AquaBear

Hey all, Need some help with this decision. I'm a Berkeley grad in BioE/BME, and I've been accepted to CMU and Northwestern for their MS BME programs. For CMU, I got into the coursework + project based masters, while for Northwestern I get a choice of coursework or thesis. I have a lot of research experience from Berkeley, and am leaning toward Northwestern for the thesis option. I'm aiming for healthcare consulting type jobs and possibly getting an MBA in the future. With all this in mind, which school would be a better fit for me? I like both schools a lot and am struggling to make this decision =\

Ahh, I was all set to go to CMU for an MS in Biomedical Engineering, but I recently got into Northwestern's MS BME program as well =/ Anyone have any experience with the department and why they decided to go to CMU mind DM-ing me?

Hey, not the person you replied to, but I was recently admitted to the MS BME program as well Have you already been out there for a visit day?

No, didn't get funding at either school. Thanks, I've been hearing pretty much the same response from all the profs and grad students I've talked to!

Hi, I applied to ~14 schools for an MS in BME and was only accepted to one, which I happily accepted by April 15th. Today I found out I got into a research-based MS at a higher-ranked (meaningless, I know) school. My original (accepted) offer is a coursework-based MS. It's a little nuts right now. I'm still in the process of deciding where to go, but I'm just wondering what the protocol is for letting School A know I can't matriculate (if I decide not to do so)? I didn't have to submit a deposit - I'm just hoping I'm not "locked in" or anything. How would I let School A know? Just write something like, "my circumstances have changed and thus I will be unable to matriculate to School A for the Fall term"? Thanks...

Just got into the Carnegie Mellon MS BME program this morning Does anyone have any tales to tell about the practicum option MS in BME @ CMU? I didn't get accepted to the research option, but was accepted to the practicum option (which I'm assuming is mostly coursework based?) And this may be a little devious, but is there a way I can let other schools I've applied to and not heard anything from know about my acceptance?

A guy in my lab didn't hear from the University itself, but is in the process of scheduling a phone interview with a POI there.

Definitely! I haven't heard anything personally from UCLA - any news is good news? I guess. Congrats, man I applied to just the MS program (not pre-PhD) - I'm assuming/hoping based on what you just wrote that the only MS program doesn't do interviews. Guess they'll start reviewing ASAP

I applied to the MS BME/BioE programs at UCLA, JHU, and Columbia. Columbia I just turned in yesterday. Haven't heard anything yet =/

Yeah...I totally hear you. Especially with awful study skills from years of not needing to study, I basically got slapped in the face repeatedly until very recently -__- Best of luck, man!

It's also possible that you'll get an interview at some of your other schools. MIT and UCSD are among the very highest tier for BME - I'd be shocked if you didn't get into at least one of the schools in your list (especially with names like UCI/UCLA/USC on there). Chin up - Berkeley sucks for GPA (same here)

Haven't heard back from anyone (positively) so far (applying for Masters in BioE/BME) Did receive rejections from UCSD and UW within the last week though =/

Are you guys who've heard back from schools applying for PhD programs? I'm primarily applying for MS BME/BioE positions, I don't think they have interviews, right?

Holy.....I wanna curl up into a little ball -__- You're probably as set to get into a top grad school as one can possibly be.

I'm utilizing a letter service my university offers through the career center. The letter provided by the professor is probably general, and I can send it out myself (sealed, of course) to any number of schools by paying some flat rate per letter. I think I'll do that for most programs, and have my strongest recommender send slightly more personalized letters for a few programs.

I am trying to work with my current PI, since her lab is a great fit for me. In addition, three of my potential LORs are written by professors in the biophysics group at Berkeley, which can only help. However, I doubt I can get an exception in any other school, even with great LORs and my research background, hence my query for MS/M.Eng suggestions. Let me know, and thanks for the replies!

TL;DR: Low GPA, Great Research/LORs + Publications, Co-Op Experience, SOP in-progress, List of programs needs-to-be-finalized. Hi all, Been lurking on GC for quite a while, a little in awe over all your guys' stats/success stories. Hopefully I can pick your collective brains for some help/advice for my situation. Applying to: Still TBD; looking for a Ph.D in Biophysics or M.S./M.Eng. in Bio(medical) Engineering - any recommendations would be awesome! Currently considering: UT Austin, UT Southwest, UC Santa Barbara, Berkeley (Ph.D with current lab), Stanford, JHU, Utah, and CU Boulder Education: University of California, Berkeley: Major: B.S. Bioengineering (2.65 cumulative GPA, ~2.8 major GPA) <-- Major deficiency in my application; too low to recover from? GRE: 165V, 163Q, 5.5AW (translates to ~700V, 780Q, 5.5/6 AW) [is my Quant. score too low?] Research Experience: Lots of research experience since high school, not all in the same lab. High school internship at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory, NASA. Power systems/ChemE research for lunar/martian applications NSF internship at UC Riverside my frosh summer, biophysics/biomechanics research 1.5 years at a highly-regarded HHMI faculty member's lab at Berkeley - Biophysics/MCB/cellular mechanics research 1+ year at highly-regarded microfluidics/biophysics/mechanical engineering lab - 2 publications in submission in high/medium-high impact journals [Amazing PI loves me, inspired me to go into grad school, outstanding recommendation] Work Experience: Just finished up a 6-month co-op with a major (multi-billion $ revenue) biomedical device company in the LA area (wanted to get a feel for industry, since I am fairly certain I don't want to go into academia following graduate school). Picked up Six Sigma Lean and Mistake Proofing certifications, LOTS of first-hand engineering design and development experience. Great experience. Company policy prohibits individuals from providing recommendation letters, but I could possibly use a program manager and a senior engineer as references if necessary. Extracurriculars: Strong leadership in nanotechnology club on campus Letters of Recommendation: 2 or 3 excellent recommendations from past PIs/professor, 1 outstanding recommendation from my current PI ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ My GPA does not really indicate any sort of trend, maybe slight upward? One cause I can think of for my performance is that until my junior year I tried to pursue both research + pre-med coursework on top of my normal engineering classes (no longer pre-med, obviously!). I don't have any excuses for my grades - I try pretty hard in my classes (could probably do a lot more, as is easily visible) but I think my interests (and bulk of dedication) are geared toward my research. My SOP will reflect the above statement, unless you guys feel it isn't relevant to mention? I have one semester remaining, so I'll be cracking down on the books and can hopefully raise my GPA a little bit (obviously will not hit a 3.0 overall though). I know my prospect of a Ph.D is pretty much shot with that, I am hoping my strong research background and LORs will help get me into a good MS/M.Eng program. Eventually, I'm hoping to get an MBA and continue in industry. With a Ph.D, I am aiming for perhaps working in startups where specific technical knowledge will be required (early R&D efforts, etc.). No academia, not a fan. I realize my application is kind of perplexing...trust me, I know, welcome to my life! Any advice/help anyone could offer would be most appreciated. Thanks! - AquaBear

TL;DR: Low GPA, Great Research/LORs + Publications, Co-Op Experience, SOP in-progress, List of programs needs-to-be-finalized. Hi all, Been lurking on GC for quite a while, a little in awe over all your guys' stats/success stories. Hopefully I can pick your collective brains for some help/advice for my situation. Applying to: Still TBD; looking for a Ph.D in Biophysics or M.S./M.Eng. in Bio(medical) Engineering - any recommendations would be awesome! Currently considering: UT Austin, UT Southwest, UC Santa Barbara, Berkeley (Ph.D with current lab), Stanford, JHU, Utah, and CU Boulder Education: University of California, Berkeley: Major: B.S. Bioengineering (2.65 cumulative GPA, ~2.8 major GPA) <-- Major deficiency in my application; too low to recover from? GRE: 165V, 163Q, 5.5AW (translates to ~700V, 780Q, 5.5/6 AW) [is my Quant. score too low?] Research Experience: Lots of research experience since high school, not all in the same lab. High school internship at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory, NASA. Power systems/ChemE research for lunar/martian applications NSF internship at UC Riverside my frosh summer, biophysics/biomechanics research 1.5 years at a highly-regarded HHMI faculty member's lab at Berkeley - Biophysics/MCB/cellular mechanics research 1+ year at highly-regarded microfluidics/biophysics/mechanical engineering lab - 2 publications in submission in high/medium-high impact journals [Amazing PI loves me, inspired me to go into grad school, outstanding recommendation] Work Experience: Just finished up a 6-month co-op with a major (multi-billion $ revenue) biomedical device company in the LA area (wanted to get a feel for industry, since I am fairly certain I don't want to go into academia following graduate school). Picked up Six Sigma Lean and Mistake Proofing certifications, LOTS of first-hand engineering design and development experience. Great experience. Company policy prohibits individuals from providing recommendation letters, but I could possibly use a program manager and a senior engineer as references if necessary. Extracurriculars: Strong leadership in nanotechnology club on campus Letters of Recommendation: 2 or 3 excellent recommendations from past PIs/professor, 1 outstanding recommendation from my current PI ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- My GPA does not really indicate any sort of trend, maybe slight upward? One cause I can think of for my performance is that until my junior year I tried to pursue both research + pre-med coursework on top of my normal engineering classes (no longer pre-med, obviously!). I don't have any excuses for my grades - I try pretty hard in my classes (could probably do a lot more, as is easily visible) but I think my interests (and bulk of dedication) are geared toward my research. My SOP will reflect the above statement, unless you guys feel it isn't relevant to mention? I have one semester remaining, so I'll be cracking down on the books and can hopefully raise my GPA a little bit (obviously will not hit a 3.0 overall though). I know my prospect of a Ph.D is pretty much shot with that, I am hoping my strong research background and LORs will help get me into a good MS/M.Eng program. Eventually, I'm hoping to get an MBA and continue in industry. With a Ph.D, I am aiming for perhaps working in startups where specific technical knowledge will be required (early R&D efforts, etc.). No academia, not a fan. I realize my application is kind of perplexing...trust me, I know, welcome to my life! Any advice/help anyone could offer would be most appreciated. Thanks! - AquaBear

Not too familiar with East Coast programs - on the West (Best) Coast, Stephen Quake's group at Stanford is reputed to be the best microfluidics lab, heard he's kind of nuts though.