Majoring in Bioengineering

What makes a major “valuable?” Most would agree that competitive average starting pay, median mid-career pay, growth in salary, and wealth of job opportunities all contribute to value. Biomedical Engineering is one of the majors that is considered most worth your tuition, time and effort. But what is Biomedical Engineering? 

The terms bioengineering and biomedical engineering are often used interchangeably. Sometimes, however, bioengineering refers to issues involving animal health and/or plants and agriculture, whereas biomedical engineering refers to a focus on human health.  

There are four fields within biomedical engineering: clinical engineering, medical devices, medical imaging and tissue engineering. Clinical engineering involves operating and supervising the use of equipment within hospitals and medical facilities. Medical device engineering is concerned with the invention and operation of diagnostic devices; either devices that help cure diseases or devices that help the body operate normally such as pacemakers, diabetic pumps or dental implants. Medical imaging is concerned with the invention and use of equipment that takes images of the body to help diagnose and create treatment options for patients, including X-Ray machines and ultrasound equipment. Tissue engineering focuses on developing and implementing artificial organs. In some cases, this also includes inventing technologies to regrow organs or create entirely new ones. Other specialties within biomedical engineering are biomaterials,  biomechanics, rehabilitation engineering, and orthopedic engineering.

Bioengineering programs provide students with the scientific knowledge and engineering tools necessary for graduate study in the engineering or scientific disciplines, continued education in health professional schools, or employment in industry. Top notch programs provide students with a rigorous education in engineering and fundamental sciences, offer experience in state-of-the-art research in bioengineering, and teach the problem-solving and team-building skills necessary to succeed in a bioengineering career.  

All students begin with foundation courses in biology, physics, chemistry, and math. They then take courses in basic engineering principles, computer science, statistics, and applied math. The last two years of most undergraduate programs include courses in materials, fluid mechanics, signals and systems, biomedical imaging, and ethics, among others. Students often have the opportunity to choose electives tailored to their individual interests.   

Graduates with a bachelor’s degree in bioengineering often work in collaboration with health care professionals. Effective communication skills, the ability to work in multidisciplinary teams, and an appreciation of the ethical and regulatory constraints governing the development, manufacture, and distribution of health care products, are all required.   

Demand for biomedical engineers will be strong because an aging population is likely to need more medical care and because of increased public awareness of biomedical engineering advances and their benefits.  The Bureau of Labor Statistics projects a 10% growth of job opportunities within this field, twice that for most engineering positions.  

Engineering programs should be ABET accredited, meaning they meet the standards established by the Accreditation Board for Engineering Technology.  Look for this accreditation when researching college programs.

http://www.abet.org Accreditation Board for Engineering & Technology. Includes information for students about the importance of accreditation, careers options, and student perspectives.     

Career Paths for Biomedical Engineering Majors

· Software and hardware engineering

· Medical device industry

· Innovative design and development

· Research and development

· Manufacturing

· Equipment testing and field servicing

· Clinical patient evaluation

· Technical documentation

· Sales

· Hospital equipment selection and support

· Teaching

· Management

· Undergraduate preparation for medicine, dentistry or law

Considering Applying Early Decision (ED)

What is Early Decision (ED)? Early Decision is a binding admissions decision plan.  In exchange for receiving an earlier admissions decision, students applying ED agree that, if they’re admitted, they’ll attend that college and withdraw all of their other college applications. Typically, Early Decision plans have deadlines in early November. Since ED is a binding agreement, students who’ve carefully and thoroughly researched their college options and decided with certainty that one particular school is their top choice are the best candidates for Early Decision. Some colleges also have a second ED round (ED2) with deadlines falling in early January.  For ED1, applicants will generally receive their decision before Christmas.  In the second ED round, students will receive their decision a month to six weeks before regular decision candidates are notified.

Will applying ED make it easier to get in?  Sometimes.  Early  Decision isn’t a “miracle cure” for students whose stats are far below those of the students typically admitted to that college. However, if you wouldn’t be a strong applicant during the regular admissions round, then it’s unlikely that you’ll be admitted simply because you apply under ED.  When a student’s grades and test scores put the student within the typical ranges for admitted students at a college, they can often have a better chance of admission during the ED round.  Keep in mind, however, that ED acceptance rates vary greatly from college to college, and the early applicant pool is often extremely well qualified.  At the most competitive colleges, the acceptance rates for ED applicants are still very low.  Many of the highly selective colleges, however, fill around half their class through ED; some fill a higher percentage, leaving little space in the regular round.

How will applying Early Decision affect financial aid? If you’re admitted during Early Decision, you’ll typically receive the same financial aid package that you would have received if you’d applied in the regular admission cycle.  However, one of the main disadvantages of an ED acceptance is that you won’t be able to compare financial aid offers from other colleges.  Because you’re giving up the right, it’s smart for families to use the Net Price Calculators on different college websites to get estimates of how financial aid may vary before making the ED choice.

What happens when I receive my ED admission decision? When you apply ED, you’ll receive one of three decisions: Admit, deny, or deferred.  If you’re admitted, you must immediately withdraw all applications from other colleges, and send in an enrollment deposit to the ED college.  If you’re denied (rejected), you can’t reapply to the college in the regular decision round and should immediately turn your attention to the other colleges on your list.  If you’re deferred, the college will take a second look at your application during the Regular Decision round, but you should immediately complete your applications to other colleges.

Making the Most of your High School Years

Entering high school can be overwhelming; you have far more options and opportunities than before, as well as greater expectations. The choices you make through high school will have an impact on your future education. It is important to choose wisely  both classes and extracurricular activities so that you can enjoy your high school years. 

Academics

Each year, try to increase your level of academic challenge in your coursework. However, while AP, IB, and honors level classes are impressive to universities, so are good grades. If taking every subject at the highest level will start to drop grades below a B, students should prioritize taking difficult classes in subjects they are either best at or most interested in. It may be better to have all As and a mix of AP and CP classes than Bs and Cs in all APs.  When choosing classes, try not to be influenced by your friends; choose courses that are best suited to you.

High school classes are challenging, and you should seek support before your grades tumble. Emailing teachers to set up time outside of class, looking into a school’s offerings such as lunch-time writing programs, utilizing free online study materials, or forming study groups with peers are all good ideas. Students can also hire tutors or take advantage of free local or virtual tutoring programs. 

Extracurriculars 

Extracurriculars allow individuals to find and pursue activities that interest them. Examples include sports, clubs, volunteering, artistic pursuits, internships, and other hobbies. Try out any extracurriculars that appeal to you, but remember depth of involvement is more important than quantity. 

Classes and extracurriculars can help you discover where your passions and strengths lie.  College admission officers look for depth of community involvement. Leadership roles are particularly appealing. 

Have fun and take time for yourself

High school is not just about getting high grades and building an impressive resume. It is also a great time to make friends and explore engaging activities. Check out any school-run events that interest you, such as school dances, sports games, or rallies. There is no right way to enjoy high school, but with the sheer number of opportunities and requirements, doing too much can be overwhelming. Build in time to take care of yourself. Self-care looks different for everyone, but ideas include getting adequate sleep, setting a weekly TV night, reading before bedtime, hanging out with friends, cooking or baking, finding time to exercise, and making time to be with those you love. 

Scheduling 

Balancing classes, friends, extracurriculars, and self-care time may seem daunting. For this reason, high school is a great time to learn how to create a schedule that works for you. Experimentation is key. While some students do homework best at night, others benefit from starting right after school. People need different amounts of time to complete assignments, so it is up to each student to discover when to start each project and how much time to devote to them. Finally, individuals crave different amounts of downtime and socialization. This delicate balance will change over time, but beginning to attune to this will have lifelong benefits. 

The high school years provide the opportunity to develop many important life skills as well as an academic education. Make the most of these years by embracing the experience!

What is a "Safety" School?

As the college admission process becomes more complex, students are beginning to wonder if they are assured acceptance to their so-called ‘safety’ schools.  This is a tricky question, and the short answer is: not really.  We also suggest that high school students apply to a range of colleges, including a few “targets, “reaches,” and “likelies.” Targets refer to schools where your test scores and GPA fall within the mid-range of the admit profile. Stretches, or reaches, are schools that have higher average test scores and GPAs than yours.  Likelies refer to schools where your scores fall above the 50th percentile of admitted students.  Some experts argue that these terms should be changed to the more accurate names of  “unlikely”, “possible”, and “likely”.  College admission is a complicated process, taking into account many factors and, as in life, there are simply no guarantees. 

Although SAT/ACT scores and your GPA can give you an idea of whether or not you might be admitted to a particular school, they are not the only factors considered during the admission process.  Test optional admission has further muddied the admission waters. Be sure to check all prospective colleges’ acceptance rates, as this is another indication of your chances.  Commonly considered a best practice, most universities now have holistic admission, which means that they emphasize the applicant’s complete academic record along with their life experiences, not just select pieces such as grades and test scores. Athletic accomplishments, legacy status, leadership roles, and involvement with music, art, and community service all potentially play important roles.  Keep in mind that it is better to excel and show leadership in a select few extracurricular activities than simply to participate in several. 

A common mistake made by prospective undergraduates is to assume they will be admitted to their likely school, and thus put less effort into its essays and applications.  They also may fail to show demonstrated interest, which is gaining popularity as a factor considered by admission departments.  These errors imply that a student does not really care about being accepted, and will likely not attend if they are.  The term “yield” refers to the percentage of admitted students who actually enroll, and is important to colleges because it affects their ranking and credit rating.  If the admission office doesn’t think you will actually attend, they will be less likely to accept you, even if your scores and GPA fall into the acceptable range.

There are a few exceptions to the “no more safety schools” concept.  Some colleges have open admissions, and if you have met their minimum requirements, and know you can afford to attend, you can be fairly confident about being accepted.  Community colleges also fall into this category.

In considering where to apply, it is important to submit applications only to schools you are truly excited about.  Make sure they are a good fit as far as academics, location, size, and financial needs.  If you can’t afford your safety school or if you would be unwilling to attend, it is not a safety at all!  Don’t rush your applications, and treat each school as if it were your first choice.

College Search for Students with Learning Differences

The transition from high school to college is daunting for most students, but the anxiety can be intensified for students with learning disabilities. Some wonder if they’ll be able to keep up and fit in.

Here are some tips to help you identify college campuses that could best fit, academically and socially, the needs of a student with learning differences. 

Understand your disability and its impact – write down the specific areas that present difficulties for you. Be able to identify the range of problems you might encounter at college and more importantly, be able to articulate the kinds of accommodations and services that would improve your situation – (extended testing times, note takers, reading machines, tutors).

Understand your strengths – what kinds of compensatory skills have you developed to accommodate your learning differences?

Begin researching colleges with types of programs that meet your needs. (The K& W Guide to Colleges for Students with Learning Disabilities or Attention Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD)

Seriously evaluate a variety of factors including: housing options (would having a single room dramatically reduce your stress level?), your advisor’s recommendations, disability services options, cost, the location and size of the school. Large schools may offer more support, activities and more majors, but they also may require you to be more proactive to meet your needs. That’s fine if you’re up to the challenge.

Visit campuses while classes are in session, if possible. Meet with admission and special support service coordinators. Ask to meet students utilizing the college’s learning differences or disabilities support services, perhaps over lunch, so you can have an informal discussion about the support accommodations available.

Prepare for an interview – this is where it is really important for the student, not the parent, to be able to clearly articulate their challenges and the types of support that would be most beneficial. 

Obtain letters of recommendation – letters from counselors and teachers should address your learning style(s), academic achievement including subjects you have mastered, obstacles you’ve overcome and a variety of personal characteristics such as your motivation, attitude, self-discipline, behavior and response to positive reinforcement. 

Summer Plans - Crafting an Internship

Summer’s nearly here, hooray! But now what? High school summers can be filled with so much, and sadly, so little. As students navigate the summer holidays throughout their high school years, it becomes important to consider two things: 1) how can my summer activity be more meaningful to me? and 2) how can my summer activity help me build a solid resume in preparation for a future college or job application?

Initially, students may think that between 9th and 10th grade, fun is the first order of business, and having summer fun is very important. The transition from middle school to high school can be tough, and during a global pandemic, it can be even harder to navigate. But summer could be so much more, and in this article, we will explore one option for students to consider – a carefully designed summer internship.

First, an internship can be of great benefit to you. The most basic benefit may be for financial rewards (although many internships are unpaid); for many students, it deepens and widens knowledge in areas of strong academic interest. For everyone, an internship can lead to rewarding self-awareness and a journey of self-discovery that will guide the student towards universities, majors or career paths that resonate in a deeply personal and targeted way. Getting a first-hand experience in the field you wish to study is pertinent and can demonstrate both dedication and knowledge to your application reader. An internship can show adaptability, targeted interest, and maturity. For you, it gives real insight into your chosen field and can help clarify the direction of your academic trajectory. 

Once you have decided to embark upon a summer internship and have chosen the direction – work, community service, international/local travel – then researching ideas is your next step. There are some excellent websites that have curated lists of options: Aralia, National Institutes of Health, and the National Society of High School Scholars are good resources. It is also important to be creative in your search for the type of experience that really matters to you. Start locally, right there in your high school’s guidance office. Many schools have college or career counsellors with lists of summer jobs and/or internship experiences. Teachers may have good personal contacts in their field so talk to them and ask about any summer options they may be aware of within your chosen field. Libraries, boys’ and girls’ clubs, and community centers may carry or post flyers about summer programs and in some locations, city councils will provide summer internship listings. If you have a parent or other relative in your field of interest, have a conversation with them to ask about summer opportunities. 

High school students need to take the time to really think about both who they are and what they want from their futures before considering their academic major in college. A summer internship can be part of that internal dialogue. This opportunity can give you your first look at a 9-5 job in an office, a 6-2 shift in the hospital, an 8-6 day in a lab or a long day spent outside, and remember, one summer does not have to look like another. Vary your summer activities.

As students start their final year of college, finding a job becomes an imperative. If you have already experienced a range of summer internships during both high school and college, you’ll have built up a significant number of contacts within an array of contexts and/or fields. Start small and slowly widen your search horizons. A summer in a small local start-up, with no salary, might become a paid summer internship at a national tech company, with employment possibilities looming in the future. College Vine has published a list of paid summer internships for high school students to consider. 

Finally, it is important to be practical in your search. Consider ease of commuting, cost of travel, family commitments, and summer sports. Once you start your internship, you must do everything to complete your assignments. At the end of the summer, don’t forget to request a recommendation from your immediate supervisor. Look for ways in which you can demonstrate commitment to your assigned tasks, share mature interactions with colleagues and co-workers, show responsibility and reliability vis-à-vis on time arrivals, and offer intelligent contributions at meetings. This will all appear in the letter of recommendation and will impress your colleges. So, start your search as early as possible. A summer internship can serve a very important role in your high school years and your future academic choices.

Making the Final College Choice

For some students, the final decision regarding which college to attend is the toughest part of the admission process. Here are some tips to help you sort out your options.

Stay as calm as possible.  While this is an important decision, allowing yourself to be overwhelmed with anxiety will not help you make a better choice. Give yourself some breathing room; you don’t have to decide today, or even tomorrow. You have until May 1 to make your choice.  Taking a break from worrying about choosing a college to do something fun and relaxing can make it easier to decide.  If you feel pressured by parents or friends to make a choice, ask them to respect that you’re still deciding.

Start with you, not the colleges. You may find it helpful to make a list of the top eight or ten characteristics you hope to find in your future college home. Try to focus on both quantifiable factors (cost, size, location, academics) as well as intangibles (social fit, reputation, campus “feel”).  Remember, this list is about what you think is important, not the factors your parents, neighbor, or best friend think matter most. Then rank each characteristic by its importance to you.  Don’t worry about which colleges match up best just yet.  The point of this exercise is to spend time listening to your head and heart.

Evaluate each college separately. Before you compare colleges, evaluate the strengths and weaknesses of each school individually based on the characteristics that matter most to you. If you feel you need more information, do some more research. Try to visit campus, review the school’s website again, and ask questions of admission officers, faculty, and current students.  Your gut instinct about each college is important to weigh as well.  

Narrow your options. After mulling over what matters most to you and weighing each college’s strengths and weaknesses, you’ll likely find that at least a few of your options don’t resonate as strongly with you. It’s OK to let those colleges go. 

Compare your remaining choices in pairs. Make a chart with the colleges’ names along the top and the qualities you seek along the side.  For each paired comparison, write the name of the college that seems to best match each characteristic you’re looking for.  Don’t forget to use both your head (logic) and heart (instinct) as you consider each pair of choices. When you’re done, add up which colleges received the most “votes” as you compared them to the others. Narrow your list further by eliminating any colleges that clearly don’t stand up to the other options.

There are no perfect college choices; there are only different ones. Deciding where to attend college is the last step in the long and tiring college application journey. It's easy to fall into the trap of believing that you must be absolutely 100% certain that you’ve chosen the perfect college to guarantee your future happiness and success.  In truth, there is no perfect college, nor are there any guarantees of your success.  In the end, your college experience will be defined more by the attitude with which you approach it than by the actual college you attend.  

3 Types of Campus Visits

With summer fast approaching, it’s time to start thinking about which colleges to visit. An in-person visit really is the best way of assessing your interest in a particular institution. Nothing is better than seeing the students and campus facilities first-hand. There is so much to be learned from such a visit. You will want to get a sense of how your life could change when you move on-campus. Let’s take a look at three different types of visits and how they differ.

Looking around: This visit is geared towards early information gathering. It is frequently included in a family vacation to the area. Parents may encourage their children to visit their alma mater as well as any colleges in the area when visiting family or friends. These trips may not include a personalized visit with scheduled campus tours, information sessions or Open Days. It should, however, include a walk around campus, a meal in a dining hall, a visit to the library and a chat with students you see out and about. Always drop into the Admissions Office to pick up materials and find out who your local representative is. This general visit will also help you craft a list of questions that can be refined over the coming months and years. Your goal in these early forays should be to figure out which aspects of the university campus experience really matter. Examine the size of the student body, clubs and organizations of specific interest, and scope of academic options. Above all, take good notes.

Serious shopping: As you progress through high school, you will begin to acquire a deeper understanding of the importance of standardized testing, your academic interests, and a sense of what kind of campus would suit you best. Those early campus visits will come in handy when zeroing in on specifics. By late junior year, you’ll have attended a few college fairs, spoken to your college counselor, and created a college list with your top choices. Do a lot of online research the summer before senior year and, in consultation with your parents, make reservations for student-led campus tours and admission presentations. Make an appointment to meet with a financial aid counselor, the writing center, disability services and academic support. Check out ease of access to medical care, mental health counseling, faith communities, and on- and off-campus transportation. Consider safety at night, and ensure that the dining halls cater to your individual dietary needs. If possible, attend a class within your likely first choice of major. These visits should refine the list of colleges to which you will apply, so take them seriously.

Ready to buy: Being ‘ready to buy’ typically means that an offer of admission is on the table, and you need to make your final decision. It may also mean you need to clarify your top choices, and thus are ready when offers arrive. It is true that many students apply to several colleges without ever setting foot on campus but with a tangible offer, a targeted visit then becomes an absolute must. There are always Admitted Student Visit Days, typically in April before the National College Decision Day of May 1. Colleges will pull out all the stops for these visits that are 100% geared towards the needs and interests of admitted students and their families. The student-focused program will include classroom visits and chats with faculty. Parents will often have their own version of the events, most often with a presentation by the Financial Aid Officers.  All this should help you make a final decision.