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PhD Bioengineering/BiomedicalEngineering Fall 2015-


disasterprone

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Do you guys how hard it is to receive a RA for BME Masters(with thesis) at Hopkins?

Is it really based on the research background you did as an undergraduate and how it is relevant to the lab?

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 Thanks braindump and anonymous20 (I'll let you know regarding the choice I make, but yeah in case I do pick UCSD, hope to see you there. What are  your options?). 

 Is spending on a MS really worth it? Or would I seem foolish rejecting a PhD for a MS at a better place? 

 And are there opportunities to earn something while doing a MS? Like I did write to a couple of profs regarding RA, but they said they can't provide  any. Financial aid is my main concern.

You know, actually my interests are also in tissue eng & mechanobiology, so we're really in a similar situation. My options are UCLA(PhD), UCI(PhD), CMU(MS), Cornell(MEng), and I'm technically still waiting for UCSD MS but that's a long story. I've been asking those same questions for like the past month haha.

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Do you guys how hard it is to receive a RA for BME Masters(with thesis) at Hopkins?

Is it really based on the research background you did as an undergraduate and how it is relevant to the lab?

It's based on what skills you know coming in and how well your interests intersect with what the lab does. They want to know what you can bring to the table and what exactly you want to take from the experience. Hopkins will be very competitive, but that shouldn't keep you from applying. Talk to some professors and see if they'd be interested in funding you if you were to be accepted.

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Neither Rutgers nor Tufts have gotten back to me. Two weeks after my interview at Tufts I sent an email inquiring as to my status and was told they were still interviewing. It's now been four weeks, still nothing and I know some have already been accepted. Friday it was two weeks since I interviewed at Rutgers and I sent a similar email and have had no reply whatsoever. Johns Hopkins and U Pittsburgh have never told me anything, but I'm still not rejected so maybe wait list? Should I stop deluding myself that I will be accepted at the last minute?

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Neither Rutgers nor Tufts have gotten back to me. Two weeks after my interview at Tufts I sent an email inquiring as to my status and was told they were still interviewing. It's now been four weeks, still nothing and I know some have already been accepted. Friday it was two weeks since I interviewed at Rutgers and I sent a similar email and have had no reply whatsoever. Johns Hopkins and U Pittsburgh have never told me anything, but I'm still not rejected so maybe wait list? Should I stop deluding myself that I will be accepted at the last minute?

 

I would call instead of emailing. Also, I haven't heard back from JHU either but someone earlier in this thread said they called and were told if they haven't heard anything then it's likely a rejection. :( Sorry.

 

 

DId any of you who interviewed at MIT BE hear back yet?  I didn't see anything on the results page, which surprised me. 

 

I think I know of one or two people from a recent visit weekend who were accepted to MIT BE. Not sure if that helps, they may not be done with decisions yet. 

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I would call instead of emailing. Also, I haven't heard back from JHU either but someone earlier in this thread said they called and were told if they haven't heard anything then it's likely a rejection. :( Sorry.

 

 

That's what I heard too and maybe my foolish optimism is at play, but if you look at past years on the results page, you can see some people got accepted extremely late, on or close to the deadline. I don't know about calling, I could but I worry I would influence the decision by pestering them.

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I would call instead of emailing. Also, I haven't heard back from JHU either but someone earlier in this thread said they called and were told if they haven't heard anything then it's likely a rejection. :( Sorry.

 

 

 

I think I know of one or two people from a recent visit weekend who were accepted to MIT BE. Not sure if that helps, they may not be done with decisions yet.

Thanks just curious- I already go there, just wondered who got in this year.

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That's what I heard too and maybe my foolish optimism is at play, but if you look at past years on the results page, you can see some people got accepted extremely late, on or close to the deadline. I don't know about calling, I could but I worry I would influence the decision by pestering them.

 

At this point, you should call. It's so close to the deadline that they will understand that you want all of the information available before you make a decision. The graduate coordinator at JHU is pretty nice, actually. 

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Yup totally rejected from Tufts. Well I guess Rutgers is my last hope really, since Pitt and JHU are pretty long shot at this point. I liked Rutgers the best anyway.....if I prayed any harder I'd turn blue in the face.

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What're everyone's thoughts on new faculty? I know the standard "avoid at all costs" cliche, but was wondering if anyone had any experience or could offer some deeper insight. Right now I've pretty much narrowed things down to a brand new faculty member or a much more seasoned PI that I would probably see much less of, and I'm feeling pretty lost at the moment. 

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What're everyone's thoughts on new faculty? I know the standard "avoid at all costs" cliche, but was wondering if anyone had any experience or could offer some deeper insight. Right now I've pretty much narrowed things down to a brand new faculty member or a much more seasoned PI that I would probably see much less of, and I'm feeling pretty lost at the moment.

I don't know about that "avoid at all costs" idea. My PI always suggests we work with young faculty, because they're usually coming in with brand new ideas and a lot of energy, plus you get to spend more time with them one-on-one. Take a look at their funding situation and also what they accomplished in graduate school and in their post-doc. Then ask them what some of their research areas are. I think it should be fine if you do your research on them.
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Hi everyone - 

 

I am seeking advice on choosing a lab which in turn affects which school I choose - I have spent the past two years after graduating working in the pharma industry on the molecular/cellular side of things. I am considering transitioning to the medical device field, which I have little experience with but am excited about. My primary concern is that I am not sure the career path that this will lead me to - what kinds of doors could research in devices open up? It is much more 'engineering' heavy than the field I am in now, and I am interested in returning to industry after my PhD. 

 

Any insight into this and how to choose a lab or school would be great! The devices lab and the PI of this lab excite me a lot, more than the lab I have been matched into at my other choice school (school B). However, I am more attracted to the program and overall school of school B more.. I don't know what to prioritize and how to choose! Any insight or advice greatly appreciated!!! Thanks!!

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Hey all,

 

I just got admission to Penn's Bioengineering MS program today. I currently have many options for MS but I narrowed down to UCSD and UPenn.

 

I want to continue to PhD program after MS and my research interest is computational bioengineering and biomechanics (I know they are kinda different but I'm still in the process of deciding which I want to pursue). 

 

I kept UCSD because 1) its program is top-ranked in Bioengineering 2) they claimed to have a 60% success rate if a MS student wants to petition to join PhD after 1 year 3) the weather and location are just perfect. But I'm kinda worrying about funding because I heard UC generally doesn't do very well on funding...

I kept UPenn because of its reputation and the fact that as a private school it wouldn't face as many funding issues as UCSD. Its Bioengineering program is also very great. I've been to SD multiple times and visited the campus but I don't know much about UPenn and Philly in general, which is one of my concern/uncertainty.

 

Any advice would be awesome! Thanks a lot!

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Hey all,

 

I just got admission to Penn's Bioengineering MS program today. I currently have many options for MS but I narrowed down to UCSD and UPenn.

 

I want to continue to PhD program after MS and my research interest is computational bioengineering and biomechanics (I know they are kinda different but I'm still in the process of deciding which I want to pursue). 

 

I kept UCSD because 1) its program is top-ranked in Bioengineering 2) they claimed to have a 60% success rate if a MS student wants to petition to join PhD after 1 year 3) the weather and location are just perfect. But I'm kinda worrying about funding because I heard UC generally doesn't do very well on funding...

I kept UPenn because of its reputation and the fact that as a private school it wouldn't face as many funding issues as UCSD. Its Bioengineering program is also very great. I've been to SD multiple times and visited the campus but I don't know much about UPenn and Philly in general, which is one of my concern/uncertainty.

 

Any advice would be awesome! Thanks a lot!

 

 

I was at Penn for the interview weekend and have been admitted to the Bioengineering PhD program. I loved it there! The school is not exactly in the city but it's within walking distance. The hospital and medical school are right on campus so you could potentially do a lot of clinical work. The faculty and graduate students were super nice and friendly. A lot of the students live in Center City and said that the rent is manageable. Overall, it was a positive experience and Philly was just the perfect size for a city. I hope this helps!  

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Hey all,

Please let JHU know asap if you decided to go elsewhere, or know that you will not go JHU. I am on alternate list, and have already let all other schools except one know that I will not be going. Have to make decision this weekend.

Thanks! :-)

Edited by dmarm
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  • 2 months later...

A word of advice!

 

Unless you are strongly considering JHU, I recommend not taking the interview. The travel agency was a huge hassle, the weekend was largely unorganized, and it has been 4 months and I have not been reimbursed and the person responsible for reimbursements will not respond to emails/phone calls. If you are genuinely interested in the program, of course go check it out but I was on the fence and regret going especially now that I am still waiting on 500$ of reimbursements and it doesn't seem to be coming my way anytime soon. 

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A word of advice!

 

Unless you are strongly considering JHU, I recommend not taking the interview. The travel agency was a huge hassle, the weekend was largely unorganized, and it has been 4 months and I have not been reimbursed and the person responsible for reimbursements will not respond to emails/phone calls. If you are genuinely interested in the program, of course go check it out but I was on the fence and regret going especially now that I am still waiting on 500$ of reimbursements and it doesn't seem to be coming my way anytime soon. 

 

I actually really liked the interview weekend, but they had me do 5 or 6 interviews so I was busy the whole time. Nobody has gotten reimbursed yet, but we should be getting checks in 2-3 weeks from now. I'm going there in the fall and I can let you (bme15Applicant) know when I get my check back. It is really frustrating to eat $600 in airfare costs. I had to buy two plane tickets because my first flight out of Baltimore was cancelled and the next one wouldn't leave for 5 days!

 

If you're not seriously considering a school, I definitely agree that going on the visit is a complete waste of your time and their money (or your money, in the case of JHU). Just stay at home and reflect on all the other awesome visits you'll get to go on! All that traveling is exhausting.

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