How to get ready for doing post graduation in biomedical engineering/ biotechnology/ life sciences

Karthikeyan D. Ramachandriya Research Associate Dept. of Biosystems and Agricultural Engineering Oklahoma State University Stillwater, Oklahoma, USA.

What after 4 years of B.Tech?

Future plans Job What is the salary? Higher studies Which college? India UK, Australia, Germany, US. Money matters

Branches of biomedical engineering

Bioinstrumentation Biomaterials Biomechanics Cellular, Tissue, and Genetic Engineering Clinical Engineering Medical Imaging Orthopedic Bioengineering Rehabilitation engineering Systems Physiology Which branch are you in?

Opportunities in the US
Marketability of students Quality of education State-of-art-laboratories Work while you study Research Assistant ~ 1000 USD ~ 45,000 INR 30% savings Work experience Salary increases by performance and availability of funds. You get additional scholarships, fellowships and assistantships.

Scholarship, Fellowship, Assistantship

Scholarship: The department pays most of your fees.
If fees is ~ $ 5500, Dept. pays of $4300

Fellowship The money that you get from governmental agencies.

Fullbright, Graduate Student Fellowship etc.

Assistantship (Salary) Part time employee Teaching Research Graduate Half time (20 h/week) / Quarter time (10 h/week)

How do you get the Research Assistant position?

Good understanding of the basic principles. Should have sound practical knowledge. Mini project and final year project (~ 6 months experience). Papers in peer reviewed journals ~1. Presentations at conferences ~ 2-3. Attend 2-3 conference. Industrial work experience.

What are the factors that determine admission?

Work experience Student academic background (Percentage, Rank) Statement of purpose ( ~ 1-2 pages) Letters of recommendation (3 letters) GRE and TOEFL scores

Which department to apply?

Biosystems Engineering Chemical Engineering Biochemical Engineering Biomedical Engineering

Case Study
Fees is $5500 (each quarter). Scholarships ~ $4200 (each quarter). You need to pay ~ $1300 (each quarter). Your quarterly salary ~ $1000. Monthly expenses ~ $600. Savings ~ $ 400. Can you survive? Can you send home some money? Other scholarships and fellowships.

Case Study- Worst case scenario

What if you dont get a RA position when you get an admit letter? You can still work as a Graduate Assistant (GA) at libraries, other departments, student union etc etc. ~ $ 650/ month hand to mouth survival. Most departments provide scholarships and your fees will be waived off. Otherwise, maximum of 6 months, you will get some kind of assistantships at your department.

What if I study/work in India?

Work Salary?
Study Where IIT, Anna University, Deemed Universities, Private colleges. Fees 50,000 - 1,00,000 INR (1000-2000 USD) Experience? Dependency? What after doing M. Tech in India?

Take home message Biomedical/ biotechnology sector is not established in India.

GRE and TOEFL

GRE (Graduate Record Examination)

TOEFL (Test of English as a Foreign Language)

GRE (Graduate Record Exam)

Gateway to graduate programs in the US. Three sections: Analytical Writing (Out of 6) Can student think articulatively. Writing skills. Verbal reasoning (Out of 800) Can student analyze a written material. Reading comprehension, Verbal reasoning, Anology reasoning Quantitative reasoning (Out of 800) Does student have problem solving skills. Arithmetic, Algebra, Geometry and Data analysis.

GRE (Cont)
For admission - Mandatory for some colleges and not for others. For scholarship - Mandatory. Minimum score depends from one college to other (~1100/1600). Higher score increases probability of admission.

Books for GRE preparation

Barrons GRE (~ 3500 words)

Word power made easy (~ 1000 words) - Norman Lewis

TOEFL (Test of English as a Foreign Language)

Measures your ability to communicate in English in colleges and universities. Sections: Read (30) Listen (30) Speak (30) Write (30) Minimum of 20 in each section (prefarable). Mandatory for admissions into the US.

GRE Coaching Centres in Chennai

Kaplan Princeton Review Visu Time

My recommendation is: LYCEUM http://thelyceum.org.in/index.php TOEFL coaching is not required for students who have had their schooling in English medium.

THANK YOU
Imagination is more important than knowledge. Knowledge is limited. Imagination encircles the world. -- Albert Einstein

An education isn't how much you have committed to memory, or even how much you know. It's being able to differentiate between what you know and what you don't. -- Anatole France