A Note of Introduction from AdmissionsDaniel: We complete our series of guest entries with this post written by my colleague Sarah Godwin. Sarah and I chair the Engineering Admissions Committee and the BME selection process, so who better to compose an entry providing advice to those Hopkins applicants considering the Biomedical Engineering major. There is a lot of confusion about how the BME selection process works, so we hope this entry makes the process more clear.
A Post For The BME Applicant
Finally, a post just for you! If you are thinking “What is BME, and why do these students get a special post?” -- don’t worry, this doesn’t apply to you. If you have applied (or will be applying) to the Biomedical Engineering (BME) major at Hopkins, then pay attention. The application and decision notification process is different in some small but very important ways which will be outlined here for you.
Your End: The Application:
The single most important thing for you to know as a BME applicant is that you MUST (no exceptions) indicate Biomedical Engineering as your first choice major on the JHU supplement. It is as simple as listing (03) Biomedical Engineering in the first box of question #9 on the supplement. Unfortunately, if you forget this small step, you will not be reviewed for BME. The nice thing is that is all you have to do. There is no separate application for BME applicants nor any additional requirements that must be completed.
The second important thing to note is that you fully understand the nature of the Biomedical Engineering program at Hopkins. It is first and foremost an Engineering major, that stresses mathematics and the applied sciences. It is not a direct path to medical school. In fact most BME graduates at Hopkins do not go on to medical school. Where do BME graduates go and what do they do? It breaks down fairly evenly between 1/3 to medical school, 1/3 to Research, and 1/3 to industry.
Our End: The Review:
Often there is some confusion about how the review of a BME applicant works. Just like all other applicants for admission, a BME applicant is reviewed completely and holistically by their regional admissions counselor first and then one of the admissions committee. A decision is ultimately rendered as to whether we will admit the applicant to the University or select another decision, wait list or deny. For those applicants who selected BME as their first choice major on their JHU supplement and have been slated as an admit, there is an additional review done in conjunction with the BME department to determine admission to the specific BME program. Basically, one is first selected to be admitted to the University and held to the same standards as the rest of the applicant pool -- then the BME review takes place.
We are also asked often what matters during the BME selection committee. Just like with all of our admissions decisions, everything in one's application matters and all factors lead to the ultimate decision. For the BME review, there is emphasis place on a few factors that include but are not limited too:
- The applicant's academic ability, rigor, and succcess in mathematics, physics, and other related sciences.
- The applicant's knowledge and understanding of the BME program.
- The applicant's interest and passion for the field of bioengineering.
- The applicant's extracurricular and academic enrichment experiences in related engineering fields.
- The applicant's experiences with research and inquiry in the fields of math and science.
The most important thing to note though is the BME review is not just based on statistics, but the overall fit of an applicant academically and intellectually to the program .
Our End: Decision Notification:
Okay! As mentioned above, there are a lot of different potential decisions and letters you could get as a BME applicant. I’ve outlined them all below.
Early Decision
If you’ve applied by November 1st under our binding Early Decision program, you will receive one of the following decisions from our office:
(1) ED BME Applicant - Admitted to Hopkins, Admitted to BME:
In your admit packet you will have a letter signed by the Dean of Admissions saying “Congratulations on being admitted to Johns Hopkins!” In addition, you will have a letter signed by the Dean of the Whiting School of Engineering saying “Congratulations, on being admitted to the Biomedical Engineering program at Johns Hopkins!” If you get both of these letters as an Early Decision applicant – you are all set as a BME major at Hopkins. Send in your deposit check and get ready for September 2010.
(2) ED BME Applicant – Admitted to Hopkins, Not Admitted to BME:
In your admit packet you will receive a letter signed by the Dean of Admissions saying “Congratulations on being admitted to Johns Hopkins!” You will also receive a letter from the Dean of the Whiting School of Engineering saying, “We are sorry that we are not able to offer you a spot in our Biomedical Engineering program”. What do these two letters mean?
Well, first – you should congratulate yourself on being admitted to Johns Hopkins – we’d love to have you attend! Since we are unable to offer you a spot in your chosen program, you are no longer bound by the Early Decision contract. You may choose to apply to other schools, and need not make a decision about attending Hopkins until May 1st. However, if you are still 100% sure that you’d like to come to Hopkins – you may choose any other major within the Whiting School of Engineering or the Krieger School of Arts and Science and send in your deposit. Often times students in this position select to enroll at Hopkins and choose one of our other bioengineering options, detailed here: http://apply.jhu.edu/academics/bioengineering.html.
Frequently asked questions related to this decision include:
Q: Will my application be re-reviewed for BME with regular decision applications?
A: No. Your application has already received a complete review for BME.
Q: Can I transfer INTO the BME program once I arrive on campus?
A: Most likely not. The only official point of entry into the BME program is as a first year student. In rare cases over the past few years, there have been a few openings within the program and the department has allowed current students to apply for transfer. This process is highly competitive and may not happen at all during your 4 years at Hopkins, so if your heart is truly set on this major you should consider other schools.
(3) ED BME Applicant -- Deferred:
You will receive a letter from the Dean of Admissions stating that you have been deferred. You can check out this Hopkins Forums discssuion thread to learn more about what a deferred decision means.
Frequently asked questions related to this decision include:
Q; Will my application be re-reviewed for BME with regular decision applications?
A: No. Your application has already received a complete review for BME. If you are ultimately offered admission to JHU, you will have the option to choose any major except BME in the Whiting School of Engineering or the Krieger School of Arts and Sciences.
(4) ED BME Applicant -- Denied:
This decision is the most difficult, and the deny decision for BME applicants is the same decision as it is for other applicants.
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Whew…those are just the possible decisions for an ED BME applicant. Since most students will be applying regular decision, let’s look at those possible decisions:
Regular Decision
(1) RD BME Applicant - Admitted to Hopkins, Admitted to BME:
In your admit packet you will have a letter signed by the Dean of Admissions saying “Congratulations on being admitted to Johns Hopkins!” In addition, you will have a letter signed by the Dean of the Whiting School of Engineering saying “Congratulations, on being admitted to the Biomedical Engineering program at Johns Hopkins!” If you get both of these letters as a Regular Decision BME applicant to Hopkins, congratulations as you got the best news possible. You will have until May 1st to make your decision and send us your enrollment form.
(2) RD BME Applicant – Admitted to Hopkins, Not Admitted to BME:
In your admit packet you will receive a letter signed by the Dean of Admissions saying “Congratulations on being admitted to Johns Hopkins!” You will also receive a letter from the Dean of the Whiting School fo Engineering saying, “We are sorry that we are not able to offer you a spot in our Biomedical Engineering program”. What do these two letters mean?
Well, first – you should congratulate yourself on being admitted to Johns Hopkins – we’d love to have you attend! Since we are unable to offer you a spot in your chosen program, you are able to choose from any of our other majors in the Whiting School of Engineering or The Krieger School of Arts and Sciences and are welcome to join us as a Hopkins student next fall. Often times students in this position select to enroll at Hopkins and choose one of our other bioengineering options, detailed here: http://apply.jhu.edu/academics/bioengineering.html. You have until May 1st to make your decision and send us your enrollment form.
Frequently asked questions related to this decision include:
Q: Can I transfer INTO the BME program once I arrive on campus?
A: Most likely not. The only official point of entry into the BME program is as a first year student. In rare cases over the past few years, there have been a few openings within the program and the department has allowed current students to apply for transfer. This process is highly competitive and may not happen at all during your 4 years at Hopkins, so if your heart is truly set on this major you should consider other schools.
Q: Do I have to decide a new major at the time of enrollment?
A: You can let us know the new major your intend to study but it is not a requirement. Additionally, you have until the end of your freshman year to change your mind.
(3) RD BME Applicant – Wait Listed:
You will receive a letter that you have been offered a spot on the Johns Hopkins Wait List. You can check outthis Hopkins Forums discussion thread to learn more about how the Johns Hopkins Wait List works.
Frequently asked questions related to this decision include:
Q: If I am admitted off of the Wait List, will it be to BME?
A: No. If you are admitted off of the Wait List, you will have the option to choose any of our other majors in the Whiting School of Engineering or the Krieger School of Arts and Sciences.
(4) RD BME Applicant – Denied:
You will receive a letter saying that you have been denied from Johns Hopkins. This decision is the most difficult, and the deny decision for BME applicants is the same decision as the deny decision for other applicants.
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The above covers every possible decision scenario if you apply to Johns Hopkins as a BME applicant. Hopefully the above has answered some of your questions (and reminded you to indicate BME as your first choice major). Please note that whatever your decision, it will be explained to you in the letters that you receive so although I would be flattered – you don’t have to book mark this page.
Editor's Note: For additional information on applying to JHU as a BME applicant and an opportunity to ask your own questions check out the Questions Re: Biomedical Engineering (BME) discussion on the Hopkins Forums.
Are Early Decision BME applicants notified online? Based on what I've heard, they only appear on the admit/deny packet.
Posted by: David Lee | December 04, 2009 at 09:02 AM
No decisions are every released online. Johns Hopkins does not have an online system for checking application status or decisions. All of our admissions decisions are released by postal mail and e-mail.
In the past BME decisions have only been released by postal mail. We are still discussing if that will be the case this year as well. Check back later next week for a new Hopkins Insider blog entry about the release of ED notifications, and we will have an update on how BME decisions will be released.
Posted by: Admissions_Daniel | December 05, 2009 at 07:13 AM