A calling to all BME FALL 2008 Applicants:):)

[miketakena]

Yeah I got accepted to Duke and Berkeley, I've decided to go with Berkeley because of the living environment basically. Any good news or decisions on your end?

BTW, did u receive anything in writing?

[ahug030]

The Duke acceptance was all online. Berkeley is saying that a letter has been sent from the graduate school... Im crossing my fingers for you eh

[excel]

Excel, which program did you decide to go with?

yet to decide...havent visited all the programs yet.

[crossedfingers]

I did go, and they did pay. It was a very interesting place. Geographically, I think it is the most unique school I've been to... all nestled up against the mountains in this big giant basin. Amazing scenery. If you are a skier or into the outdoors, I don't think there is any city in the country that has better access to that. 8 or so major ski resorts within 30 min or 1 hr from campus.

They also have a really great bioengineering program. Highly regarded, expanding very rapidly... Lots of money flowing into it... right next to the med school so lots of opportunities for collaborations with clinicians/clinical researchers. Long history of spin-off companies.

My only problem with it is that the Mormon factor does kind of keep the college life behind closed doors. Plenty of partying it seems like, but minimal bars and such within easy walking distance from campus. Not sure if that matters.

Ok that was probably more than you needed. I would say there are a lot of things to really enjoy about the place, and it's worth checking out for yourself if you think you have some good research matches there, and don't mind replacing the typical city/college scene with a more active/outdoor lifestyle.

Thanks . The description was certainly helpful. The place sounds very pleasant. I was a little hesitant knowing about the Mormon factor ( no offense whatsoever), but since it is only a masters program, I might consider it. They offered a huge a@@ stipend, so obi they aren't kidding when they say they have the money. Maybe I will visit them over spring break. Nothing beats a ski resort 8)

excel: i did my undergrad from U Minnesota ( hence the immediate attraction to a ski resort!)

oh one more thing 1234.. did u manage to squeeze a visit from Pitt? I played it dum and the professor said he could only sponsor one later in summer ( which proly meant after I accepted their offer). I haven't really done anything after. Didn't they want word by April 1?

[miketakena]

hey crossed fingers, which country are you from?

[xzjohn]

no, i asked graduate school coordinators for a ballpark on the numbers. They mentioned the top reasons were funding and getting the students into the United States. Apparently if you're already in the country ( doing ure undergrad) its viewed as a plus factor, cuz then they dont have to worry about getting you through immigration. Sounds pretty lame to me. I was actually shocked to find out that aero engineering has stopped accepting intl students (???)

Being an intl myself, i seriously hope someone can contradict me and give better stats.

I think your info. is quite correct.

I did a basic statistics. The biomedical science PhD program at my univ. displays a picture of entering classes of each year on the hallway and I counted the # of intl. guys. The # peaked around 2004 (6~8 out of nearly 30) and decreases afterward. In 2007, it only admitted 1 or 2 intl. students. When I was placing the order of a conference poster in the department office, the guy was answering a phone call regarding app. evaluation. He mentioned funding was the top reason for diminishing intl. population in admitted students in recent years.

BTW, I'm gonna go to S.F in CA next week for a national conference and plan to network with some professors to maximize my chance for re-application. I've e-mailed for appointment with a professor but haven't got any reply. Probably won't get one ever. Do you think it's appropriate for me to go straight to him after his presentation and introduce myself?

Any comments or suggestions are welcome, bro. Thanks.

[123456789]

Thanks . The description was certainly helpful. The place sounds very pleasant. I was a little hesitant knowing about the Mormon factor ( no offense whatsoever), but since it is only a masters program, I might consider it. They offered a huge a@@ stipend, so obi they aren't kidding when they say they have the money. Maybe I will visit them over spring break. Nothing beats a ski resort 8)

excel: i did my undergrad from U Minnesota ( hence the immediate attraction to a ski resort!)

oh one more thing 1234.. did u manage to squeeze a visit from Pitt? I played it dum and the professor said he could only sponsor one later in summer ( which proly meant after I accepted their offer). I haven't really done anything after. Didn't they want word by April 1?

I did end up getting a visit to Pitt, but it was payed by a specific prof (plus I could drive there so I was cheap). It was definitely an interesting campus/city. Not sure what their deadline, but I'm hoping it's April 15th like all the rest. I won't be making any decisions by the 1st since I still have to visit UMn. Since you mention UMn and skiing, does that mean there is skiing there, or that there is not and you are looking forward to the prospect in Utah?

Utah definitely offers a nice stipend, especially for the minuscule cost of living there. It really does seem like an interesting place (especially compared to certain dying midwestern cities) if you can put up with the conservative atmosphere.

[crossedfingers]

Do you think it's appropriate for me to go straight to him after his presentation and introduce myself?

Any comments or suggestions are welcome, bro. Thanks.

I don't know what specific field you are in, but if this professor is doing the same sort of research you are, I would def go and talk to him after the conference. A friend I know did that last year at the national ACS conference. He described it as 'meeting brad pitt on the red carpet'. This professor was a well renowned guy at stanford, and my friend, well he came from a small town school in MN. He approached the guy and told him that he had emailed him and was interested in working in his lab. The guy was very polite and all, but he did ask him some pretty intense questions. Luckily my friend was working on the same line of research as him and could respond with half arsed brain answers. He said he would look out for his application. This happened in Oct 07 and guess who got him into stanford this yr? Apparently the professor remembered him from the conference and took a longer look at his application. I'm pretty sure if you did the same, if not anything, he will definetely remember your name when application times come around. I would absolutely go for it. There is nothing you can lose by doing so and so much you can gain.

[crossedfingers]

Since you mention UMn and skiing, does that mean there is skiing there, or that there is not and you are looking forward to the prospect in Utah?

There are a lot of hills for skiing and snowboarding in MN, esp where I live. I'm not sure if they are much of a resort though. Being able to ski at Utah ( if I go there at all) is definetely an attraction.

Your're visiting UMN at a good time. The weather is getting really lovely. ( You know you are minnesotan when anything above 35 deg F begins to qualify as lovely!) Hope you have a good time there

[srinair]

Hey anyone heard from UC Berkeley regarding admits/rejects for MS/PhD in Mechanical Engg???

I am still waiting for my result...

Seems that some ppl have already got ur results...

[crossedfingers]

Duke.. rejected

[hopingforfunding]

Alright, Ive decided. RPI it is with full funding. Any one else? I will be turning down other offers after I get my paperwork for funding in the mail for those of you who are wait listed. (hopefully next week) Good luck!

yay: RPI, Dartmouth, Drexel, Case, Cornell M.Eng

boo: MIT, Columbia, BU, UPenn

no word: Brown, Carnegie, UMich

[srinair]

Hi got a reject from Pennstate yest

Waiting for UC Berkeley and UC Davis now...

No hopes abut UW Madison since my application is still incomplete for want of a Faculty Advisor.

Umich??? hmmm anyway I don think I can afford to study there without a funding which seems next to impossible.

[crossedfingers]

hopingforfunding: i'm curious how you came to your decision for RPI? What made you kick out Case and Dartmouth?

I'm having such a hard time deciding myself. Did you just flip a coin?

Maybe that random variable generator on MS Excel will work..

[hopingforfunding]

hopingforfunding: i'm curious how you came to your decision for RPI? What made you kick out Case and Dartmouth?

I'm having such a hard time deciding myself. Did you just flip a coin?

Maybe that random variable generator on MS Excel will work..

Crossedfingers: I did just flip a coin...best 3 out of 5. No really I decided on RPI for a number of reasons. The first is that RPI is my undergraduate institution and I absolutely love it. I know that I will be able to explore my interests, love the brand new facilities, and I already have a head start on my project since I started it as a URP. People might complain about Troy, NY, but as a person who enjoys skiing, hiking, and surfing (3.5 hour drive to NH beaches), I can not complain. Also housing is DIRT cheap so I will not have to take out loans or even pay for parking permits. I will probably be able to get my Ph.D. in 4 years, I have full funding (inc health insurance), and am nominated for a fellowship. I can not complain about this situation- The only complaint I have is the major lack of art/English classes since it is a tech school.

As for why I have decided against the other schools (all great schools), I have visited them all or worked at them in the past. I worked at Case for an internship (1 year) and while I loved my research, really did not like living there. I just can't picture myself being happy there for 5-7 years. Also interacting with students made me appreciate my coursework at RPI because I felt more prepared than them for presentations and just general knowledge in attacking engineering problems and group projects. I also felt that Case's ranking was high on everyones mind- which I did not feel needed to be brought up. Great school...just really not for me personally.

Dartmouth on the other hand I absolutely loved. I visited and it was exactly how I pictured- you know big green leather wingback chairs everywhere, faculty and students just hanging out over a cup of coffee...loved it. However, since they do not have departments, only "engineering" i felt that might limit my options after I graduated. I want to stay in academia and asked the profs where their students go after they leave- most go to industry or medicine (few did go to academia or NIH/NSF). Also the research was not as in line with what I wanted to do (huge focus on consulting for outside companies, less on publishing), but I could have been happy there if I decided on that school. I felt it is a little more theoretical and less hands-on. The profs were all really nice and accommodating and the community is great too.

As for Cornell- they did not offer me money (only accepted to M.Eng.) 'nuff said.

Drexel I also really liked but did not leave my visit having that 'warm and fuzzy' feeling. I figure for 5-7 years, being almost broke, and giving up most of my sanity- I deserve warm and fuzzy.

I have not heard yet from Carnegie, UMich, or Brown, but based on research interests and how quickly I can dive in (and get out!) RPI is the best option for me. I am just waiting for the funding offer in writing and then I am done...already started looking for a new apartment and have to say it is a huge relief.

So that is my novel about my decision....hope it might help you. I can only say pick where you think you will be the happiest so you are productive, do the current grad students like working with the prof, and also how many students leave the lab going into your career field of choice.

Where are you deciding between?

[lambdaman2]

Anyone going to UCSD for BIoeng or Bioinf?

[christina_bme]

Got my rejection letter from BU today. Not a surprise...I'm actually feeling grateful to them for delivering the blow.

Someone posted that Purdue is sending notifications this week as well. I hope they send my rejection soon. I suspected it was imminent but it will be nice to actually know.

[christina_bme]

Hey anyone got into UCB, UCD for Mech Engg??? I've been waiting for my results since first week of March

This thread is for biomedical engineering, not mechanical engineering. Please stop spam posting!

[lambdaman2]

Yeah.. BME only.. haha.. Anyone hear back from MIT?

[crossedfingers]

christina, i got my BU rejection in the mail too. It was a blow to me. The four short sentences that they had managed to scramble together stung a lot. oh well.

Have u made your decisions yet?

[Severian]

Yeah.. BME only.. haha.. Anyone hear back from MIT?

MIT BE interview weekend was couple weeks ago and they already sent out acceptance letters.

[vaddva]

Hi people,

Do you have any info regarding the admission stats at GATech and UMich BME???? I've heard GATech has only 20 vacancies for their PhD program in BME. Is that true?

[bigsid05]

UMich has already accepted students and sent out funding offers. They accept about 40 students and fund most of them.

[lambdaman2]

Im on the waitlist at Gtech.

[crossedfingers]

After narrowing down all my choices (6/9) I think I have come to three conclusions.

A) Go to Purdue BME. It was amongst my top three and is fully funded. The only real concern is the guy I will be working for. Although his field his biomehanics, he described a potential research project to me while we were visiting. The work sounded very tissue engineering related and I'm not too sure I would fully enjoy that. I have worked in tissue engineering before and although the field has a lot of potential, it does not have that appeal. But having never had any BME classes its kind of hard for me to judge what I will and wont like.

B)That gets me to this option. Go get my masters at Pitt and get a feel for the field. Apply for Ph.D later. Run around the next month and figure out where the hell this money will come from.

C) Or simply, laze around this year, try getting hired by a 'science related field', earn the bartender tips at night, and reapply to Duke/Stanford again next year.

any thoughts?