Class of 2014: Freshman Blog

This is one for the ages. A battle of epic proportions. Bigger than David vs. Goliath. Bigger than the Montagues vs. the Capulets.  Bigger than Snooki vs. the pale, pickle-hating population of the Jersey Shore.

Ok, ok, we kid, we kid (well, maybe…). But JHU_Sydney and I think we have a fantastic feud for you. Ready to enter the ring? You better grab an umbrella because blood may be shed in this fight! Don’t worry; the pre-meds will fix Sydney and I up after the battle.

Anywho, you are about to enter the biggest war on the planet. BME vs. ChemBe. Yes- it’s going there.

Let’s get ready to slam down!

First, we will provide a brief background of our majors. You know, to make it a fair fight and such.

Sydney: BME all the wayyyy! (I am clearly not biased. At all.) So BME is a very vast study of engineering. Rather than specializing in one type of engineering, we learn everything from electrical engineering to mechanical engineering, and put it all together to improve biological life. We have four different tracks at Hopkins, all of which are the best things ever. You like math? There’s a track for that (computational). You like biomaterials and tissues? There’s a track for that (tissues and biomaterials). You like sensors and gizmos and gadgets galore? There’s a track for that (sensors and micro-instrumentation). You like systems biology  (sorry, I couldn’t find a way to make that cute-sy)? There’s a track for that, too. So basically, there is probably a track for you.

Kate: I’ve got to disagree since I’m a ChemBE. My major is all about balance (and we all need that in our life) in chemical reactions. ChemBEs study a lot of science and math- and then apply it to take raw materials and make them into something completely new. In a sense, ChemBEs are like the artists of engineering; they study the techniques of how processes work and then use it to make awesome stuff. Maybe you’ll make the next wonder drug. Maybe you’ll find the renewable energy source. Or maybe you’ll make the next ice cream flavor (like during the first day of my first ever ChemBE class). ChemBE, with its breadth, allows you to work in many different fields.

Which the next right hook? Let’s see what schedule has you hooked!

Sydney: I love LOVE love my schedule. As a BME, you have a nice balance between math and science, and those just happen to be my two favorite things ever (next to chocolate and Glee, of course).  The first year is similar to a ChemBE schedule, but then things change (oh my!) and you go into your concentrations, aka exactly what you want to take! This can be anything from robotics, to computer-integrated surgery, to building a genome! Oh snap.  One thing that separates us from ChemBe is that it is much easier to touch a robot than a chemical (and way less dangerousssss), so a lot of our classes are more hands-on. For instance, right now I am in the class that is the pride of the BME department-Design Team! As a freshman, I got to be interviewed by upperclassmen then taken under the wing of one of them on the way to patenting a biomedical device. Exciting? Oh man. I think yes.

Kate: ChemBE takes a lot of science; you’ll take chemistry, physics, biochemistry, organic chemistry, cell biology, and then another advanced chemistry elective! ChemBE has a lot of required classes, but they’re super intense to say. Imagine saying “I’m off to Transport” (no pun intended). The ChemBE curriculum is a little more hard-science based than BME, but we don’t take any programming classes. There’s a bit of specialization in ChemBE, but most of your classes will be with the same 100 kids. BFFLS for life? I think so.

Who is making up your army’s front line? And are they strong? “Army strong”?

Sydney: BMES-Biomedical Engineering Society. The best front line out there.  The BMES group at Hopkins is really chill; it definitely allows for you to include many more clubs and activities in your schedule (because, you know, us BMEs are pretty diverse. Haha). However, BMES is on a national level. Because of this, you need to apply to be on BMES, so only the strongest survive! And the strongest of the strong get recognition for their accomplishments. We’re definitely strong. “Army Strong.”

Kate: ChemBEs have the AIChE (aka the American Institute for Chemical Engineering). We’re really active on campus (last week, they had a panel with ChemBEs from all different sectors to talk to us about opportunities). These events normally have catered food (yum!). We even had a game night with the faculty- putting on your poker face with the professors is required. There are a bunch of networking opportunities; we even hosted the national conference last year!

So here’s our battle. Who won? (ChemBE) Who knows. It’s you who decides when you apply.

Wanna hear more about Hopkins Engineering? Stay tuned for a surprise for all you lovely, ridiculously attractive prospective students.