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biomedical engineering at PSU

PSU Soupy

PSU Soupy

Well-Known Member
Aug 3, 2008
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Anybody on the all knowing board know about this program at PSU? My Daughter (from out of state) has been accepted at a number of schools throughout the Mid Atlantic and into the Southern Schools. She has always been a PSU fan and is visiting PSU today. She is really enjoying herself and my thought is that she will decide to enroll in the Fall at University Park.

She has been accepted at a number of schools for Pre Med, Physician Assistant schools and other medical based programs but she is very interested in PSU and very interested in the Biomedical Engineering Program. I am a 1987 grad of the Polymer Science Program in Earth and Mineral Science, and love PSU and know that my daughter will as well.

Question: for out of state tuition is this a good value? How long as there been a Biomedical Engineering Major? Is it well thought of?

My hope was for my daughter to play Lacrosse at a smaller division 1 or division 2 program and work towards getting into Medical School......no pressure there, I know.


She is a great kid, good student, very good athlete.


Any feedback appreciated....

PSU Soupy.
 
No idea but PSU will is expensive for out of state students. I'm also not sure about job prospects for biomedical engineering students. My son looked into that major a few years ago and schools were just introducing the major. I guess they're trying to blend medical with engineering but the programs were too new to tell about job placement statistics. I was worried that good jobs required a PHD.
 
Fenske Lab is going to be torn down and replaced with a new BioMed Engineering building. May not be done in time for your daughter or just in time for her last year if things go well, but it shows the commitment PSU is making to the program. That would indicate to me that the job prospects should be pretty good if the University is ramping up the major by building a major new building for it.
 
From what I know of it...it's a great degree, especially if...

...your daughter is interested in grad school or something along those lines.

It's kind of like an undergrad psych degree--you can only climb so far up the ladder, but with an MS/doctorate, the possibilities are endless.
 
It has been many years since I was a grad student at Penn State but I met several folks who were Biomedical engineering. They have a great program. i took one graduate level course in Biomedical engineering. it was a course that looked at the interaction of blood with different materials (ceramics, polymers, etc) and how different materials such as ceramics and such could impact coagulation of blood and what not. It was a cool course. I remember a professor Vogler...not sure if he is still around.
 
Wow thanks for all of the feedback

Daughter definitely is interested in Grad School....perhaps a MS, perhaps MD perhaps Physcian Assistant or Physical therapy School.



She will do well in whatever she chooses and I am PSU through and through.....I just like watching her play sports and as good as she is as a high school laxer.......she is not good enough for PSU.



Thanks for the info on the program.


PSU Soupy.
 
I love these threads. So many good young people out there. ****


Originally posted by PSU Soupy:
Anybody on the all knowing board know about this program at PSU? My Daughter (from out of state) has been accepted at a number of schools throughout the Mid Atlantic and into the Southern Schools. She has always been a PSU fan and is visiting PSU today. She is really enjoying herself and my thought is that she will decide to enroll in the Fall at University Park.

She has been accepted at a number of schools for Pre Med, Physician Assistant schools and other medical based programs but she is very interested in PSU and very interested in the Biomedical Engineering Program. I am a 1987 grad of the Polymer Science Program in Earth and Mineral Science, and love PSU and know that my daughter will as well.

Question: for out of state tuition is this a good value? How long as there been a Biomedical Engineering Major? Is it well thought of?

My hope was for my daughter to play Lacrosse at a smaller division 1 or division 2 program and work towards getting into Medical School......no pressure there, I know.


She is a great kid, good student, very good athlete.


Any feedback appreciated....

PSU Soupy.
Click to expand...
 
Would you be willing to pay $150,000 for a used Toyota Camry?????

I love Penn State. I love Penn State just as much as anyone here, maybe more. But, I went there when a poor kid could still get Pell Grants and tuition was reasonable. I was a student at Penn State right along with you in the late 80's.

I applaud your daughter for seeking a career in the sciences, btw. It isn't easy.

But, lets be candid. Penn State is OVERPRICED - end of story. And, you are willing to pay OUT-OF-STATE tuition?!?! Insane!

It's your money. You earned it. You can do whatever you want with it. Your daughter will be an adult. If she chooses to take out student loans, she will have an albatross around her neck for years...er, I mean, decades to come.

There's more than one way to skin a cat. Go to a community college for two years. If she gets A's in calculus, physics, chemistry, then the sky is the limit. She's proven her mettle. There are a plethora of schools that will take a kid with A's in those courses for their junior and senior year.

In bocca al lupo!
 
I can't tell you from experience but PSU is highly regarded in engineering

Penn State was second choice for my daughter for undergraduate and grad school in Nuclear Engineering. She did choose Florida for undergraduate school and Georgia Tech for grad school. She will be receiving her PhD at the end of April and then will be going to Washington DC to work for the National Nuclear Security Administration. She chose UF because they had a grad program in medical physics which was her original plan but instead decided to stay in engineering primarily with regard to security applications. Her mentor and advisor is a PhD grad from Penn State and is now head of AFTAC.

What I can tell you is that out of 27 students in her undergraduate program, 3 applied to medical school and all 3 got accepted. Three applied to med physics programs and all 3 got in. Going into engineering is the smart thing to do if you plan to apply to medical school. They know engineers are trained to work in a collaborative environment. Biology and pre med majors are a dime a dozen.
 
a few thoughts ...


Biomedical Engineering at PSU is considered an outstanding program. It's not the nation's elite program, but it's pretty damn good.

She will have a lot of job prospects upon graduation. She'll also have a lot of graduate school options upon graduation. (Both comments are based on her doing well.)

Bottom line, provided she does the work, she'll be in great shape with a PSU biomedical engineering degree.

Is it worth the cost? Only you can answer that. If you can afford the cost, and/or you or she is willing to take on some loans, then it will be quite doable. She may have options that are cheaper. Again, you and she will have to decide as to what a PSU degree is worth to you.

Since you love PSU, and she seems to love PSU, I think the choice is pretty easy, but it's not my money nor my choice to make.

Switching gears a bit, I've known a few girls that played LAX for PSU's program, as well as several that played club LAX at PSU. If your daughter wants to continue to play LAX, and is good enough to play D2 or D3, then she might be able to make PSU's club LAX team. It's way more competitive than you might imagine. LAX has exploded in public schools in PA, so the past few years PSU's club LAX team has had a huge number of students try out for the team. I'd suggest that if she wants to do this that she do so as a true freshman. Should she make the team, you'd still get to see her play. Plus, they play a number of their games at PSU, so it gives you another excuse to go to State College. ;)

Hope that helps.

Tom
 
Thanks Tom

Great comments. Was not aware of the PSU Club Lax Team.

My daughter was all state in LAX here in Tennessee last year and probably will be so again and will have > 100 goals and assists in her high school career.

she is not a fast runner, but she sees the game so well, she catches everything and she is always the most determined player on the field.

I think that club lax at PSU would be a great fit.



We can afford to send her to PSU, ....I agree with Michael Felli that it is overly expensive and that for out of state people it is really, really expensive, but she is much more comfortable there than at Alabama (free tuition offer), Tennessee (1/2 tuition offer) or some of the mid major private schools Butler, Dayton, Xavier.

It does give me and my wife an excuse to come up for a few games a year.

PSU Proud.....maybe with one more reason to PSU Proud.

I appreciate the feedback from everyone.

PSU Soupy.
 
Ugh you are such a disgrace anymore

Look, I'm the first in line behind you on college debt and cost.

PSU is expensive. So is every other college in the country. Comparing the value of PSU to a used Toyota is about the dumbest thing I've seen on the board in a while.

You just have no clue what you're talking about. PSU College of Engineering grads all but have their pick of employers with huge salaries before they even graduate.

I seriously hope you're okay. You were a great, funny poster that gave me many laughs. Anymore, your posts indicate a deranged lunatic. Get help.
 
My wife just called.....they put a deposit down on PSU Biomedical Eng

My wife and daughter are excited as could be and are going out in Downtown State College as the journey to find the right school for my daughter ended today and it is PSU.

I am very excited for all that she will experience at PSU.


Proud PSU Grad.......My wife has a Masters Degree from PSU and now my eldest daughter going to PSU.


Exciting.


PSU Soupy
 
My wife and daughter flew up to PSU on same plane as Shoops

Bob Shoops son who my daughter knows from down here in Nashville was on the same plane to State College on Thursday Evening. She talked to the son on the plane......hopefully that connection can pay off with some good bowl and away game tix.



PSU Soupy
 
Awesome news. Congrats Soupy.

If you ever have any questions, don't hesitate to post them.

Your daughter has made a wonderful decision.
 
Thanks....board has been very helpful.

I loved your comment about the education at PSU, it is a lot of money, but it will pay dividends throughout her life.


The motto of her high school is: "A good education lasts a lifetime".........and that has been a great experience, I believe that the PSU decision will be similar.


PSU Soupy.
 
1) Club sports is a great thing, especially for someone in a difficult major. My daughter did a varsity sport and engineering and it was probably a little too much. Varsity sports at a place like PSU requires a huge, huge commitment.

2) A good rule of thumb re college debt -- don't allow your kid to borrow more than their anticipated first year's salary -- and be conservative about that first year's salary. If they want to do grad school then you may want to save some of that debt capacity to cover that.

Assuming you aren't just paying the entire cost out of pocket, it really pays to draw up a budget with your kid. How much is your kid contributing during the year, during the summers.

I think it is very reasonable to expect kids to work while in college. Even as little as 8-10 hours can make a huge difference over four years. Plus they get work experience and life expereince, and sometimes those mindless jobs are good to help clear their heads from the crazy academic pressure. Finally a job is shown to make most kids a better student because it forces them to organize their schedules a little.

Finally when they help to pay their expenses it helps them realize what the whole thing is worth. One of my kids realized when she cut a class, she was basically leaving $100 on the table -- and she knew how long it took to earn $100.

For my kids, the work experience even from minimum wage type jobs was really valuable on a lot of levels. And I know employers are impressed when they see a kid who has juggled work responsibilities and school responsibilities and sports and extracurriculars. Kids like that make great employees.

3) PSU is a fantastic place for engineering -- and especially for women in engineering. I think it is probably one of the best places in the country because there are lots of special programs aimed at supporting women. My daughter got a NASA grant her freshman year that got her involved with research immediately -- and lab time and involvement with grad students is incredibly valuable. Another thing about PSU is that it's got such a wide variety of very good engineering programs, so if one doesn't work out, there are others that might be appealing. Plus all of the degrees from EMS that are basically engineering majors.
 
My daughter is a Pope John Paul Hendersonville TN soon to be grad

Pope John Paul has been a great program for my daughter.

I expect that she will come back to Nashville or at least the south, she just did not want to go to a southern school.


PSU Soupy.
 
Congrats

My two kids are going to PSU. It is awesome to see them experiencing everything that PSU has to offer and enjoying it as much as you did.
 
Plus the excuse to get season tickets......

I am really happy for my daughter, mostly because she is so happy.


Picking a school and deciding where and to some degree what you want to do has weighed heavily on my daughter....and me wife and I.

So just having a plan is a relief and hearing the excitement in my daughter for PSU is really exciting.


PIV you must be proud as well.



PSU Soupy.
 
This is a very good thread.

I grew up in State College, dad was a prof, and I went to PSU undergrad.

Moved to Maryland and was fortunate enough to get a fairly well paying job, such that money was not a huge issue.

Two of my 3 kids went to PSU undergrad. Total cost out of state at PSU is ~$45 K. I had these kids take out loans of about $5K/yr so they had some "skin in the game". Not coincidentally, they graduted in 4 years. So they left with ~$20K in debt. The first is now 26 yrs old, on Wall Street earning 6 figures, the third is graduating this spring in finance with a job at $60K/yr lined up.

The middle girl went to U MD, and earned a BS in Chemistry. People here wont want to hear this, but U MD was both more selective in their admissions, and "tougher" academically than PSU. U MD cost ~ $20K per year, and she has no loan debt.

She decided to go to grad school in Chemical Engineering, and was accepted to U MD, PSU, Cal (Berkely), Pitt, and Johns Hopkins. She chose.......... PSU. She pays $0 tuition and receives ~$28K stipend for living expenses.

PSU ChemE is very, very good, and many of her classmates have chosen Biomedical Engineering thesis projects.

So what are the "take home" lessons here (beside the fact that my kids are brilliant
happy.r191677.gif
).

1) PSU is expensive out of state, but not prohibitively so.
2) In engineering and life sciences, graduate school should cost nothing; in fact, students receive a stipend (in return for working in labs, which they need to do anyway to produce data for their thesis).

Bottom line---if you, as parents, can swing ~$25-30 K/year, and she earns $5K/summer, borrows $5-10 K/year, she should graduate without prohibitive debt. And grad school in biomedical sciences wont cost her a dime. If she wants to go to a professional (MD, PT) school, thats a different story.
 
swordsman....great reply

I agree that this is a great thread......( I am biased I started it, and I am talking about my child so it is all good), but seriously all have given great feedback, and I feel really blessed to have a daughter that can take advantage of this type of opportunity.


As a few posters had mentioned in this thread there are a lot of good, talented young people who will work hard and will do good things in life.

Swordsman you must have done a lot right with your kids to have them turn out with so many great opportunities in life.

Well done.

PSU Soupy
 
somewhat similar situation for my daughter

Congrats Soupy

My daughter just decided on PSU this week also! She too will be going for an Engineering degree (Chem) and is thinking of trying for a biomed eng minor. Like your daughter mine is a good enough athlete to compete at a DII level but not at State. She is a gymnast and LOVED the club situation at PSU. she has already met with the team and coaches and is super excited to get involved. My friends son is playing club Lax and loves it. He actually made the varsity team as a walk-on but after one year decided it was too much and thus went the club route.

Makes sure your daughter signs up for WEPO. (Women's Eng Program Orientation). Check into it... The girls move into dorms three days earlier than other frosh and get immediate resume building and programs on how to approach job fairs and have a formal dinner all before other kids even arrive on campus! PSU is really committed to women in engineering.

Also should consider the Special Living Options for women in engineering. I turned to this board a few days ago and got some good info on those. Check that thread entitled "We Are Better "Daughter Version".

Best of luck !
 
Soupy

buy a small fixer upper in Pa and claim residence after her first year. Is that possible? I have a friend who sent 5 children through WVU by buying a house in Morgantown and claiming residence. He always lived in Pa. Each of the 5 kids went through WVU and lived in the house. He then sold it after the last graduated. There may be more than one way to skin that cat.
 
A school to consider if she wishes to play lax is Bucknell....

Very good BME program -- It's very competitive and they only accept a select number of freshman each year. They play lax at the low D1 level. From what you said about your daughter's athletic career, she'd probably make the team there. It's also close to PSU, about an hour or so east in Lewisburg, PA.

Given the PSU connections it sounds like your/her choice is easy, but if you want to explore all options, Bucknell is definetly worth a look. It would also offer a good contrast of big school vs. small school.
 
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