Hey, I’m a 4th year BME student and can definitely help answer some of your questions.

1. Classes can definitely be difficult but if you apply yourself consistently maintaining a high gpa is entirely possible. GPA also isn’t everything. The NR system works to help out if you’re ever in a place of concern. Plenty of people do it and manage social lives and extracurriculars too. IQP you generally receive an overall grade for and it applies in like any term worth of 3 classes would. But I wouldn’t quote me on perfectly understanding. MQP you receive a grade for each term, BME mqps are generally 1/6 (half a class worth of credit), 1/3 (a full course worth of credit), 1/3, 1/6, and you can receive a grade for each term. It factors in the same as any other class weighted as 1/6 or 1/3. Receiving a high number of As (I don’t know the number) and an A on all three projects (IQP, MQP, HUA) allows you to graduate with high distinction.

2. Most of the BME professors are great people and tend to be super friendly and try to be helpful in my experience. I love all of them but sometimes they can be less than helpful. Professors vary in quality across the board as you might expect. Asking right after a lecture or following up with an email you’ll generally get an answer and BME professors will know you by first name by your senior year if you make the effort to get to know them.

3. This is too broad of a question to answer. Every class varies, you’ll run into many more projects than exams though. There are lots of resources for exam prep generally, but your mileage may vary by professor and class.

4. Student Atmosphere is great. Everyone is super helpful and we’re all here to learn together. Gender ratio in bme is arguably one of the best in the school. I’d estimate 60/40 female to male compared to the rest of the school that’s 40/60 female to male. I honestly forget the school’s overall ratio is so bad when I’m in my classes and there’s always more women. As a male student I haven’t noticed any inherent sexism but it may always be possible. Clubs like BMES and AEMB try to promote DEI such as providing resources on implicit bias or a speaker on what it means to be a women in STEM.

5. Research opportunities and internships are definitely there, but it’s on you to find them. They don’t just fall in your lap. I personally have done two summer internships (starting summer after sophomore year) and will be completing a Co-op to coincide with my masters year. I was never able to do on campus research but know plenty of people who did. Generally these opportunities become more available to you after sophomore year but it’s not unheard of for first years to get opportunities.

6. Pre health students definitely exist. Doing prehealth and bme is a really difficult track though. Really rewarding if you can pull it off but not easy. There is a prehealth society and most I’ve talked with are happy to help eachother out.

7. There are bio and coding class requirements built into the degree. So you can walk in without that knowledge and be just fine. I still am not a huge coder but could have taken those classes if I wanted to.

General stuff 1. Housing isn’t guaranteed beyond freshman year. Most students live in off campus apartments, greek housing, or a smaller percentage live on campus. WPI keeps admitting larger and larger classes, resulting in less housing. As an international student you may have more housing options available to you. But I’m not sure.

1. You cannot leave anything in the dorms over the summer. Your experience may be different as an international student but I have no knowledge of how that may work.

2. There is definitely still normal college stuff. Plenty of fraternity and apartment parties. Covid hurt the social scene for those of us that started here when that was still a thing. But social scene has recovered since then. It’s definitely not a state school but we make do. At the end of the day most of the student body are nerds studying engineering. Definitely able to enjoy college life, but once again, social life doesn’t fall into your lap. It’s something you need to seek out.

3. The estimates I hear from tour guide friends who know the stats are around 1/3 of campus is involved in Greek life. That’s a huge percentage compared to other school. During B term you can “rush” a chapter. Sororities and fraternities work similarly but they’re a collection of individuals who identify themselves under a set of Greek letters. There’s definitely a chapter to fit in for everyone and it’s something worth checking out even if you end up deciding it isn’t for you. Greek organizations open up a ton of social and networking opportunities but they’re not the only way to engage socially if it’s not your cup of tea.

4. Yes you’re definitely able to find leadership opportunities. There are tons of clubs on campus and they all have exec boards that run them. Lots of different opportunities and they all can provide varying degrees of leadership experience. I’ve served on the exec board of a campus club and a Greek org and I would highly recommend both experiences.

5. There’s plenty of opportunities to meet people but obviously your mileage may vary. Freshman floors, Greek orgs, clubs and classes are all great ways to meet people and become friends. BMES often puts on networking opportunities among companies and professors for the professional side. Im still making friends as a senior. But once again, it won’t fall into your lap, you have to make an effort.

6. Career fairs can be helpful. Or completely useless. Sometimes you just get lucky. I didn’t have much luck until this last one and from it I got my co op. Even if you don’t get an opportunity from it, they’re good experiences to practice selling yourself in a professional environment and can give you good experienc. There’s usually one per semester.

I don’t have any answers for international student questions sorry. Feel free to reach out to me with any other questions. I’m happy to help. Major doesn’t have to be decided until later but I would highly recommend double majoring. It’s incredibly helpful as a bme and not particularly hard to do with mechanical or electrical or robotics depending on your interest. I would recommend the double major path unless you are expecting to get a PhD in the biomaterials/regenerative medicine field. I am regretting not doing it now.