WashU vs. Wisconsin vs. UCLA vs. Duke

[battleidiot]

Here are the pros and cons for each school in order of their current preference.

I want to focus on Tissue Engineering and Biomaterials research but am flexible at this point. (most schools require lab rotations anyways) 

I graduated last spring from UCSD and will be attending graduate school late summer or fall of this year. 

 

1. Washington University in St. Louis (Program: Biomedical Engineering, PhD)

Pros

-fully funded, 28K/year, liked the campus, found a professor that fits my interest, great med school, low cost of living

Cons

-BME not as highly ranked, location, weather (too hot?), academic rigor, might get boring? 

 

2. University of Wisconsin, Madison (Program: Biomedical Engineering, PhD)

Pros

-fully funded, 21K/year, lot of professors that fit my research interests. 

Cons

-location, weather (too cold?), was unable to visit the campus due to scheduling conflicts. 

 

3. University of California, Los Angeles (Program: ACCESS Biomedical Science, PhD)

Pros

-fully funded, 30K/year, location, weather, close to home (Norcal)

Cons

-Rather be in engineering, professors don't seem as caring, rigid job outlook, high cost of living 

 

4. Duke University (Program: Biomedical Engineering, MS)

Pros

-High prestige and ranking, fits my research interests, close to girlfriend (East Coast)

Cons

-High cost (>40,000 year), I visited and each professor told me to go somewhere else that is funded 

 

 

[biotechie]

Being from around the area, I can tell you St. Louis isn't that hot. In the summer, there will be a couple weeks it gets to around 100 degrees, but most of the rest of the time, the highs are mid-80's for the summer. The winter is pretty mild, but there will be a couple of really cold weeks, sometimes with snow or ice. It is much cooler here than Texas, where I am headed.

BME might not be as highly ranked, but their biomedical sciences program is one of the highest ranked in the country. You might end up working with professors form that department. I know that their DBBS programs are fairly rigorous. I don't know much about the other programs.

[battleidiot]

I heard the humidity is what gets you. What do you do for fun there? I will most likely have a car should I choose to go. 

[zabius]

I'd count Duke out right away... there's no reason to enter an unfunded MS program when you have three fully funded PhD programs to choose from!

 

It also sounds like you should count UCLA out... if you don't think that the professors will be very supportive *and* you'd rather be in an engineering program anyway, then chances are that you wouldn't be happy there. I don't know what you mean by a "rigid job outlook," but if you mean that the program isn't good at placing graduates in the types of jobs that you're interested in, then you definitely shouldn't attend. You should pick a school that will provide with a supportive working environment, a solid academic fit, and that will prepare you for your dream career. From what you've said, UCLA sounds like it wouldn't provide any of that for you. Being close to home may be nice, but it's not worth making sacrifices in so many other aspects of your graduate education.

 

So, I'd think that the choice should really come down to WashU vs. Wisconsin. I'm not familiar with your field, so I can't say which one would be better for the type of work that you want to do. Someone else can probably speak to that. Is there any way that you could visit Wisconsin before the decision deadline? Visits can change everything and are the best way to get a sense of how well you'd fit in with the program and the school as a whole.

 

One advantage that Wisconsin may have is the fact that there are multiple professors there that you could see yourself working with. It's a really good idea to not restrict yourself to a single lab. If you do, then what happens if your professor moves schools or is fired (assuming he/she doesn't have tenure)? Or what happens if you realize that the lab isn't a good match after all, or you run into other problems with your advisor? At a school like Wisconsin, where there are other labs working on topics related to yours, you could easily just switch over to a new lab group. That's something to consider. Would you be able to do that at WashU?

 

On the other hand, one advantage that WashU may have is the medical school. If you're thinking of a career in a field related to medicine, then a good med school can provide you with some very valuable connections and/or other resources. Is there a med school at Wisconsin? Would you say that [for you personally and the research that you want to do] the high quality of the med school at WashU would make up for its lower ranking in BME?

 

I know that I didn't give you a clear-cut answer here. I can't, really, since I'm not familiar with your field or your own goals and priorities. However, hopefully some of this was useful. It definitely sounds like UCLA and Duke aren't very good options, and that the best bet would be either Washington University in St. Louis or University of Wisconsin. It sounds like the funding packages from both of those schools are good (you only really need enough to make ends meet, and I'm assuming that both of those stipends are big enough for that) and it seems that the weather situation is similar for you (in that each school is in a climate that's not ideal for you, but probably not too terrible either). So, I'd probably not weigh those two criteria all that heavily when comparing WashU and Wisconsin.

 

Good luck with your decision!

[midnight]

I'd definitely say NO to Duke and would choose either WUSTL or Madison based on the info you provided.

Congrats on your great offers!

[NanoTech]

Go to WUSTL.

[biotechie]

WUSTL is a fantastic school and St. Louis has lots of fun things to do! There is City Museum, The Fox Theatre, The Muny, Forest Park, The Zoo (which is FREE), and tons of things around that I probably don't even know about. There are tons of bars, restaurants, and little shopping areas. If you have time to go out of the city, Southern Missouri and Southern Illinois have some beautiful areas to explore. Southern Illinois is at the edge of where the glaciers ended, so it isn't flat. Lots of beautiful hills. It is gorgeous in the Spring and Fall. If you have a car, you're going to have lots of things to do. Even if you don't have a car, there will still be lots of things.

 

As long as you stay well hydrated, the humidity is okay. If you're planning on biking/walking to school, you might want a change of clothes if you're a sweaty person.

[hungry]

WashU seems to be your best bet!

[battleidiot]

What do people think about Case Western Reserve University?

 

Has anyone have experience with the city or school, particularly with it's BME department/faculty

as I know it is not a well-known school. (outside of their BME and Nursing program and Cleveland Clinic from what I've gathered) 

[lexical_gap]

 Is there a med school at Wisconsin? Would you say that [for you personally and the research that you want to do] the high quality of the med school at WashU would make up for its lower ranking in BME?

I attended UW-Madison for undergrad, though in a completely different field.  Wisconsin definitely has a medical school.  http://grad-schools.usnews.rankingsandreviews.com/best-graduate-schools/top-medical-schools/university-of-wisconsin-madison-04126

 

As far as the weather goes, there's a saying that in WI you can see all four seasons in one day.  The winters can get cold with several days of subzero temperatures (that's 0 degrees F), but in the summers it can get quite hot with temps reaching over 100 for a few days.  A good winter coat and a pair of sturdy boots will do the trick from December through March.

 

[EngiNerd-12]

First of all, definitely no to Duke... a funded PhD offer beats an unfunded MS offer.

 

I personally loved UCLA and one of the professors I plan on working with is part of the ACCESS program and he was really nice/great in his field of work.Cost of living in LA is indeed very high, but I still like the area and am willing to sacrifice a little bit of financial comfort. However, if you prefer engineering and don't feel as good about UCLA, then don't go with it. (PS, I was Biomedical Engineering as an undergrad and now going into sciences).

 

Now, between WashU. and U. Wisconsin Madison, I will be a little biased and go with WashU. I don't stand the cold (since I'm originally from a warm area) and Wisconsin is VERY cold. I moved to Chicago and can barely survive the weather (even though the past few winters are considered "mild" by their standards). Do you think you can tolerate the cold? Perhaps you might even like it. Both schools are great (and seem to fit your interests), but I would still rate WashU higher.

 

Best of luck!!

[biotechie]

As far as the weather goes, there's a saying that in WI you can see all four seasons in one day.  The winters can get cold with several days of subzero temperatures (that's 0 degrees F), but in the summers it can get quite hot with temps reaching over 100 for a few days.  A good winter coat and a pair of sturdy boots will do the trick from December through March.

 

St. Louis is pretty much the same as far as weather goes. This year, it can't decide if it wants to be Spring or go back to Winter. >.< It doesn't stay sub-zero in St. Louis for more than a couple of days, but there is usually a 2-week run of 10-15 degree F temps in late January.

[student12345]

As others have said, the decision should really only be between WashU and Wisconsin.

Both have affluent professors and beautiful campuses.