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What colleges are best to apply to for a biomedical engineering major?

My current list of colleges that I'm thinking of applying to is as follows:

"Harvard, Stanford, MIT, Duke, Johns Hopkins, Cornell, Brown, Georgia Tech, University of Michigan, Lehigh University, Northwestern, Vanderbilt, Penn State, University of Pittsburgh"

Any college I should add? Or take out? Any advice is welcome. #college #biomedicalengineering #collegeapps #majors

majors biomedicalengineering collegeapps
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Ken’s Answer

It really does not matter what college you attend. The important things are how well you do with your studies and how well you do with your networking. I think that you will find the following video link helpful as it is directed toward the selection of a college. Also, following are insights developed from my many years in Human Resources and College Recruiting. ## <span style="color: rgb(103, 106, 108);">.</span>

<span style="color: rgb(103, 106, 108);"> </span>http://www.ted.com/talks/julie_lythcott_haims_how_to_raise_successful_kids_without_over_parenting?utm_campaign=social&utm_medium=referral&utm_source=facebook.com&utm_content=talk&utm_term=education

Ken recommends the following next steps:

Congratulations on being interested in biomedical engineering. It takes a special person to enter this field and meet the demands which this career area presents. The first step is to get to know yourself to see if you share the personality traits which make biomedical engineers successful. The next step is doing networking to meet and talk to and possibly shadow biomedical engineers to see if this is something that you really want to do, as a career area could look much different on the inside than it looks from the outside.
The first step is to take an interest and aptitude test and have it interpreted by your school counselor to see if you share the personality traits necessary to enter the field. You might want to do this again upon entry into college, as the interpretation might differ slightly due to the course offering of the school. However, do not wait until entering college, as the information from the test will help to determine the courses that you take in high school. Too many students, due to poor planning, end up paying for courses in college which they could have taken for free in high school.
Next, when you have the results of the testing, talk to the person at your high school and college who tracks and works with graduates to arrange to talk to, visit, and possibly shadow people doing what you think that you might want to do, so that you can get know what they are doing and how they got there. Here are some tips: ## http://www.wikihow.com/Network ## ## https://www.themuse.com/advice/nonawkward-ways-to-start-and-end-networking-conversations ## ## https://www.themuse.com/advice/4-questions-to-ask-your-network-besides-can-you-get-me-a-job?ref=carousel-slide-1 ##
Locate and attend meetings of professional associations to which people who are doing what you think that you want to do belong, so that you can get their advice. These associations may offer or know of intern, coop, shadowing, and scholarship opportunities. These associations are the means whereby the professionals keep abreast of their career area following college and advance in their career. You can locate them by asking your school academic advisor, favorite teachers, and the reference librarian at your local library. Here are some tips: ## https://www.careeronestop.org/BusinessCenter/Toolkit/find-professional-associations.aspx?&frd=true ## ## https://www.themuse.com/advice/9-tips-for-navigating-your-first-networking-event ##
It is very important to express your appreciation to those who help you along the way to be able to continue to receive helpful information and to create important networking contacts along the way. Here are some good tips: ## https://www.themuse.com/advice/the-informational-interview-thank-you-note-smart-people-know-to-send?ref=recently-published-2 ## ## https://www.themuse.com/advice/3-tips-for-writing-a-thank-you-note-thatll-make-you-look-like-the-best-candidate-alive?bsft_eid=7e230cba-a92f-4ec7-8ca3-2f50c8fc9c3c&bsft_pid=d08b95c2-bc8f-4eae-8618-d0826841a284&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=daily_20171020&utm_source=blueshift&utm_content=daily_20171020&bsft_clkid=edfe52ae-9e40-4d90-8e6a-e0bb76116570&bsft_uid=54658fa1-0090-41fd-b88c-20a86c513a6c&bsft_mid=214115cb-cca2-4aec-aa86-92a31d371185&bsft_pp=2 ##
Thank you comment icon Wow, thank you so much for the advice! This definitely gave me a clear understanding of what I should do in the next couple years. Kristen
Thank you comment icon Best of luck! Keep me posted. I would like to follow your progress! Ken Simmons
Thank you comment icon Hello! So in case you are still interested, I have finally reached out to my mom's acquaintance who happens to be a biomedical engineer! I sent her six questions (which are listed below) and am currently waiting for a response. 1. How and when did you first become interested in biomedical engineering? 2. Were you ever interested in any other kind of engineering disciplines? (chemical engineering, electrical engineering, etc.) 3. What do you currently specialize in? How and when did you decide you wanted to specialize in that? 4. What is your current job? 5. What does the average day at your job look like? What kinds of things do you do at your job? 6. What’s your favorite part of your job? What’s your least favorite part? Kristen
Thank you comment icon That is a great start. It would be very hepful to follow up with a phone call or an in person visit, so that you would be able to carry on a dialogue to get the most meaningful answers and conversation regarding the topics. This would be much more helpful than just a disjointed one way response by message or text. Dialogue and conversational sharing of the information allows for more depth and breadth regarding the topics being discussed. Ken Simmons
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Elaine’s Answer

USC in Los Angeles and UCSD both boast some of the best Biomedical Engineering programs. You'll find these institutions to be a great place for nurturing your potential and advancing your knowledge in the field.
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Monica’s Answer

Drexel University in Philadelphia, PA has a strong Biomed program: http://drexel.edu/biomed/


I went to college there and found it compelling there was an entire college/school dedicated to the degree! The university has also invested in improvements across the board over the last 5 years or so.
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