About to be a senior majoring in bme... Looking for advice about motivation, etc

College Majors Engineering Majors
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<p>Hey everyone, I'm about to be a senior and my major is biomedical engineering. Lately I've been having problems with motivation. I just feel like I don't know what I want to do with my life once I graduate. My main interest has been tissue engineering but it seems like most of the bme companies around here focus on making medical equipment and prosthetics. I'm taking Organic Chem II this summer and the professor is probably one of the best I've ever had. He's made chemistry extremely interesting for me and I've thought about getting into drug design or drug delivery was possible with a bme degree. Taking his class has made me seriously consider getting a chemistry minor ( I would only need to take 2 more chem classes).</p>

<p>Mainly what I think I'm asking of you guys is what you think of career opportunities for a biomedical engineer with a strong interest in chemistry as well? Sorry if I'm rambling. My thoughts have been all over the place lately and I feel sort of lost.</p>

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<p>Actually, my son is interested in doing the stuff you’re not interested in. He’ll be senior mechanical engineering next year and looking to do grad school in BME. Do you mind if I ask, if not what college you go to, but what area of the country you are in?</p>

<p>Also, if you intend to go to grad school for BME, you should look at the different schools and see the areas they concentrate in. Many of the BME grad schools do concentrate on drug delivery systems, tissue engineering, genetics, rather than the “nuts and bolts” building medical equipment/devices that my son is interested in.</p>

<p>As for drug delivery/chemistry, I would recommend taking those chemistry courses, if you would like, but if you are planning on grad school, you may actually take them as part of your BME grad curriculum. Son and I have been looking over coursework in grad programs, and many of them do require science/technical electives, so that is where you would pick up your extra chemistry. My son will pick up the biology that he hasn’t been able to fit in as an undergrad, that is, if he gets into grad school.</p>

<p>I have a degree in biology and chemistry, taught high school chemistry, and worked as a research technician at a local medical school in the pharmacology lab. This was over 25 years ago, so things were not as technical as they are now, but I did work in cancer drugs and drug delivery methods even back then. </p>

<p>Perhaps an MD/Ph.D. program might be something you’re interested in, and since you’re taking a full year of organic, you’d have that requirement taken care of.</p>

<p>Good luck to you, and looking forward to hearing from you about your school/area of the country, where making medical equipment and prosthetics is the focus, as that is what my son wants to specialize in.</p>

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<p>I live in the midwest. Specifically at the University of Iowa. There aren’t a huge number of BME companies in Iowa, but there are more in surrounding areas like Minnesota and Illinois.</p>

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<p>Thank you. Son had wanted to go to Marquette, but we couldn’t afford it. A CC friend in the same boat sent their son to UIowa. Hope he is doing well.</p>

<p>I would suggest you look at Tulane University, a well respected university in NOLA. There is a lot of building downtown post Katrina for medical research that you may be interested in. It does offer a BME graduate program, as well as an MD/PH.D., tropical health. It is expensive, but there are lots of research opportunities available and you could probably get funding. Good luck!</p>

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<p>ccmetz, if you are interested in getting into drug design or drug delivery I would suggest you try to take a course or two in medicinal chemistry. The Med Chem department at the University of Iowa is top-notched</p>