rjd150

I faced a similar dilemma about what PhD program to go into. I have a background in physics/MechE and was thinking of switching to a biomedical engineering program. After talking to multiple professors about it, they suggested to just stick with MechE but change my focus to more bioengineering related problems. Indeed medical companies, especially medical device companies, prefer engineers from more traditional fields like MechE and EE, as they realize these types of students have stronger math/engineering skills than do those that just majored in biomedical engineering. Biology is arguably easier to pick up than engineering, so I wouldn't waste time with taking bio/biomedical classes and focus more on the engineering. Also, studying MechE, EE, etc. gives you a broader range of career choices afterwards whereas if you don't land in a medical type job with a biomedical engineering degree you're pretty limited for other jobs. Just my two cents.

I mean if you are up for it definitely live in Elmwood/Allentown if you can, very historic, also has been voted one of the best neighborhoods to live in for young people. Depending on where you are, its still about 15 min from South campus, but like you said, the Stampede runs betweeen North and South so don't worry about getting all the way to North on your own. I'm just the kind of student who likes rolling out of bed and being to class in a few minutes! As far as money goes APOCooter, 20k is more than enough to live in a decent apartment and have enough for food/fun. I mean TA's here get around 18k or less so you can judge by that. Honestly I really like Buffalo, for as bad of a rap as it gets, it's really not a bad place. Plently to do in the area, very historic, and the winters aren't that bad, compared with other cities in the rust belt like syracuse/rochester/cleveland etc. it doesn't get much snow just very cold.

I'm not sure if many of you realize, but UB's main campus is a bit of a distance from Elmwood/Allentown/Downtown etc. While those areas are great places to live if you are young and looking for a lot to do, as a grad student at UB now, I would suggest finding a place close to whatever campus most of your classes are (North, South, Downtown). Like I said, North campus is about 20 minuntes from the downtown area, in a suburb called Amherst, so it will be a bit of a hike everyday if you live in those areas. Amherst is awesome, especially if you don't like the city life, as it has a lot of bike paths, parks, etc. as well as TONS of stores/resturatants. If you like the hustle and bustle more, areas around South campus have more of a city feel, albiet more "ghetto" as well.

Do it. I know someone in my department who did that and as long as you can do well in those few classes you take there's a high chance they will accept you (granted only for master's). From there, finish your masters and work your way up to PhD. Definitely a good way to go if you are on the lower end of the admissions criteria.

Just got a generic rejection from Carnigie. Oh well. I think I'm going to stay at my current school for PhD in MechE anyways.

Buffalo is honestly not that bad of a city, despite everyone's opinions (most of whom haven't even been there). Sure there's some run down parts, but the same can be the said even for the NYC area. Also the city itself is on the rise economically, a lot of banking and a growing healthcare sector is bringing a lot of new jobs in. With that being said, you won't even be near the city itself (assuming you are an English major) as UB's main campus is in nearby Amherst, NY, a very wealthy, populated, and upbeat suburb, about 20 min from the actual city. In terms of weather, yeah it gets cold in the winters, but having grown up in upstate NY, I can attest Buffalo does not get nearly as much snow as neighboring rochester or syracuse do. The snow is mostly not a problem, the snow plow services are usually working 24/7 when there's a major snow storm. In terms of apartments/living, there's literally a billion places you could live, on campus and off. They're building new apartment complexes every year off campus, all of them within no more than a 5-7 min drive from north campus, most of which less than 5 min away. (UB has three campuses btw, north, south, and downtown). Rent can range anywhere from $300-$1000 a month depending on which you choose and if you want to live by yourself or not. There's also tons to do, 2 major league sports teams, a huge art community, and tons of bars (top 10 in the nation for # of bars per population). The city gets a bad rap, but UB is the top public research uni in the northeast so the school speaks for itself.

You get any funding for PhD? I'm getting worried I haven't heard back from them yet it's one of my top choices. Hopefully they send them out in waves.

Anyone else apply to Carnegie? It seems like they're off the grid in terms of interviews and acceptances, results page doesn't show much either...

Anyone have any experience with Carnegie BME? I applied back in october but I'm not sure when they usually send out decisions.

I'm not going to lie those are not very good stats. The minimum cutoff at most schools is a 3.0 gpa. Also I'm not sure how recs from post docs will be looked at by adcoms. you might want to talk to ghanada though...

May be a bit early to start this but I wanted to see where everyone's at in terms of schools lists, applications, etc. I'll start: Undergrad: Applied Physics (2.94 GPA) Masters: MechE. with Bioengineering focus (3.46 GPA) Applying to Ph.D. programs in BME with a Biomechanics focus at: Columbia Cornell University at Buffalo CUNY-City College UCSD Stony Brook University I realize I will probably only get into maybe 1-2 schools on my list but it's worth a shot. I'm going to start applying in a few weeks. Where's everyone else applying? Also does anyone have any info on the Stony Brook admissions? Their website says that if you already have a relevant Masters and want to apply for advanced standing you have to obtain a promise of financial support from a PI before applying? WTF is that?

How much will ad comms care about the writing and verbal sections on the GRE for engineering? I'm applying to Ph.D. programs and am retaking the GRE in 2 weeks. I've been studying for the Quant section but have given up memorizing vocab for the verbal. Will it even matter if I get say a 470 verbal (I'm not familiar with the new scoring yet) but an 800 on quant?

Does anyone here have any info on CCNY? Reputation, area that it's in, cost of living in upper Manhattan, etc.? I'm thinking about applying there for a Ph.D. next fall.

Does anyone have info on admissions to CCNY BME? I am applying to a few top 20 schools for Ph.D. but have a feeling I won't get in to any. It's not ranked very high but I have research interests similar to a lot of the professors there. Is the acceptance rate low or is it a bit easier to get in? Any help would be great! (ghanada any input?)

Did this person go to Columbia?

Is anyone here a current student or former student of this program? I'm currently a Masters student in Mechanical Engineering and I am interested in applying to Columbia for a Ph.D. though I wanted to know a little more about the program. I did not do so well as an undergraduate, but thus far as a Masters student I've done quite well. Will my succes in a graduate program help my chances of acceptance?