Recent Experience with Hopkins BME Undergrad

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Unless the alternative is BME or BioE at Harvard, MiT, Duke, Penn, Princeton, Columbia, pick JHU. If you have one of the other options, pick for fit. Go visit.
If Hopkins is the only top option it would be insane to turn it down.
DC is BioE at one of the ivies above. Good friend is Hopkins BME and finds the grading and collaboration is similar to the ivy. Lots of intense students but in a good way, all aim for top research jobs and most get one of their top three choices. On campus is extremely easy for every student to get research. They all had top summer positions after sophomore year.

What is a "top" summer research position?

[Anonymous]

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.

What was their SAT and AP scores?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Unless the alternative is BME or BioE at Harvard, MiT, Duke, Penn, Princeton, Columbia, pick JHU. If you have one of the other options, pick for fit. Go visit.
If Hopkins is the only top option it would be insane to turn it down.
DC is BioE at one of the ivies above. Good friend is Hopkins BME and finds the grading and collaboration is similar to the ivy. Lots of intense students but in a good way, all aim for top research jobs and most get one of their top three choices. On campus is extremely easy for every student to get research. They all had top summer positions after sophomore year.

What is a "top" summer research position?

DP. Depends on the engineering area.
For BioE, NIH, Amgen, and some international engineering scholar/fellow programs in biomedical or adjacent areas(molecular biology, nanoparticles/materialsE, etc).
For mechE, quantum materials, Electrical could be one of the DOD or DOE national lab internships, or international ones.

[Anonymous]

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.

What was their SAT and AP scores?

Yeah no way thats a top kid. jHU is inflated same as ivy types

[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 ??

Carrier outcome. Hopkins BME is great.

[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.

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 ??

Carrier outcome. Hopkins BME is great.

The two schools tied for the #1 BME programs in the country (USNWR 2026)

Baltimore, MD

Johns Hopkins University
Year
Private Nonprofit
City
Medium

Graduation Rate
94%

Average Annual Cost
$19k

Median Earnings
$117k

Georgia Institute of Technology
Year
Public
City
Large

Graduation Rate
93%

Average Annual Cost
$12k

Median Earnings
$119k

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

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.

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 ??

Carrier outcome. Hopkins BME is great.

The two schools tied for the #1 BME programs in the country (USNWR 2026)

Baltimore, MD

Johns Hopkins University
Year
Private Nonprofit
City
Medium

Graduation Rate
94%

Average Annual Cost
$19k

Median Earnings
$117k

Georgia Institute of Technology
Year
Public
City
Large

Graduation Rate
93%

Average Annual Cost
$12k

Median Earnings
$119k

https://collegescorecard.ed.gov/

[Anonymous]

Unlike BROWn/Wharton etc, JHU is seriously academic..

[Anonymous]

JHU has a long reputation of being cut throat. Go visit.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:JHU has a long reputation of being cut throat. Go visit.

Graduated 3 years ago. It is highly grade inflated (over a 3.8) and very collaborative. Your misinfo is outdated by decades at this point.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

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.

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 ??

Carrier outcome. Hopkins BME is great.

The two schools tied for the #1 BME programs in the country (USNWR 2026)

Baltimore, MD

Johns Hopkins University
Year
Private Nonprofit
City
Medium

Graduation Rate
94%

Average Annual Cost
$19k

Median Earnings
$117k

Georgia Institute of Technology
Year
Public
City
Large

Graduation Rate
93%

Average Annual Cost
$12k

Median Earnings
$119k

2024 to 2025 Data:

https://www.academiceffectiveness.gatech.edu/surveys/reports/georgia-tech-career-survey-salary-report-ay-2024-2025-public

Georgia Tech (Filter by engineering, bachelors degree in biomedical engineering):

Median salary $80k

JHU (Filter by school of engineering, bachelors in biomedical engineering):

Median salary: $97k

https://imagine.jhu.edu/our-student-outcomes/

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

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.

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 ??

Carrier outcome. Hopkins BME is great.

The two schools tied for the #1 BME programs in the country (USNWR 2026)

Baltimore, MD

Johns Hopkins University
Year
Private Nonprofit
City
Medium

Graduation Rate
94%

Average Annual Cost
$19k

Median Earnings
$117k

Georgia Institute of Technology
Year
Public
City
Large

Graduation Rate
93%

Average Annual Cost
$12k

Median Earnings
$119k

2024 to 2025 Data:

https://www.academiceffectiveness.gatech.edu/surveys/reports/georgia-tech-career-survey-salary-report-ay-2024-2025-public

Georgia Tech (Filter by engineering, bachelors degree in biomedical engineering):

Median salary $80k

JHU (Filter by school of engineering, bachelors in biomedical engineering):

Median salary: $97k

https://imagine.jhu.edu/our-student-outcomes/

Nope

JHU (Filter by biomedical engineering only. When you filter to include school of engineering that salary range overrides the specific engineering field and gives the exact median salary for every engineering major). For instance, if you filter by school of engineering, choose bachelors in Italian or English (or any other major you want to choose) it gives the same median of 97,000 because it's giving you the overall school of engineering median not specifically Biomedical Engineering.. BTW...This wasn't hard to figure out.

JHU (filtered for just Biomedical Engineering)

Median 75,000

Georgia Tech (filtered for Biomedical Engineering)

Median 80,000

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

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.

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 ??

Carrier outcome. Hopkins BME is great.

The two schools tied for the #1 BME programs in the country (USNWR 2026)

Baltimore, MD

Johns Hopkins University
Year
Private Nonprofit
City
Medium

Graduation Rate
94%

Average Annual Cost
$19k

Median Earnings
$117k

Georgia Institute of Technology
Year
Public
City
Large

Graduation Rate
93%

Average Annual Cost
$12k

Median Earnings
$119k

2024 to 2025 Data:

https://www.academiceffectiveness.gatech.edu/surveys/reports/georgia-tech-career-survey-salary-report-ay-2024-2025-public

Georgia Tech (Filter by engineering, bachelors degree in biomedical engineering):

Median salary $80k

JHU (Filter by school of engineering, bachelors in biomedical engineering):

Median salary: $97k

https://imagine.jhu.edu/our-student-outcomes/

Did you read JHU site right in bold letters when displaying median salaries?

(Note: Salaries Displayed are not major specific)

c'mon now.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

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.

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 ??

Carrier outcome. Hopkins BME is great.

The two schools tied for the #1 BME programs in the country (USNWR 2026)

Baltimore, MD

Johns Hopkins University
Year
Private Nonprofit
City
Medium

Graduation Rate
94%

Average Annual Cost
$19k

Median Earnings
$117k

Georgia Institute of Technology
Year
Public
City
Large

Graduation Rate
93%

Average Annual Cost
$12k

Median Earnings
$119k

2024 to 2025 Data:

https://www.academiceffectiveness.gatech.edu/surveys/reports/georgia-tech-career-survey-salary-report-ay-2024-2025-public

Georgia Tech (Filter by engineering, bachelors degree in biomedical engineering):

Median salary $80k

JHU (Filter by school of engineering, bachelors in biomedical engineering):

Median salary: $97k

https://imagine.jhu.edu/our-student-outcomes/

Nope

JHU (Filter by biomedical engineering only. When you filter to include school of engineering that salary range overrides the specific engineering field and gives the exact median salary for every engineering major). For instance, if you filter by school of engineering, choose bachelors in Italian or English (or any other major you want to choose) it gives the same median of 97,000 because it's giving you the overall school of engineering median not specifically Biomedical Engineering.. BTW...This wasn't hard to figure out.

JHU (filtered for just Biomedical Engineering)

Median 75,000

Georgia Tech (filtered for Biomedical Engineering)

Median 80,000

incorrect, when you filter by school of engineering and change major, the values change. you cannot just select for bme.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

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.

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 ??

Carrier outcome. Hopkins BME is great.

The two schools tied for the #1 BME programs in the country (USNWR 2026)

Baltimore, MD

Johns Hopkins University
Year
Private Nonprofit
City
Medium

Graduation Rate
94%

Average Annual Cost
$19k

Median Earnings
$117k

Georgia Institute of Technology
Year
Public
City
Large

Graduation Rate
93%

Average Annual Cost
$12k

Median Earnings
$119k

2024 to 2025 Data:

https://www.academiceffectiveness.gatech.edu/surveys/reports/georgia-tech-career-survey-salary-report-ay-2024-2025-public

Georgia Tech (Filter by engineering, bachelors degree in biomedical engineering):

Median salary $80k

JHU (Filter by school of engineering, bachelors in biomedical engineering):

Median salary: $97k

https://imagine.jhu.edu/our-student-outcomes/

Nope

JHU (Filter by biomedical engineering only. When you filter to include school of engineering that salary range overrides the specific engineering field and gives the exact median salary for every engineering major). For instance, if you filter by school of engineering, choose bachelors in Italian or English (or any other major you want to choose) it gives the same median of 97,000 because it's giving you the overall school of engineering median not specifically Biomedical Engineering.. BTW...This wasn't hard to figure out.

JHU (filtered for just Biomedical Engineering)

Median 75,000

Georgia Tech (filtered for Biomedical Engineering)

Median 80,000

Dumb. There's literally a note in the JHU site that says. "Note: salaries displayed are no major-specific". I would not be surprised if JHU is higher than Georgia Tech in starting salary, but you can't determine it from that site.