Recent Experience with Hopkins BME Undergrad

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:DD just graduated BME from Jhu. It was challenging at times but not life altering or traumatic at all.

Did they enjoy their time at Hopkins? Were you happy with the opportunities? What are your DD's career plans?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:if your alternative is Dartmouth, BME at JHU for sure. But why not go visit and talk to real students instead of asking DCUM? You'll get good information that way.

BME at JHU is a genuinely great program. The school is rigorous but the story about everyone getting <B 's is completely ridiculous.

OP - We visited both and we will try and visit both again, but unfortunately their admitted students days are on the same exact date so we need to pick one of them. Kid is interested in BME now, but has been interested in engineering for maybe one month now (they applied as a bio major to all other schools) and I'm concerned they will change their mind in a hot minute, especially if it's as rigorous as it seems.

I am curious why they applied to BME if they weren’t interested in engineering yet, and also what you think made their application stand out. Could you share a little about their profile?

I have a kid who is thinking about applying BME, even though he is undecided, because he knows you can transfer out but not in. He’s the opposite of yours though. He knows he wants engineering, but he’s not sure about the bio part. So, I am definitely curious rather than judgemental.

OP here. They applied to BME because they were curious about it and if they didn't get into the BME major, they would not be able to transfer in later. There's no downside because if they do not get accepted into the major, they can still get accepted to the school. Kid has strong stats and decent ECs, but after three early deferrals, we were both surprised that they got in.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:if your alternative is Dartmouth, BME at JHU for sure. But why not go visit and talk to real students instead of asking DCUM? You'll get good information that way.

BME at JHU is a genuinely great program. The school is rigorous but the story about everyone getting <B 's is completely ridiculous.

OP - We visited both and we will try and visit both again, but unfortunately their admitted students days are on the same exact date so we need to pick one of them. Kid is interested in BME now, but has been interested in engineering for maybe one month now (they applied as a bio major to all other schools) and I'm concerned they will change their mind in a hot minute, especially if it's as rigorous as it seems.

I am curious why they applied to BME if they weren’t interested in engineering yet, and also what you think made their application stand out. Could you share a little about their profile?

I have a kid who is thinking about applying BME, even though he is undecided, because he knows you can transfer out but not in. He’s the opposite of yours though. He knows he wants engineering, but he’s not sure about the bio part. So, I am definitely curious rather than judgemental.

OP here. They applied to BME because they were curious about it and if they didn't get into the BME major, they would not be able to transfer in later. There's no downside because if they do not get accepted into the major, they can still get accepted to the school. Kid has strong stats and decent ECs, but after three early deferrals, we were both surprised that they got in.

In summary, don't go to JHU. Go somewhere that is fun where he will really enjoy being in college for four years. Good luck.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:if your alternative is Dartmouth, BME at JHU for sure. But why not go visit and talk to real students instead of asking DCUM? You'll get good information that way.

BME at JHU is a genuinely great program. The school is rigorous but the story about everyone getting <B 's is completely ridiculous.

OP - We visited both and we will try and visit both again, but unfortunately their admitted students days are on the same exact date so we need to pick one of them. Kid is interested in BME now, but has been interested in engineering for maybe one month now (they applied as a bio major to all other schools) and I'm concerned they will change their mind in a hot minute, especially if it's as rigorous as it seems.

Go to JHU then. They can switch if they want to Bio, no problem. But the chance to do BME at the top school for it is once in a lifetime. The opportunities there for all engineering but especially BME are incredible

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I heard from a parent of JHU freshman that it’s brutal. I think they were BME, but switched majors already and still struggling. The average class gpa is 3.4 and the kid despite going to all office hours, using all available tutoring, studying 12/day still can barely get a B in the hardest classes. The grade deflation is real.

I'm sorry, but this is really unlikely. Perhaps you got wrong info from your friend, PP, but it's hard to believe a BME admit is going to struggle to that degree in a less demanding major, even a STEM major. And no, the grade deflation is not that bad at JHU these days.

There are some admits who struggle because they came to a selective college very unprepared, for whatever reason. However, the BME program is quite selective and they tend to screen applicants pretty well. I really doubt your friend's kid was a BME major.

My bad, they are chemical engineering major.
I’m pretty sure the average gpa in her class was either 3.4 or 3.5 and her was just 0.1 above average.

So this shows the she wasn’t an outlier who came unprepared. I know that girl, she is extremely accomplished and studied extremely hard in high school.

Your friend is misinformed or lying to make her kid look better. JHU curves most science classes to B+ and has medians of 3.7+ even for engineering. It is not the JHU of the 90s. We know more than one who have 3.9s there and though they study they do not for 12 hrs a day!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:if your alternative is Dartmouth, BME at JHU for sure. But why not go visit and talk to real students instead of asking DCUM? You'll get good information that way.

BME at JHU is a genuinely great program. The school is rigorous but the story about everyone getting <B 's is completely ridiculous.

OP - We visited both and we will try and visit both again, but unfortunately their admitted students days are on the same exact date so we need to pick one of them. Kid is interested in BME now, but has been interested in engineering for maybe one month now (they applied as a bio major to all other schools) and I'm concerned they will change their mind in a hot minute, especially if it's as rigorous as it seems.

I am curious why they applied to BME if they weren’t interested in engineering yet, and also what you think made their application stand out. Could you share a little about their profile?

I have a kid who is thinking about applying BME, even though he is undecided, because he knows you can transfer out but not in. He’s the opposite of yours though. He knows he wants engineering, but he’s not sure about the bio part. So, I am definitely curious rather than judgemental.

OP here. They applied to BME because they were curious about it and if they didn't get into the BME major, they would not be able to transfer in later. There's no downside because if they do not get accepted into the major, they can still get accepted to the school. Kid has strong stats and decent ECs, but after three early deferrals, we were both surprised that they got in.

In summary, don't go to JHU. Go somewhere that is fun where he will really enjoy being in college for four years. Good luck.

it was fun for me. you can take your waitlisted kid somewhere else

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:if your alternative is Dartmouth, BME at JHU for sure. But why not go visit and talk to real students instead of asking DCUM? You'll get good information that way.

BME at JHU is a genuinely great program. The school is rigorous but the story about everyone getting <B 's is completely ridiculous.

OP - We visited both and we will try and visit both again, but unfortunately their admitted students days are on the same exact date so we need to pick one of them. Kid is interested in BME now, but has been interested in engineering for maybe one month now (they applied as a bio major to all other schools) and I'm concerned they will change their mind in a hot minute, especially if it's as rigorous as it seems.

I am curious why they applied to BME if they weren’t interested in engineering yet, and also what you think made their application stand out. Could you share a little about their profile?

I have a kid who is thinking about applying BME, even though he is undecided, because he knows you can transfer out but not in. He’s the opposite of yours though. He knows he wants engineering, but he’s not sure about the bio part. So, I am definitely curious rather than judgemental.

OP here. They applied to BME because they were curious about it and if they didn't get into the BME major, they would not be able to transfer in later. There's no downside because if they do not get accepted into the major, they can still get accepted to the school. Kid has strong stats and decent ECs, but after three early deferrals, we were both surprised that they got in.

In summary, don't go to JHU. Go somewhere that is fun where he will really enjoy being in college for four years. Good luck.

it was fun for me. you can take your waitlisted kid somewhere else

spending 4 years at JHU is probably no one's top choice. It's a fall back.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:My DC is fortunate to be in the position of considering Hopkins for the BME major. DC has heard mixed reviews about the program - some say it is extremely cut-throat and competitive while others say that it's collaborative because of the difficulty and the high likelihood of post-grad employment. It is hard to cut through the noise. Do any parents have recent experience with a child who is majoring in BME at Hopkins? Do you wish your child had chosen a different path?

A friend's DC is BME at Hopkins and loves it. Working extremely hard and happy to do so. Has had amazing professors and there is a lot of scaffolding for professional opportunities (research, internships, product development, etc.) However, he is the right kid for that environment and for the school. If you haven't, go and tour there. Spend more than a day, and have your DC do the separate Join-a Jay tour where Hopkins students take prospective admits around campus and answer their questions. You'll be better able to gauge fit.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:if your alternative is Dartmouth, BME at JHU for sure. But why not go visit and talk to real students instead of asking DCUM? You'll get good information that way.

BME at JHU is a genuinely great program. The school is rigorous but the story about everyone getting <B 's is completely ridiculous.

OP - We visited both and we will try and visit both again, but unfortunately their admitted students days are on the same exact date so we need to pick one of them. Kid is interested in BME now, but has been interested in engineering for maybe one month now (they applied as a bio major to all other schools) and I'm concerned they will change their mind in a hot minute, especially if it's as rigorous as it seems.

I am curious why they applied to BME if they weren’t interested in engineering yet, and also what you think made their application stand out. Could you share a little about their profile?

I have a kid who is thinking about applying BME, even though he is undecided, because he knows you can transfer out but not in. He’s the opposite of yours though. He knows he wants engineering, but he’s not sure about the bio part. So, I am definitely curious rather than judgemental.

OP here. They applied to BME because they were curious about it and if they didn't get into the BME major, they would not be able to transfer in later. There's no downside because if they do not get accepted into the major, they can still get accepted to the school. Kid has strong stats and decent ECs, but after three early deferrals, we were both surprised that they got in.

In summary, don't go to JHU. Go somewhere that is fun where he will really enjoy being in college for four years. Good luck.

it was fun for me. you can take your waitlisted kid somewhere else

spending 4 years at JHU is probably no one's top choice. It's a fall back.

The number of ED applications they receive suggests otherwise.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:if your alternative is Dartmouth, BME at JHU for sure. But why not go visit and talk to real students instead of asking DCUM? You'll get good information that way.

BME at JHU is a genuinely great program. The school is rigorous but the story about everyone getting <B 's is completely ridiculous.

OP - We visited both and we will try and visit both again, but unfortunately their admitted students days are on the same exact date so we need to pick one of them. Kid is interested in BME now, but has been interested in engineering for maybe one month now (they applied as a bio major to all other schools) and I'm concerned they will change their mind in a hot minute, especially if it's as rigorous as it seems.

I am curious why they applied to BME if they weren’t interested in engineering yet, and also what you think made their application stand out. Could you share a little about their profile?

I have a kid who is thinking about applying BME, even though he is undecided, because he knows you can transfer out but not in. He’s the opposite of yours though. He knows he wants engineering, but he’s not sure about the bio part. So, I am definitely curious rather than judgemental.

OP here. They applied to BME because they were curious about it and if they didn't get into the BME major, they would not be able to transfer in later. There's no downside because if they do not get accepted into the major, they can still get accepted to the school. Kid has strong stats and decent ECs, but after three early deferrals, we were both surprised that they got in.

My DC is you kid situation. After extensive research (like discussions with students, professors, etc.) he is alnost ready to commit to another school. Not because there is something wrong with Hopkins or with the BME program but another program fits him better. If your kids got accepted into the BME program, he/she will do good. No question about that.

Unfortunately there is no anonymous way to share my kid's contact so your kid can speak ...

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:if your alternative is Dartmouth, BME at JHU for sure. But why not go visit and talk to real students instead of asking DCUM? You'll get good information that way.

BME at JHU is a genuinely great program. The school is rigorous but the story about everyone getting <B 's is completely ridiculous.

OP - We visited both and we will try and visit both again, but unfortunately their admitted students days are on the same exact date so we need to pick one of them. Kid is interested in BME now, but has been interested in engineering for maybe one month now (they applied as a bio major to all other schools) and I'm concerned they will change their mind in a hot minute, especially if it's as rigorous as it seems.

I am curious why they applied to BME if they weren’t interested in engineering yet, and also what you think made their application stand out. Could you share a little about their profile?

I have a kid who is thinking about applying BME, even though he is undecided, because he knows you can transfer out but not in. He’s the opposite of yours though. He knows he wants engineering, but he’s not sure about the bio part. So, I am definitely curious rather than judgemental.

OP here. They applied to BME because they were curious about it and if they didn't get into the BME major, they would not be able to transfer in later. There's no downside because if they do not get accepted into the major, they can still get accepted to the school. Kid has strong stats and decent ECs, but after three early deferrals, we were both surprised that they got in.

My DC is you kid situation. After extensive research (like discussions with students, professors, etc.) he is alnost ready to commit to another school. Not because there is something wrong with Hopkins or with the BME program but another program fits him better. If your kids got accepted into the BME program, he/she will do good. No question about that.

Unfortunately there is no anonymous way to share my kid's contact so your kid can speak ...

Thank you for sharing this and I get the anonymity. What types of things made the other program a better fit? Are you talking about curriculum or career outcomes or ??

[Anonymous]

I went to MIT and Hopkins. MIT was harder. Not to say that Hopkins isn't hard, but if I survived MIT your kid will survive Hopkins. I say that with zero regrets with how hard MIT was. I love both institutions. I don't love all the hate I see here for Hopkins. It's should not be hated the way it is.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I went to MIT and Hopkins. MIT was harder. Not to say that Hopkins isn't hard, but if I survived MIT your kid will survive Hopkins. I say that with zero regrets with how hard MIT was. I love both institutions. I don't love all the hate I see here for Hopkins. It's should not be hated the way it is.

it’s just one clown

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:if your alternative is Dartmouth, BME at JHU for sure. But why not go visit and talk to real students instead of asking DCUM? You'll get good information that way.

BME at JHU is a genuinely great program. The school is rigorous but the story about everyone getting <B 's is completely ridiculous.

OP - We visited both and we will try and visit both again, but unfortunately their admitted students days are on the same exact date so we need to pick one of them. Kid is interested in BME now, but has been interested in engineering for maybe one month now (they applied as a bio major to all other schools) and I'm concerned they will change their mind in a hot minute, especially if it's as rigorous as it seems.

I am curious why they applied to BME if they weren’t interested in engineering yet, and also what you think made their application stand out. Could you share a little about their profile?

I have a kid who is thinking about applying BME, even though he is undecided, because he knows you can transfer out but not in. He’s the opposite of yours though. He knows he wants engineering, but he’s not sure about the bio part. So, I am definitely curious rather than judgemental.

OP here. They applied to BME because they were curious about it and if they didn't get into the BME major, they would not be able to transfer in later. There's no downside because if they do not get accepted into the major, they can still get accepted to the school. Kid has strong stats and decent ECs, but after three early deferrals, we were both surprised that they got in.

In summary, don't go to JHU. Go somewhere that is fun where he will really enjoy being in college for four years. Good luck.

it was fun for me. you can take your waitlisted kid somewhere else

spending 4 years at JHU is probably no one's top choice. It's a fall back.

and here is the clown for reference

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:if your alternative is Dartmouth, BME at JHU for sure. But why not go visit and talk to real students instead of asking DCUM? You'll get good information that way.

BME at JHU is a genuinely great program. The school is rigorous but the story about everyone getting <B 's is completely ridiculous.

OP - We visited both and we will try and visit both again, but unfortunately their admitted students days are on the same exact date so we need to pick one of them. Kid is interested in BME now, but has been interested in engineering for maybe one month now (they applied as a bio major to all other schools) and I'm concerned they will change their mind in a hot minute, especially if it's as rigorous as it seems.

I am curious why they applied to BME if they weren’t interested in engineering yet, and also what you think made their application stand out. Could you share a little about their profile?

I have a kid who is thinking about applying BME, even though he is undecided, because he knows you can transfer out but not in. He’s the opposite of yours though. He knows he wants engineering, but he’s not sure about the bio part. So, I am definitely curious rather than judgemental.

OP here. They applied to BME because they were curious about it and if they didn't get into the BME major, they would not be able to transfer in later. There's no downside because if they do not get accepted into the major, they can still get accepted to the school. Kid has strong stats and decent ECs, but after three early deferrals, we were both surprised that they got in.

My DC is you kid situation. After extensive research (like discussions with students, professors, etc.) he is alnost ready to commit to another school. Not because there is something wrong with Hopkins or with the BME program but another program fits him better. If your kids got accepted into the BME program, he/she will do good. No question about that.

Unfortunately there is no anonymous way to share my kid's contact so your kid can speak ...

Thank you for sharing this and I get the anonymity. What types of things made the other program a better fit? Are you talking about curriculum or career outcomes or ??

Instead of asking for anom opinions on here, go reach out to students and professors to discuss this more. Take initiative and go on LinkedIn to message BME students that are high school alums not a random message board.