreciate your opinion about the advantages and disadvantages of studying BME in one or another college (WPI or UCONN honors). Others engineer students or alumni or other UConn/WPI alumni or actual students opinions could be very valuable. Thank you in advance.
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You will more than likely need a graduate degree for biomedical engineering jobs. So you might want to factor that into your thoughts.
Which school will give you better internship opportunities? Which school has a better with job placement chances? Which school has better grad school acceptance rates…and to where?
What does UConn Honors do to add to your engineering degree (probably nothing).
Are both programs ABET accredited in biomedical engineering?
What’s the backup plan if you decide you hate biomedical engineering? U Conn will have a full range of other majors and disciplines; WPI more limited.
How much actual experience do you have in engineering and how confident are you in your plan?
If you have not done so yet, check out this website on WPI BS BE program at :
https://www.wpi.edu/academics/study/biomedical-engineering-bs.
All I can tell you is that related research in many departments is based on an interdisciplinary approach to the life sciences and this impacts all related departments in a big way. Checkout the faculty in biophysics as well as BE and life sciences and related research.
All I know about U Conn is also very positive! You have two great choices here.
It is always wise to write down your favorite major and then pretend it does not exist. Repeat the exercise until you run out of possibilities. Make sure your selected university includes your top three choices of major. If your interest involves a broad application of math and science, the polytechnics offer a lot more than many people realize, but do the exercise.
Thank you retiredfarmer. I had checked this web page before. Just it is difficult to get the entire picture from my limited perspective. I feel quite sure about BME, but still I’m learning, I do not have enough experience and knowledge in million things. I’m no sure now how I could afford the MS after finished the BS, possible I’ll need to find a job for some time, save money plus a loan and go for the MS, who knows where. Life is too dynamic to capture all the elements of the equation. I’ll continue trying to inform myself as much as I can, analyze options and opportunities with the help of people like all you helping me. I’m trying to see beyond my limited horizon. Thank you again.
Thank you blossom. I shall finish in 4 years the BS, that I only know, I’ll do what it takes for that. I believe BME could be my destiny. …but if it is not mine I can change after finishing the BS and study later whatever new I discovered. I’m focused in BME since I am a freshman, but I’ve never had the opportunity to talk with a BME. I’d like to help people and I believe I’ll be able from BME. Like most people with work ethic, resilience and dedication I can be good at almost any subject (I was at least until now). I had adapted to many serious changes (they are quite personal to discuss in a public forum), just they give me some little confidence about my adaptation capabilities. Absolutely sure, how could I be, life already proved me that nothing is absolutely certain except the past, and this it is fixed, I can’t change it. With your help and guidance I’m trying to predict a little…and orient my efforts to the future. I’ll try to imagine an scenario as you presented to me, “hate BME and look for alternatives”. Thank you again.
Thank you thumper1. I have answer to one of your questions I’m looking the answer (and the questions) that I don’t know yet. ABET accredited are all programs I applied in BME. (some people says that it is no so important for BME) Better internship opportunities, better with job placement chances, better grad school acceptance rates and where, what does UConn Honors do to add to my engineering degree I’d like to hear from anyone who knows more than me about this and other factors. I’m trying to find the right questions I need to ask; and where I can find the accurate answers, it appears not so easy to find them.
“You will more than likely need a graduate degree for biomedical engineering jobs”. It is a great point, great question or statement??. I don’t know I’m trying to figure it out if this is the situation really. But how could I know, all looks blur if you look for all colleges they says 50% are working and other 50% are in a graduate school, we help you find a job, etc too difficult to know, at least for me. Both school have a 5 years program (BS/MS), appears (not sure at all) that UConn five years program could be more solid but just assuming from my online research. WPI says it could take more than 5 years, without a post graduate scholarship it could much more expensive than UConn 5 years program, in this case I could need a different $ consideration, but it is maybe early to know.
As you see I’m full of questions, even maybe I don’t have the right ones. This is why I’m begging for some help and guidance. By the way I don’t have three top choices of major, I don’t have even a second one, I feel confident about BME. I know that 50% of engineer students change the major, but … 50% does not change, maybe I’m in the second group.
Thank you!
I’ll chime in as my daughter graduated from WPI last May with a BS in BME. She had initially intended on going to grad school immediately and was fortunate to be admitted to all of the programs to which she applied. After receiving admissions decisions, she had a change of heart and decided to work for a while before pursuing grad school. Although she started her job search late (not until May), she had no trouble finding a job in her field. In fact, she knows of no one from her BME cohort who wanted a job in their field who didn’t have one by autumn. Many of her friends had secured jobs before graduation. Looking back, I think her grad school plans stemmed from her fear that, like suggested by @thumper1, there were not a lot of BME jobs at the BS level. This was not her experience at all.
I can’t speak for the U Conn program, but at WPI in addition to having a focus area within BME, there are opportunities to obtain a dual degree (e.g. BME and ME or BME and ChemE) without too much difficulty. Also, if you know your focus and plan your classes well, it is not difficult to complete a BS / MS in 5 years. Some do it in less.
FWIW, my daughter chose WPI over RPI and other schools (some of which were higher ranked) because of the fit for her. She has no regrets. @Odin98 Feel free to PM me with any specific questions you have about the school or program.
Thank you GraniteStateMom. You came with an important answer to the question if in BME field a BS is enough to find a job. Knowing that at least for your daughter and the people she knows it was not a problem, is quite a good news for me. In addition thank you for your offer to contact you back via PM. I’ll continue working on my puzzle and surely I’ll come back to you soon or later. I’m amazed of the great information that so many parents are sharing with me. Thank you.