Admission to Biomedical engineering in the US

Biomedical engineering is a rapidly growing field in the US and international students are interested in this program. It is an interdisciplinary field that overlaps engineering and medicine.  It includes theory in traditional engineering along with topics in biology including instrumentation, biosensors, biomaterials, biomechanics, and biomedical imaging. This is a tough program and getting admission requires a decent GRE score, a good GPA, and a good TOEFL or IELTS score. Most universities that offer this program require the GRE.  

While different universities have different criteria, most good universities will require calculus including differential equations, physics, circuits, a computer programming course (C++) and biology, chemistry,  and organic chemistry. Here is another good article about Biomedical Engineering Schools

College essays – Who is writing your essay?

It is so darn tempting to hire someone to write the perfect college essay! An English teacher, an educational consultant, a friend, a sibling who made it to a great school – anyone! Staring at a blank sheet of paper is no fun. Writing is a labor-intensive act that is simultaneously humbling because writing is difficult, challenging, and words do not always cooperate. How often we read our own writing and think, "God, this reads terrible!" Even famous authors are known to have shredded their works! Writing is an art, a science, a creative endeavor where the mind and heart must cooperate through the medium of words.

But if you think that asking someone else to write the perfect essay for you is a great idea, think again! Admissions Officers are no fools. They have read hundreds and hundreds of essays. They can sniff a good one from a bad one in their sleep. They can tell which essay the student wrote and which one the parent, the consultant, the teacher, the hired-pro wrote. They can tell. They just can. So a key question you must ask yourself is, "Do I want to come across as a fake or an authentic, honest college-aged student?"

This is not to say that you should not have your essay reviewed. This is an absolute must! A good editor can do wonders – shift a few words, change a few words, realign a few thoughts, assist with transitions, and walla! you have a beautiful essay!

But when you have someone else write your essay, that is another story. More on this in my next post.

Dr. Uma G. Gupta is CEO of Find My Edu Abroad (www.fmeaWorld.com)

Hot Jobs in the US

Want a job where demand exceeds supply and future prospects are good?

Listed below are the jobs and the percentages by which they are expected to grow through 2018

Biomedical engineering  72%

Network System Analysts    53%

Biochemists 37%

All other "hot" jobs will be in health care!

Source: Labor Department (also published in the Wall Street Journal 5/26/2010)

So if what you love to do, does not appear on this list what should you do? First, don't fall trap to statistics. While these may be "hot" jobs, it does not mean that there is no need for other skill sets.  Follow your passion. Money will follow. Don't ask, "Will I find a job?" Ask, "Will I be able to advance the vision and mission of a company or organization?' Ask, "What are my skill sets? What can I do that will wow others?" That is the way to have a job and even if you lose your job, you will find your way to the top quickly!

Dr. Uma G. Gupta is the CEO of USAsiaEdu, an international student recruiting company located in Rochester, NY.

Be fearless. To assume that life won't throw a curve at us, is foolish. That is guaranteed to happen, whether we live in fear or not. Be fearless knowing that you have the capacity to overcome whatever bends the road you are on takes.

“College” is not bad

So many international students assume that if it is a "college" it cannot be as good as a university. Wrong. Look for colleges like Harvey Mudd that focus on global experiences. Your employers will love you!

 

Harvey Mudd College: Global Clinic Program

Recognizing that the world is becoming increasingly "flat," HMC’s Department of Engineering began the Global Clinic Program in 2005 to prepare students for the future challenges of functioning as innovative engineers and scientists in a global context. Built upon HMC’s internationally recognized Clinic Program, the Global Clinic plans to support long-term sponsored engineering and science projects in which teams of Harvey Mudd College students collaborate with teams of students from partnering schools in Central and South America, Asia and Europe.

The Global Clinic Program incorporates intensive language instruction and immersion in the culture of the region during an extended visit to the partner school. During a one-month visit to each partner school, the student teams work on developing the project plan and collaborate with faculty advisors and company members of the team. HMC students and their international collaborators stay fully engaged during the academic year, participating in weekly video/audio conferences, collaborative presentations and design reviews at the sponsors’ facilities.

http://www.hmc.edu/academicsclinicresearch/internationalopportunities/globalclinicprogram.html

Tell yourself everyday, "I am smart. I can figure things out. I may bump my head ten times against a wall, but I am smart. I will find the door. I will grab the knob. I will open the door. I can do this. I don't need an "expert" to do this for me. We have become a nation of expert-oh!My-holic. Tell yourself everyday, "I am smart." Be smart. Don't go looking for an expert unless you have exhausted your brain power.

How Your Email ID Can Derail You

Your email id or name influences how Admissions' Officers' first impression of you. What your friends find funny, your Admission Officer may not. Let me share with you broad guidelines of what is NOT funny or cute or smart: Sexual connotations are not funny; an id that puts down women is not funny; an id that implies you hate certain groups is not funny; an id that encourages terrorism is not funny; an id that says, "I am a jerk," is not funny. You have to make a good impression from the start. No matter what your views may be on different subject or groups, understand the difference between a professional profile and a personal profile. What is appropriate for your personal page on FaceBook may not be right for your professional profile or advancement. Be professional when you apply to a US university. Admissions Officers at US universities and many universities around the world have high standards and so should you as an international student!

Dr. Gupta is CEO of USAsiaEdu and fmeaWorld, a service to assist international students applying to US universities.

Would you ever want to take a virtual reality vacation instead of leaving town? No crime, no sunburn, no TSA… what else would you miss (or not) about real travel?

Your email id or name influences how Admissions' Officers' first impression of you. What your friends find funny, your Admission Officer may not. Let me share with you broad guidelines of what is NOT funny or cute or smart: Sexual connotations are not funny; an id that puts down women is not funny; an id that implies you hate certain groups is not funny; an id that encourages terrorism is not funny; an id that says, "I am a jerk," is not funny. You have to make a good impression from the start. No matter what your views may be on different subject or groups, understand the difference between a professional profile and a personal profile. What is appropriate for your personal page on FaceBook may not be right for your professional profile or advancement. Be professional when you apply to a US university. Admissions Officers at US universities and many universities around the world have high standards and so should you as an international student!

TypePad Conversations » Answer this question!

Five Tips to do Well on the GRE

Five tips to do well on the GRE:

1.    Register Early.

2.    Prepare for the test. Even if you are an 'A' student, doesn't mean you will do well on the GRE without preparing.

3.    Work on what you are not good at, not what you are good at! Students who are good at math will spend their time studying for math! This doesn't help.  Focus on what you are NOT good at!

4.    You have to do well on both quantitative and verbal. A perfect quantitative score but a weak verbal score or vice versa will hurt your chances of admission.

5.    Study in groups –  it really helps!