UMich vs UIUC vs Others for BME

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Yes, different rankings show different things.

but again - did you read the methodology i showed - it’s not based on ANY outcome data. It’s a bunch of deans being surveyed. Perhaps they took care of their buddies.

Is that really what should be used to rank.

I showed you college raptor and CWRU was higher in BME than any…again, that’s another ranking.

Rankings are just that. And there’s tons of them. You are just choosing to focus on the best known. Look at business - people use Poets and Quants. People use Forbes or WSJ instead of US News - because they use real data to rank them - including career data that US News doesn’t.

How much does a school cost and how much do you earn? That’s what matters. After your first job, the where won’t matter - except to brag. Yep, people love to say Go Blue - even the ones that make less $$.

So my kid goes to UM - I’d have spent $260K more - and yet he has the same job at the same salary (at least starting) - got a good review and raise after year one. So what does rank have to do with it?

Rankings don’t pay your rent.

If you want to be in data science, dig deeper. A data scientist doesn’t just go by what US News or another survey say.

I have zero issue with UM - great school.

But if I’m paying, and I could get the same thing at half the price, well that’s what I’m doing.

I’m buying the Toyota instead of the Lexus. But as I said we are all different and if your folks are good with it, then great.

CWRU and UM really aren’t a fair comparison - the experience will be vastly different and I would focus on that - small classes vs. big, small campus vs. big, etc. Upfront cost if it’s a concern. Which is better for you?

These are the things to focus on.

Your outcomes in BME will not be different.

Focusing on that the Purdue Dean rated his UM counterpart high, did him a solid, is - well, taking a big chance.

My kid had 19 interviews and 5 offers by xmas. I’m guessing most UM or Purdue grads don’t have that…he worked for it - just like you will too.

Take care.

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140/240 is the overlap but there are different options as well

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I think that you should listen to what actual employers say. Of the people commenting on this thread, many of us have many years or decades of work experience. Many of us have interviewed candidates for many jobs. Some of us are or have been hiring managers.

In most cases hiring managers have learned what universities have good programs in the specific disciplines that they typically hire for. They have also gained experience in terms of where they can find graduates who show up at work, get along with coworkers, and get the job done. In many, many cases they are hiring from many schools and specifically not just the highest ranked schools in terms of overall ranking. Also specific managers will have their own biases for whatever reason.

Just as one example, a few years ago I asked two different hiring managers (who did not know each other) whether they would prefer to hire a software engineer from Harvard or from U.Mass Amherst. Neither hesitated for a moment. Both immediately said “U.Mass”. That is not because U.Mass is higher ranked or more famous or better overall. It is because they have had good experience hiring very good software engineers from U.Mass.

Actually this is a reasonable analogy. This is indeed a bit like comparing a Ferrari to a Honda (or a Lexus with a Camry). If someone gave me a Ferrari for free, I would not drive it. I would not even drive it to the car dealership to turn it in. I would have it towed or would get someone else to drive it to the car dealership to turn it in. Why? Because it is not a good fit for me. I am personally more comfortable with a Honda or a Subaru. Any of these vehicles will get me from here to there. The Honda or the Subaru will provide reliable service, give me the head room that I need (I am tall), and give me room to put my stuff in back. I would be more comfortable driving it. It is a better fit for me.

Which leads to the question: Which university would be a better fit for you?

There is a significant and increasing overlap between technology and medicine. As one example, a few years ago I had robot-assisted surgery (it went well). Someone must have built the robotic system. Someone had to program the computers that help to operate the robotic system.

As another example, I just read that someone in Australia survived recently for 105 days with an artificial heart. Within the last two weeks a donor heart became available and now this same person has received a successful transplant. Again, someone had to build the artificial heart.

And I just chatted with a daughter who is getting a PhD in a biomedical field and she talked about the research that she has just started. Before she picked a particular lab as her first choice she was thinking about the fact that she would need to write some software to analyze something (I did not fully understand the details) related to the work that she is doing. I suggested and she agreed that for a biomedical researcher having some computer skills is probably a significant plus.

And I think that it is sort of cool that PET scans use anti-matter (specifically positrons) as a normal everyday part of medical imaging.

So I think that there are lots of options somewhere on the boundary between technology and medicine and biomedical engineering. In university you will have lots of opportunities to explore several of these options.

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You can be very successful with BME. The issue is choosing it for premed.

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You can major in bioengineering as an undergrad and go to medical school. If you would like some details, please send me a DM.

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You are very fortunate that your family can take money out of the equation! As such, I think it’s safe for you to focus on the schools that have flexibility in changing majors since you seem uncertain.

From my perspective, I keep circling back to Case because of their outcomes for pre meds and ease of changing major. We lived in OH and my D knows many Case grads. The engineers are working for well known FAANG companies and the pre meds all made it to med school without gap years. Case is very well situated near the Cleveland Clinic, University hospital, Metro health and the VA. Easy to get the need patient facing experienced there. That said, I think Case is a fit school. Has a bit of a nerdier/quirky but preppy vibe than the flagships on your list. If it’s not for you though, scrap it from the list and move on and don’t look back.

I’ll also throw this out- sometimes it’s easier to stand out at a flagship. Big pond big fish can open up a lot of doors. Have you been accepted to honors college at any of these schools? If yes, that should play into your decision.

Since it sound like you are interested in the intersection of human health and technology (in some way), do a deep dive on the First Destination Survey for all the schools left in contention. Forgetting salaries since they will be similar, look at which companies are recruiting where. Certain industries have preferences. I think you might be surprised. Do the same for med school outcomes.

I’d also encourage exploring the four year plan of study. Even between ABET accredited programs, there are big differences in the structure of the programs and depth and breadth of electives. Also requirements and scope for senior design projects can be crazy different.

At the end of the day, It sounds to me like you’d prefer to go to one of your high reaches. Ivy day is around the corner. Hold tight and see what happens! You may be back at the end of the month telling us of more acceptances. The great news is you already have wonderful acceptances. You can make any of your dreams come true from any of these schools. You’ve got this OP! And you can’t make a bad decision with any of these schools. Congrats again!

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Agree!

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“Names open up more opportunities. There are schools worth investing in and there are schools that aren’t worth the price.”

@Chtaze
Not all agree with your comment here, but I do. In my career, when I did forensic work, the name of my undergraduate school was recognizable/familiar and gave me some instant “credibility”.

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This is entirely consistent with my lived experience. It tends to be industry specific and to varying degrees but as a general rule name recognition and prestige do seem to matter.

Others may have different views and experiences which I respect.

You are blessed that your parents have given you the financial flexibility to consider schools based on holistic fit which for many includes prestige.

Good luck!

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My D was a BME major. Also had Umich and UIUC on her list but ended up choosing a different school. All your choices are great ones and you can’t go wrong. If you’re still considering med school, I agree with the others that cost is a big factor.

When my daughter started her program we were told that her school did not recommend BME for pre-med’s, simply because it was a difficult route to go. However, about 1/3 of the BME students at her school were pre-med (another 1/3 planned to get PhDs and the other 1/3 planned to work in the industry). Those who stuck it out and went pre-med did seem to do very well in admissions. However, I’m not sure they did better than if they had majored in something else. I have a nephew in med school and he has a classmate who was a BME at Case and they tease her that she took the difficult route to get to the same place they all got. But, on the other hand, if she decided not to go to med school she would have had an employable degree.

If you do decide to stick with BME, I don’t think getting a masters is a requirement to get a job (I saw someone discussing master’s programs in an earlier response). My D got one, but it was just something she wanted to do for a variety of reasons. But she ended up working for a company where she did an internship and I think they would have hired her regardless of whether or not she had her masters. Some of her co-workers have one and others do not.

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Yes I definitely agree that hiring managers may have different preferences but its just statistically more likely for more hiring managers to hire a graduate from Harvard vs UMass. Maybe one or two hiring managers may prefer a software engineer from UMass but they are probably an outlier, the managers just liked the experience that the software engineer from UMass had. Its an added bonus to graduate from a higher ranked school while applying to jobs it will never hurt you to go to a higher ranked school.

Yes the connection between healthcare and technology is definitely growing. Whether I decide to major in data science or BME I’m sure I will work biomedical lab and even get a job related to the field in the future. Thank you for the response!

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Yes I’m truly blessed to be in a position where my family can take care of my costs.

Unfortunately I haven’t been accepted into honors colleges to any schools accept for schools that are in-state for me. I was looking at the honors college at UIUC and I’m pretty sure I can apply to it once I’ve completed a semester if I go there. I was waitlisted at purdue honors but my friend who is currently a FYE told me that the classes especially for engineering students in honors are harder and probably not worth it cause it may negatively affect my GPA. The honors program for engineering at umich as requires students to complete two semesters before students apply.

Will definitely come back with more results but very unlikely I get into a single school on my remaining list. I already think the schools that I’ve been accepted to are very very good options and it would be even more confusing if I get into another in the coming weeks. Thank you for the great advice!

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This was not my daughter’s experience with honors engineering at Purdue. The honors profs that teach the honors freshman design class are excellent! That’s the only honors class other than freshman seminar which is totally fun and light. And it incorporates physics so you get to skip the stand alone mechanics class.

If you come off the wait list for honors and Purdue is still being considered after you get all your decisions, PM me and I’m happy to give you more information. My d stayed in honors all four years and graduated with her honors medallion. There are lots of perks.

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I know little to nothing about the other schools, but my kid had an awesome time at Michigan. Three years after graduation she still travels with her roommates/friends and she’s now attending one of the top grad schools in her field of study.

Being a big sports fan like her dad, she loved all the pomp and circumstance related to football team each Saturday and loved attending basketball and hockey games too.

Ann Arbor is one of the top college towns in the US with the South U and State Street dining and shopping areas just across the street from Central Campus.

And watching Michigan football on Saturdays here at the local “Michigan bar,” shows me that they’ve got a very large and vocal alumni base here in the SF Bay Area FWIW.

Having said all that, you’ve received many fantastic acceptances, which leads me to believe that at least some of those “hard reaches,” that you’re still waiting on for decisions, will come though and that’ll make your decision much easier.

Best of luck in your decision and future.

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Since you’ve mentioned medical school as a possibility, you might find the fairly new medical school at UIUC as something to consider. It’s a very small cohort and probably not considered a “typical” medical school. It’s touted as the “world’s first engineering based College of Medicine”. I’m not sure what percentage of med school students there did undergrad at UIUC.

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If the OP is into big-time athletics, Case’s location gives them access to the Cavs, Browns, and Guardians. And while Case isn’t big-time D1 like the B1G/ACC schools, Case does have varsity teams and while 4.3 40s or 70-yard cannons or windmill-360 dunks probably won’t be on display… the games are likely fun regardless.

OP, this is all about Fit and Finances. Ideas:

Environment: Which setting do you like the best?

Social/Sports Vibe: Are you more of a club/bar partier or a Greek or just into chilling with dorm mates? Do you desire a D1 sports atmosphere?

Academic: Check for ease of changing majors, as you seem not particularly settled on one right now. That’s okay – you just probably don’t want to be at a place where it is difficult to change majors and still graduate on time. Also check course catalogs, to see which schools offer courses that sound interesting to you.

Finally, obviously: Cost.

These are all relative peers, I think – all are high-quality schools. So look at the fit variables noted above, or any others you can conjure.

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Would you like some more info about CWRU, and the area? If so…I can post here or send you a message.

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Yeah I would greatly appreciate more info on CWRU cause I unfortunately cannot visit :(.

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Case is located in a wonderful spot.

If you are into the arts at all. The Cleveland Museum of Art is very close. Severance Hall, the home of the Cleveland Orchestra is very closeby as well. And for shows, the Cleveland Playhouse is near enough.

Folks have already mentioned the major league sports teams.

Little Italy is just up the hill from CWRU, and if you want a fabulous Italian dinner, you won’t have any trouble finding it!

The Coventry neighborhood is a little further up the hill in Cleveland Heights. It’s a great area…nice shops, good food, fun. There are tons of apartments and multi family houses there as well. I don’t know how many undergrads live there, but I do know medical and dental school students who do.

Downtown you will find the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame…not to be missed! And the Cleveland Zoo (a bit of a trek but worth it if you like zoos) is one of the best.

There are metro parks all over the greater Cleveland area. The ones I’m most familiar with are further east than CWRU. But great hiking, for example.

Cleveland Hopkins International Airport is a major airport. The Rapid Transit actually runs from the airport to right near CWRU. You can check the university website for details on how to travel there.

University Hospital main campus is actually on or adjacent to the CWRU campus. Cleveland Clinic main campus is just down the road. Both are major hospitals.

What else do you want to know?

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