A little help/advice

[kkimura]

Hi everyone,

I'm a bit on the fence with grad school right now. I'm in my final year of Engineering Physics at UBC, in the Mechatronics specialization. I've worked 8 of the last 12 months on co-op at a nearby company which is developing medical devices for cardiovascular surgery. I was on the biomedical R&D team, which makes me chuckle a bit, because the last time I took a course involving biology was in grade 9.

My dilemma is this: I'm fairly certain when I graduate next year that they would offer me a full-time position, but my biology knowledge is very limited, so I feel like it would hinder me in the long run. So I'm looking at applying to grad schools in biomedical engineering. But I'd rather have the degree geared more toward the mechanical engineering side of things, so something like biomaterials, bioMEMS, biomechanics, etc. would be fitting for me. I'm looking at masters only -- don't want to go as far as a PhD. Of course, I could always just take the job too, gain some experience, then go to grad school after a few years...

I'm looking at both Canada and the US, but my research hasn't gone too far yet. Looked at U of T and McGill in Canada, and looked at Stanford, MIT and Berkeley in the US, so far, although I'm not sure which I plan to actually apply to yet.

1) I'm not sure which schools are "realistic" based on my experience/achievements.

2) Are there any suggestions for schools I should look into? My knowledge of schools in the States is very limited.

3) Of the schools I've looked at, I'm quite interested in the IBBME at U of T. Does anyone here know much about it?

4) Or maybe I should just go straight to industry? My academics are quite strong, but I really don't want to pursue academia.

At this point, I'm leaving all options open, but I do need to start making decisions soon. I'm not expecting people here to make the decision for me, but it'd be cool to have some outside advice.

About me:

-Engineering Physics Major - Mechatronics specialization

-Not sure what my GPA is on a 4-point scale, as UBC just does it percentage-wise, but overall average is 88%, with a 91% average in my senior years (A, and A+ by UBC standards, respectively).

-GRE: 800Q/560V.

-No publications to my name, unfortunately

-About 1 year of research experience accumulated: as mentioned, 8 months working in an industrial biomed R&D Team, and 4 months in an academic research lab on campus

-A few small scholarships for being in the top 5% of my year, and two NSERC Undergrad Student Research Awards

[Geoff Maksym]

Hello,

This is Geoff Maksym, one of the principal applicants that run a training program Called BioMedic, an NSERC Training program in Medical Technology Innovation and Commercialization http://biomedic.medicine.dal.ca/. This program is unique in Canada.

This program may interest you as it combines a Master's (or PhD) degree in Biomedical Engineering, with a specific training program in the business of Medical Devices and Technology. Students take courses in Biomedical Engineering, according to their interest and thesis program - and we have opportunities in biomaterials and biomechanics, including courses including biology for Biomedical Engineers that may match your interest. Students also take courses in Clinical Applications of Medical Technologies, where they mentorship from clinicians who use medical technology, and courses in the Business of Medical Technologies where they learn about the identification of new opportunities, licensing, patenting, new ventures, and medical device regulations. These courses are taught in partnership with the Faculty of Management, are designed to work with your thesis, developing the business side of the student's research. Students also do work-placements with medical technology companies to gain experience and knowledge how their business is run.

Regarding your question about going straight to industry - that is a possibility. If you are interested how it may affect your cumulative pay, the US Dep. of Labour and IEEE organization publish salary information that shows that a Master's degree adds significantly to the total, even though you will be earning less during your degree (Most Departments of Biomedical Engineering guarantee minimum stipends, and in our school the minimum is $17,500, but many earn more with top-ups, sometimes being more than double that amount). In Canada, a Master's in Biomedical Engineering tends to fill many gaps that from undergraduate engineering (or in your case engineering physics) that are usually needed for R&D work in developing medical technologies.

More details can be found on http://biomedic.medicine.dal.ca/, and on the School of Biomedical Engineering's main pages, http://bme.medicine.dal.ca/index.html

good luck,

Geoff.

Acting Director, SBME, Dalhousie University.

Hi everyone,

I'm a bit on the fence with grad school right now. I'm in my final year of Engineering Physics at UBC, in the Mechatronics specialization. I've worked 8 of the last 12 months on co-op at a nearby company which is developing medical devices for cardiovascular surgery. I was on the biomedical R&D team, which makes me chuckle a bit, because the last time I took a course involving biology was in grade 9.

My dilemma is this: I'm fairly certain when I graduate next year that they would offer me a full-time position, but my biology knowledge is very limited, so I feel like it would hinder me in the long run. So I'm looking at applying to grad schools in biomedical engineering. But I'd rather have the degree geared more toward the mechanical engineering side of things, so something like biomaterials, bioMEMS, biomechanics, etc. would be fitting for me. I'm looking at masters only -- don't want to go as far as a PhD. Of course, I could always just take the job too, gain some experience, then go to grad school after a few years...

I'm looking at both Canada and the US, but my research hasn't gone too far yet. Looked at U of T and McGill in Canada, and looked at Stanford, MIT and Berkeley in the US, so far, although I'm not sure which I plan to actually apply to yet.

1) I'm not sure which schools are "realistic" based on my experience/achievements.

2) Are there any suggestions for schools I should look into? My knowledge of schools in the States is very limited.

3) Of the schools I've looked at, I'm quite interested in the IBBME at U of T. Does anyone here know much about it?

4) Or maybe I should just go straight to industry? My academics are quite strong, but I really don't want to pursue academia.

At this point, I'm leaving all options open, but I do need to start making decisions soon. I'm not expecting people here to make the decision for me, but it'd be cool to have some outside advice.

About me:

-Engineering Physics Major - Mechatronics specialization

-Not sure what my GPA is on a 4-point scale, as UBC just does it percentage-wise, but overall average is 88%, with a 91% average in my senior years (A, and A+ by UBC standards, respectively).

-GRE: 800Q/560V.

-No publications to my name, unfortunately

-About 1 year of research experience accumulated: as mentioned, 8 months working in an industrial biomed R&D Team, and 4 months in an academic research lab on campus

-A few small scholarships for being in the top 5% of my year, and two NSERC Undergrad Student Research Awards

[navyasw02]

If you're pretty confident that they'll offer you a job, why dont you see 1. if you need the degree a few months into the job and 2. try to negotiate for your company to pay for it when they offer you the position. That'd be the best of both worlds right there.