Would I get into Stanford University?

How can i get into stanford/john hopkins university for graduate studies?

• hi ppl, i'm currently a freshman at Purdue university and i just started my first year of college.. I wanted to know what I should during the next 4 years in order to get into stanford/john hopkins for graduate studies? I'm planning to take up biomedical engineering.. what is the GPA required to get into these two colleges? what activities should i participate in? thats it for now.. thanks for you help in advance! :)

• Answer:

  You should definitely focus on your studies and you need a lot of undergraduate research experience. For your GPA, I think anything above a 3.5 would probably be ok. It doesn't matter if you volunteer or anything like that. For graduate school in scientific or engineering field, what matters is your potential to be an outstanding scientist. Along these lines, if you can prove that you are a capable researcher you will demonstrate to the admissions committee that you can earn at Ph.D. Start research your summer after the first year. If you know what subfield you want, find a really good professor who is well known and respected and work for them. If possible, get a publication and present at Purdue poster sessions and undergraduate research expos. Honestly I wouldn't waste your time voluteering or doing community services or anything like that. If you want to join juggling club do it because it's fun, and not to put on your application. I promise you those things won't help your application. When you actually begin applying, you will need 3 or 4 really nice reference letters from faculty in biomed engineering. Start talking to professors now so they know you. I had two faculty with whom I did research, and another on my undergrad thesis board write letters for me. They should be well acquainted with the type of student you are and what your caliber is. You also need to take the GRE general exam. Your verbal score won't matter at all, but you should get above a 750 on the math part and a strong writing score. I think I've covered all the general important things. In summary, the most important aspects are your mastery of undergraduate curriculum as evidenced by a good GPA and I think the most important aspect is your research experience. Good luck.