BE Board:FAQ: Difference between revisions

This page of frequently asked questions is put together by students of the [http://web.mit.edu/be Biological Engineering Division] at [http://web.mit.edu MIT]. Its contents are based on emails we receive & send throughout the year and are not meant to necessarily comprehensively reflect BE student views. It does NOT reflect the policies of the Biological Engineering Division. These questions are in no particular order.

===I am interested in grad opportunities at MIT. Can you please advise?===

MIT has many departments and programs to which you can apply. The one that is appropriate for you really depends on what your interests are.  

We would recommend looking around the MIT website and finding professors whose research interests you and then look to see what departments they  

are in as a guide. But keep in mind that many students work for professors outside of their home department.

Potentially relevant departments include BE, HST, CSBi, Biology, EECS, MechE and ChemE. You can google these departments and programs on the MIT homepage.

===I would like to know about the overall atmosphere in the faculty of the Biological Engineering Division.===

The faculty are great. In general the program is very supportive of students. Obviously the different faculty in the department have different styles so it helps to talk with them and people in their labs to choose a research advisor that will mentor in a style appropriate for you. There is a strongly collaborative environment in the department, with many joint research efforts within the division. With the varied interests and expertise of the faculty, novel ideas and approaches are constantly being pursued.

The expected time to graduation is 5 years. BE is relatively new at MIT and so we haven't had that many graduates thus far making it hard to give an average length of the Ph.D. Some students have done it in less (though they generally have previous research experience in the lab) and some students are taking a bit longer.

Most students find the stipend to be sufficient for their expenses. However, the stipend is only intended to support one person so those students who are supporting spouses and/or families on the stipend will find it much more difficult.

The program does have a list of courses you are required to take but in general you can fit classes into these requirements pretty easily. And you can take extra classes of course as well (as long as it is ok with your advisor ... which it usually is).

This varies a lot with the faculty member. Some have big labs and are really busy so students tend to schedule appointments with them. Others are less formal and you can just stop by and chat. There are advantages and disadvantages to both styles so you should decide what is appropriate for you. In general though most are very willing to talk to students and give advice.

===What is the aim of most of the students in biomedical field?===

We are really biological engineering not biomedical engineering. See the [http://web.mit.edu/be departmental website] for a description of Biological Engineering. Our program doesn't have much in the way of artificial limbs and other medical devices on that scale. We are more focused on the molecular/cellular/tissue scales. A lot of the stuff may have medical applications but a bit more long-term. Much of the current research work will be going into patients on a 10-20 year timescale rather than within a year. Though there are definitely exceptions to this (see Bob Langer and Linda Griffith for some work that is being used in patients now).

Biotech, pharmaceutical companies, faculty positions, teaching-only positions, entrepreneurial ... you name it, we've got it. The Division is only 6 years old though so we haven't graduated that many students.

We're not aware of any particular GPA requirement for the program. The admissions committee likely looks at a variety of things when they consider you which is why the website lacks a clear outline of admissions requirements. In no particular order, previous research experience, grades, recommendations, GRE scores, classes you've taken, your personal statement etc. are all likely to be considered. But we don't actually sit on the admissions committee!