Biomedical Engineering/Bioengineering Applicant Profiles for 2019 Admission

[extramaniac]

On 11/3/2018 at 3:09 PM, Moods said:

Overall, I think your application profile looks really great. Your GPAs aren't as bad as you think. A 3.5 is still a good GPA. Your GRE scores are great. LORs sound good. Your research experience is wonderful, especially since you got publications and presentations from them.

I know your MCB background worries you, but I don't think it will make you look bad. There are ton of people that transfer from the sciences to engineering when entering into a PhD. You may have to take extra classes in order to make up for the required pre-req classes you didn't take in your undergrad and master's, but if that's fine with you, then that should be okay. Also, the fact that you have a more biology-based background with diverse research experience can be an advantage since it can make you seem more knowledgeable in biology, if that makes sense.

For other schools, I would check out University of Michigan (I just visited last week and it seems to have a great BME program), Wake Forest University, John Hopkins, and the joint NC State/UNC Chapel Hill BME program. I am not entirely sure if they have research you are interested in, but I believe they are good schools. Also, look at other places biomedical engineering people on here are applying to/have applied to in order to get an idea of other schools to look into.

I hope this helps, and good luck!

Hey! thanks for the kind words. Yeah I'm trying to bring up that MCB background as a positive haha. I'll check out this schools thanks for the recommendation.

BTW, I saw on your post that your research interests are in biomaterials/tissue engineering/regenerative medicine. I have a decent experience in this area so if you have any questions about it feel free to PM me.

On 11/17/2018 at 3:36 PM, Tecumseh30 said:

Great profile, I don't think your MCB background won't be a big deal to adcoms. BME PhD students come from diverse backgrounds and I think that it should be no problem

If you're interested in MRI or imaging (CT, US, etc) research, you might want to consider UW-Madison, JHU and Mayo Clinc.

Thanks for the response and the recommendations! Calms my nerves a little. 

Edited November 27, 2018 by extramaniac

[BrownEukaryote]

I am applying for PhD in Bioenginnering/ Biomedical Engineering. Please suggest me some safe universities if these are too ambitious based on my profile.

Undergrad Institution (approx. rank/reputation in STEM): University of Moratuwa (Internationally Unranked | Best for STEM within Sri Lanka)

Major(s): Biomedical Engineering
Minor(s): None
GPA in Major:3.71/4.00
Overall GPA: 3.71/4.00
Demographics/Background: Non-US/South Asian

GRE Scores:
Q: 169(96%)
V: 163 (93%)
W: 5.0 (92%)

LOR: 

1. Lecurer (Moderate)
2. Research Mentor (Good)
3. Internship Supervisor (Good)

Research Experience: 

1. Research Intern, National University of Singapore. Jun 2017 - Dec 2017Attached to Medical Mechatronics Laboratory, Faculty of Engineering. Research on motor imagery detection in EEG signals acquired using low cost, commercial devices.
2. Undergraduate Researcher, SL2College Research Collaboration Program. Feb 2016 - Dec 2018 Research on signal processing and machine learning for cardiovascular arrhythmia detection
3. Final Year Research Project (Ongoing)

Publications/Abstracts/Presentations:

1. Conference Paper (Published)
2. Journal Paper (Published)
3. Journal Paper (Accepted)

Awards/Honors/Recognitions: 

1. Summer Research Scholarship, Faculty of Medical and Health Sciences, The University of Auckland, New Zealand (offered).2019
2. Dean’s list, University of Moratuwa, Sri Lanka. Semesters 1, 2, 3, and 6
3. IEEE ICIIS Registration Scholarship, Asian Development Bank 2017
4. Second Runner-up, Institute of Engineers Sri Lanka Robotics Competition. 2016
5. Bronze Medal, International Physics Olympiad, Kazakhstan. 2014
6. Honourable Mention, Asian Physics Olympiad, Singapore. 2014
7. National Team Delegate, UNESCO-Indira Gandhi Science and Mathematics Olympiad, India. 2010
8. Bronze Medal, International Junior Science Olympiad, Azerbaijan. 2009
    

Fellowships/Funding: Did not apply as I am an international applicant

Pertinent Activities or Jobs:  None (Undergraduate Degree in Progress)

Other Miscellaneous Accomplishments:

Anything else in your application that might matter (faculty connections, etc.):

Research Interests: Neuroengineering, Computational Bioengineering, Machine Learning

Institutions/Programs:

1. Johns Hopkins University
2. Georgia Tech
3. MIT
4. UCSD
5. Duke
6. Stanford
7. University of Pennsylvania
8. University of  Washington
9. Boston University
10. Carnegie Mellon University
11. University of Wisconsin Madison 
12. University of California-Irvine
13. University of Maryland

Comments: Please suggest me some safe universities if these are too ambitious. Any feedback is greatly appreciated. Thanks for the good work

Edited November 29, 2018 by Athif M

[laveritecestla]

@Athif M Stats look pretty competitive for the schools that you're applying to. Are you looking to swap some of the ones on the list out or add safe schools to the existing list and apply to more than 13? Some others could be WPI, Stevens Institute of Technology. 

Also, which MIT program? BioE and HST look for different things in admissions. 

[Crazy Rich Asian]

Hey guys, quick question from my side here: what can I do if a receive a (positive) decision for my scholarship application AFTER I have submitted my college application?

I had previously applied for the Fulbright Program and will probably receive my decision in the first week of December - which is very unfortunate, given that I have three applications due Dec 3/4 and cannot risk missing the deadline just to have the scholarship included.  Currently I have set the status to "Pending" in all three applications, but I would love to have the scholarship retrospectively added to my application (if I do get it...), since it seems to be an important factor.

[sgaw10]

57 minutes ago, Crazy Rich Asian said:

Currently I have set the status to "Pending" in all three applications, but I would love to have the scholarship retrospectively added to my application (if I do get it...), since it seems to be an important factor.

Some schools will allow you to update your application with updated awards, grades from the most recent term that finished after the deadline, etc. Just email the graduate coordinator for the program. Not all of them allow changes after the deadline though, unfortunately.

[BrownEukaryote]

On 11/29/2018 at 5:48 PM, laveritecestla said:

@Athif M Stats look pretty competitive for the schools that you're applying to. Are you looking to swap some of the ones on the list out or add safe schools to the existing list and apply to more than 13? Some others could be WPI, Stevens Institute of Technology. 

Also, which MIT program? BioE and HST look for different things in admissions. 

Thanks, @laveritecestla , Sure definitely, I would love to have some safe schools in my list. Suggestions are greatly appreciated. I am applying to MIT BioE. 

[Ayub2306]

Dear Victorious Secret,

GRE is not required for Fall 2019 applications in Bioengineering

[StHoly]

Wow, after seeing all these amazing curriculum, my hope of getting into MIT is tanking haha! I hope you guys get in!!! You guys are awesome! Good luck to all of us

[sgaw10]

Submitted all of my apps. Let the agony of waiting begin.

[Victorious Secret]

On 12/14/2018 at 1:57 AM, Ayub2306 said:

Dear Victorious Secret,

GRE is not required for Fall 2019 applications in Bioengineering

In my experience, it has been required for several programs, like Stanford and MIT. Not sure about all of them.

[Ayub2306]

This year onwards, I searched 153 universities out of which 34 didn't require GRE. I applied there. A few recommended it as supplementary material but not as a mandatory part of the application. Anyways, I have my stats. Can you please tell me by seeing those, what chance do I have for Phd?

[trollsloot]

On 12/15/2018 at 9:46 AM, Victorious Secret said:

In my experience, it has been required for several programs, like Stanford and MIT. Not sure about all of them.

Same here. I think they mean biomedical/biological sciences. If you check this website https://grenotrequired.com/stem/ you'll see that many engineering programs still require the GRE.

[Ayub2306]

@trollsloot I applied to only those universities where GRE is not required. And there are many like these.

[sgaw10]

This was so totally unexpected, but I received an interview offer from Mayo Clinic for the biomedical engineering/physiology PhD track just minutes ago! I'm trying not to tear up at my lab right now lololol. I knew I would feel much better if I got a first interview anywhere. Stoked that I am not a failure

[DKP]

Hi, I would like to share my profile with you guys. You guys are so strong!

My research area is at odds with most of the applicants, which raises two questions I want to ask,

1) would faculty members be interested in someone like me who has artificial intelligence skills?

2) Most programs I have applied to are top tiers, any chance I would get admitted?

_________________________________________

Undergrad Institution (approx. rank/reputation in STEM): Rank world 100 generally.

Major(s): Economics
GPA in Major: 3.7/4.00
Overall GPA: 3.5/4.00
Demographics/Background: International institution, but US citizen

Graduate (MS) Institution (approx. rank/reputation in STEM): Rank world 100 generally.

Major(s): Computer Science
GPA in Major: 4.0/4.00
Overall GPA: 4/0/4.00
 

GRE Scores:
Q: 159 (83%)
V: 170 (96%)
W: 4.0 (59%)

LOR: 2 strong (Research Advisor/Mentor), 1 (Research Mentor) not sure - perhaps good.

Research Experience: 2.5 years

- 2 years as a MS student at Computer Science /

- 4 months of Internship at middle-level US university (Research Intern, Data Analyst) /

- 4 months of AI-related research intern position (Research Intern, AI Engineer)

 

Publications/Abstracts/Presentations:

7 pubs in peer-reviewed conferences,

3 accepted (top tiers in Computer Science), 

4 under-review (with 2 on Arxiv).

2 more in preparations.

Awards/Honors/Recognitions: 

Invited as lecturer for Computer Science Workshops -  Four approx. 10-hour long computer vision workshops.

Fellowships/Funding: 

Research Assistant - full scholarship at the university for 2 years

Travel Grants -  conference participation for 2 conferences.

 

Pertinent Activities or Jobs: 

Two four-months long research intern. Not counted as a job I guess.

Other Miscellaneous Accomplishments: not sure

Research Interests: Computer-aided diagnosis (Detection and Segmentation), Radiomics, Medical Image Analysis, Deep Learning, Computer Vision

Institutions/Programs:

MIT-HARVARD MEMP

NYU SACKLER

COLUMBIA BME

YALE BME

GA TECH BME

JHU CS

JHU BME

USC CS

USC BME

UCLA Bioengineering

Univ. of Michigan PIBS

CORNELL BME

WASHINGTON UNIVERSITY BME

 

Comments: I am now involved in a number of medical image analysis research, based on my expertise in computer vision and AI. Would I be someone that faculty members might lookout for? 

Edited December 20, 2018 by DKP

[gummybear9]

On 12/19/2018 at 3:06 PM, sgaw10 said:

This was so totally unexpected, but I received an interview offer from Mayo Clinic for the biomedical engineering/physiology PhD track just minutes ago! I'm trying not to tear up at my lab right now lololol. I knew I would feel much better if I got a first interview anywhere. Stoked that I am not a failure

Congrats!! That's so exciting! I haven't heard from anyone yet, positive or negative, and the waiting is KILLING me. It must be such a relief to know someone wants you!

[gummybear9]

16 hours ago, DKP said:

Hi, I would like to share my profile with you guys. You guys are so strong!

My research area is at odds with most of the applicants, which raises two questions I want to ask,

1) would faculty members be interested in someone like me who has artificial intelligence skills?

2) Most programs I have applied to are top tiers, any chance I would get admitted?

_________________________________________

Undergrad Institution (approx. rank/reputation in STEM): Rank world 100 generally.

Major(s): Economics
GPA in Major: 3.7/4.00
Overall GPA: 3.5/4.00
Demographics/Background: International institution, but US citizen

Graduate (MS) Institution (approx. rank/reputation in STEM): Rank world 100 generally.

Major(s): Computer Science
GPA in Major: 4.0/4.00
Overall GPA: 4/0/4.00
 

GRE Scores:
Q: 159 (83%)
V: 170 (96%)
W: 4.0 (59%)

LOR: 2 strong (Research Advisor/Mentor), 1 (Research Mentor) not sure - perhaps good.

Research Experience: 2.5 years

- 2 years as a MS student at Computer Science /

- 4 months of Internship at middle-level US university (Research Intern, Data Analyst) /

- 4 months of AI-related research intern position (Research Intern, AI Engineer)

 

Publications/Abstracts/Presentations:

7 pubs in peer-reviewed conferences,

3 accepted (top tiers in Computer Science), 

4 under-review (with 2 on Arxiv).

2 more in preparations.

Awards/Honors/Recognitions: 

Invited as lecturer for Computer Science Workshops -  Four approx. 10-hour long computer vision workshops.

Fellowships/Funding: 

Research Assistant - full scholarship at the university for 2 years

Travel Grants -  conference participation for 2 conferences.

 

Pertinent Activities or Jobs: 

Two four-months long research intern. Not counted as a job I guess.

Other Miscellaneous Accomplishments: not sure

Research Interests: Computer-aided diagnosis (Detection and Segmentation), Radiomics, Medical Image Analysis, Deep Learning, Computer Vision

Institutions/Programs:

MIT-HARVARD MEMP

NYU SACKLER

COLUMBIA BME

YALE BME

GA TECH BME

JHU CS

JHU BME

USC CS

USC BME

UCLA Bioengineering

Univ. of Michigan PIBS

CORNELL BME

WASHINGTON UNIVERSITY BME

 

Comments: I am now involved in a number of medical image analysis research, based on my expertise in computer vision and AI. Would I be someone that faculty members might lookout for? 

I think you have a pretty good shot. Your GRE quant is a little concerning but I think everyone will look past that because your resume is incredible. As long as you're applying to places where you're a good fit and labs that focus on CS-based research, I think your unique background will catch faculty members' eyes. Seriously though with that many publications I feel like you must have a huuuuge advantage

[sgaw10]

1 hour ago, gummybear9 said:

Congrats!! That's so exciting! I haven't heard from anyone yet, positive or negative, and the waiting is KILLING me. It must be such a relief to know someone wants you!

Thank you! I wouldn't fret. I was and still am panicking, too. I'm not expecting to hear back from anywhere else until after the new year, though.

[DKP]

1 hour ago, gummybear9 said:

I think you have a pretty good shot. Your GRE quant is a little concerning but I think everyone will look past that because your resume is incredible. As long as you're applying to places where you're a good fit and labs that focus on CS-based research, I think your unique background will catch faculty members' eyes. Seriously though with that many publications I feel like you must have a huuuuge advantage

Thank you for your kind reply!

I want to mention that the GRE score is written in a wrong order, where my Quant is 170, and Qual is 159. Even though it's not making much difference

[laveritecestla]

@DKP I'm in the MEMP program and while we don't currently have any people from pure CS backgrounds in the program, we do have a couple from non-biology STEM fiends (physics), so I'd say your background isn't necessarily a problem as long as you can clearly explain your current interests (since it seems like your research background backs it up) and why they fit into HST. 

[DKP]

5 hours ago, laveritecestla said:

@DKP I'm in the MEMP program and while we don't currently have any people from pure CS backgrounds in the program, we do have a couple from non-biology STEM fiends (physics), so I'd say your background isn't necessarily a problem as long as you can clearly explain your current interests (since it seems like your research background backs it up) and why they fit into HST. 

Thanks, having heard the intensive interviews that applicants go through for HST, I am a little nervous. Well, but only conditional to the interview offer.   

[Ayub2306]

I haven’t heard from any and I’m feeling dejected. It’s just making me feel sick.

[sgaw10]

4 hours ago, Ayub2306 said:

I haven’t heard from any and I’m feeling dejected. It’s just making me feel sick.

Most people havent heard from any.

[Ayub2306]

14 hours ago, sgaw10 said:

Most people havent heard from any.

Oh.... fingers crossed

[laveritecestla]

On 12/21/2018 at 2:13 AM, DKP said:

Thanks, having heard the intensive interviews that applicants go through for HST, I am a little nervous. Well, but only conditional to the interview offer.   

Yeah, our interviews are longer/more technical than most programs, but if you get an interview offer it's because they think you'd be a good fit for the program, and that's half the challenge. Good luck and let me know if you have other questions! 

Edited December 22, 2018 by laveritecestla