3 answers
Michael
Student
Michigan City, Indiana
1
Question
Asked
191 views
What are the necessities for entering college?
What are the criterias for entering and studying biomedical engineering in college?
Login to comment
3 answers
Dennis Taylor
Self-employed
83
Answers
Columbus, Indiana
Updated
Dennis’s Answer
Hello Michael
To get an acceptance to an accredited college, there are many "requirments" concerning courses and grade point averages, and standardized test scores, etc. I will leave that to others to explain.
What is necessary? For you to: 1) be zealous about learning new thngs; 2) want to solve problems; 3) have a curiosity about how things work and how they can be made better; 4) have a knack for being creative - to connect two or more concepts that have not been tried before; and, 5) be determined - that you can succeed at this endeavor.
Good luck, Michael!
To get an acceptance to an accredited college, there are many "requirments" concerning courses and grade point averages, and standardized test scores, etc. I will leave that to others to explain.
What is necessary? For you to: 1) be zealous about learning new thngs; 2) want to solve problems; 3) have a curiosity about how things work and how they can be made better; 4) have a knack for being creative - to connect two or more concepts that have not been tried before; and, 5) be determined - that you can succeed at this endeavor.
Good luck, Michael!
Tomas Pinilla
Management Consulting
1
Answer
New York, New York
Updated
Tomas’s Answer
Hi Michael,
There are a few things you need to apply to college. When you go through the application process (through the Common App portal), most schools will ask for:
- Transcripts / GPA (grade point average) - your grades in high school. Your school will provide these to you
- Test scores (SAT / ACT) - you need to sign up and take one of these standardized exams
- Essays - you write a personal statement about yourself and some smaller essays about the specific school (e.g., why do you want to study X major at this university?)
- Letters of recommendation - some schools will ask for a letter from someone who has taught you or worked with you. Think about any teachers or mentors (like coaches) that would be able to write this
- Application fee - usually around $50 per school you apply to; this requirement can be waived if you meet certain financial need requirements
For Biomedical engineering, colleges will look for experiences that show an interest in the field. Some classes that may be worth taking are Biology, Chemistry, Physics, and Math. Additionally, look for activities outside of school where you can try to get experiences that you can talk about in your essays (e.g., working in a mechanic shop or machine shop, shadowing a nurse or doctor, or volunteering at a local hospital / clinic).
The Common app portal helps you through the application process to make sure you have all the requirements to apply to colleges. The best thing you can do is to start thinking about it early and preparing (e.g., signing up and studying for the standardized tests, taking classes relevant to what you want to study, and looking for experiences that can show interest in biomedical engineering).
Good luck with the process!
There are a few things you need to apply to college. When you go through the application process (through the Common App portal), most schools will ask for:
- Transcripts / GPA (grade point average) - your grades in high school. Your school will provide these to you
- Test scores (SAT / ACT) - you need to sign up and take one of these standardized exams
- Essays - you write a personal statement about yourself and some smaller essays about the specific school (e.g., why do you want to study X major at this university?)
- Letters of recommendation - some schools will ask for a letter from someone who has taught you or worked with you. Think about any teachers or mentors (like coaches) that would be able to write this
- Application fee - usually around $50 per school you apply to; this requirement can be waived if you meet certain financial need requirements
For Biomedical engineering, colleges will look for experiences that show an interest in the field. Some classes that may be worth taking are Biology, Chemistry, Physics, and Math. Additionally, look for activities outside of school where you can try to get experiences that you can talk about in your essays (e.g., working in a mechanic shop or machine shop, shadowing a nurse or doctor, or volunteering at a local hospital / clinic).
The Common app portal helps you through the application process to make sure you have all the requirements to apply to colleges. The best thing you can do is to start thinking about it early and preparing (e.g., signing up and studying for the standardized tests, taking classes relevant to what you want to study, and looking for experiences that can show interest in biomedical engineering).
Good luck with the process!
Robert Rossi
Many things! But mostly chemistry and chemical engineering
51
Answers
Albuquerque, New Mexico
Updated
Robert’s Answer
If you want to study Biomedical Engineering, you will want to be accepted to a university (a grouping of colleges) that offers a degree program in it, and will have to do well enough in the prerequisite courses (that you will take during your first year or two of college) to gain admittance to the college of biomedical engineering (a school within the university) and its degree program. The courses you will take in your first two years vary by college and program, but this one at Arizona State is one example:
https://degrees.apps.asu.edu/major-map/ASU00/ESBMEBSE/null/ONLINE/2024?init=false&nopassive=true
Note that you only start taking biomedical-engineering-specific courses in your 4th or 5th term (end of sophomore/start of junior year), which is when you also gain admittance to the engineering college and the biomedical engineering degree program, provided your grades in the "critical" courses of the early terms are good enough (here, C or better).
Most BioMed E colleges will only look at what you do in your first 3-4 terms at their university in determining whether to let you pursue the major, so in high school your concern is in gaining admittance to a university that offers BioMed E and learning relevant course material well enough that you can manage Cs or better in those first few terms. (If you goof off in high school, that is unlikely to be possible!)
Look at a list of schools offering BioMed E programs, like https://www.google.com/search?q=biomedical+engineering+programs+list
Look at the BioMed E requirements at a variety of universities you might like to attend
Studiously avoid rankings, like the ones from US News and World Distort! If you want to know what BioMed E programs are good, talk to people who work in or hire in BioMed E.
https://degrees.apps.asu.edu/major-map/ASU00/ESBMEBSE/null/ONLINE/2024?init=false&nopassive=true
Note that you only start taking biomedical-engineering-specific courses in your 4th or 5th term (end of sophomore/start of junior year), which is when you also gain admittance to the engineering college and the biomedical engineering degree program, provided your grades in the "critical" courses of the early terms are good enough (here, C or better).
Most BioMed E colleges will only look at what you do in your first 3-4 terms at their university in determining whether to let you pursue the major, so in high school your concern is in gaining admittance to a university that offers BioMed E and learning relevant course material well enough that you can manage Cs or better in those first few terms. (If you goof off in high school, that is unlikely to be possible!)
Robert recommends the following next steps: