Here is advice from current BME graduate students for incoming BME graduate students.

Please note this is merely advice and information from the BME department supercedes everything on this page.

BME Graduate Program: First, go to the BME department's website, navigate to information for current graduate students, and make sure you thouroughly read and understand the current degree requirements. Most questions can be answered by this document. Also useful on that website are various forms you will need (plan of study, formation of graduate thesis committee, committee meeting reports, etc.), a calendar of BME graduate program events, BME yearly courses being offered, and all BME course descriptions. Further questions should be directed to the graduate program assistant, current graduate students, business administrator, or faculty graduate program chair.

Housing: Most first-year BME graduate students choose to live in Evanston since most classes will be on the Evanston campus. The university offers graduate housing and Criagslist and Stu's View are great websites for finding off campus apartments in Evanston (see our Links page). Consider e-mailing other members of your incoming class to find a roommate. Some first-year graduate students choose to live in Chicago and commute to campus. Again, Craigslis and Stu's View are great ways to find apartments in Chicago. Popular neighborhoods include Lakeview/Wrigleyville, Lincoln Park, Uptown, Loyola, Old Town, and Rogers Park. Graduate students can purchase campus parking permits from the Parking Office and we also get a Upass from the Graduate School to ride the CTA trains and buses for free (see our Links page). Note, the purple express train is a great way to get from the city to the Evanston campus. The intercampus shuttle is also free and makes one stop between the Evanston and Chicago campuses near Loyola (see our Links page). For additional information, here is the Housing Presentation that is presented during the recruitment visit.

Courses: Popular courses for first-year fall quarter include ES_APPM 311-1 (Differential Equations I), STAT 330-1 (Statistics for Researchers I), BMD_ENG 343 (Biomaterials & Medical Devices), BMD_ENG 401 (Neuroscience), BMD_ENG 325 (Intro to Medical Imaging). Don't forget, all first-year students must take BMD_ENG 512 (BME Seminar). Other ideas for courses can be found on the BME website for current graduate students. Take a look at the BME courses being offered and the courses required and recommended for the various tracks. You can't register for classes your first quarter until after the BME orientation. Register for classes in CAESAR and see the Office of the Registrar website to see all the courses being offered (see our Links page).

Advisor: Start looking for an advisor as soon as you can. Open spaces in labs can fill up quickly. Look at the BME department's website to see the research areas of the faculty and e-mail faculty members you are interested in working with. Once you have an advisor, you can form a thesis committee, get help with your plan of study (i.e. courses to take), and start doing labwork.

Funding: All PhD students are guaranteed funding by the department for their first year. This includes a monthly stipend plus tuition expenses. In addition, the Graduate School now subsidizes 100% of the student health care plan for PhD students in their first six years. Note that you have to pay taxes on all stipend income you earn (research assistantship, fellowship, etc.). Fellowships, for example, are not reported on your W2, but you still must report the income and pay taxes. MS students may consider being a TA to have their tuition and a small monthly stipend paid for. In addition, some labs will pay MS students to do research.

Your first week on campus: If you haven't done so already, setup your e-mail and NetID password. Be sure to attend both the Graduate School orientation and the BME department orientation. After the BME department orientation, remember to register for classes through CAESAR. Begin meeting with faculty to choose an advisor. Purchase your books from the Norris University Center bookstore, an off-campus bookstore, online, or older graduate students. Get your Wildcard made in the Norris University Center basement. Pick up your CTA Upass from The Graduate School. If desired, enroll in the student health insurance plan at the insurance office at the Student Health Center. Update your contact information in CAESAR. Dental insurance plans are optional, talk to the Health Center to sign up for one.

For fun: Sign up for the BMEGS listserv to learn about our upcoming events. Also, see our Links page for stuff to do on campus, in Evanston, and in Chicago.

Miscellaneous advice (see our Links page for the relevant links):