<p>I am going to be a freshman this year in college and i'm not too sure what I want to major in. I've always wanted to go to med school and so I am currently enrolled as a biochem major. However, after some thinking I realized that if I didn't get into med school it would be difficult to find a job because being a researcher or a teacher isn't very appealing to me. I have been thinking about going into biomedical engineering because then I would be able to apply to med school and still have a backup if I didn't make it. What is your opinion on biomedical engineering? Is it too difficult and time consuming? What are the job opportunities in the field?</p>
<p>If you’re real goal is to be a Doctor, you might as well stick with Biochem and get the best grades possible. If you do that and do well on the MCAT, you won’t have to worry about finding another job, because you’ll be in med school. Have some faith in yourself and just work hard to accomplish your goals.</p>
<p>I was accepted to medical school with a Biochem major. If I were to do it all over, I would not have majored in that. You don’t have to major in Biochem to get into medical school, heck, it doesn’t guaranteed acceptance because so many students have majored in Biochem, Biology, and Chem. When students are not accepted or change their minds, there ends up being a huge glut of Biochem majors fighting for a lab tech job. If you don’t get in or change your mind, then you will sadly be stuck with a degree with poor job prospects as you pay back loans. I have seen it so many times. You can still major in biomedical engineering, as long as you take the required premed classes. I have known English or Gym majors who were accepted. Again, if you decide not to apply to med school, you will have a job because I heard biomedical engineering is more promising. </p>
<p>Anyways, do well on the MCAT, get an excellent GPA, shadow docs, volunteer, work, research, etc, and anything that will make you stick out. Apply early and broad! Also, do highly well on the interview. Medical school is getting more and more competitive each year. Work hard and have faith in yourself. You can do it. Good luck!</p>
<p>Probably depends on your school. I’m not convinced that undergrad BME is all that much better as a backup than biochem.</p>
<p>It doesn’t depend on your school. A Biochem major is a Biochem major. I have had the same degree and worked the same jobs with Biochem majors who have went to top colleges. I even worked side by side with PhDs and I have a BS doing grunt lab work. Biochem sadly, has become a huge joke.</p>
<p>It actually depends on the individual and your experience. If you do a quick search on the career prospects of Biochem, many of them require a lot of experience and highly specific skills, even for an entry level job with laughable pay. That would require you to pay for test and do many internships. Jobs are getting more and more competitive too because of the huge glut of Biochemist. So, if you major in Biochem, get a lot of experience and specific skills these jobs want. But hey, it is your life. Do what’s best for you. Good luck in whatever you choose.</p>
<p>^ Prospects for biochem may not vary a great deal by program but I suspect the same is not true for BME.</p>
<p>Personally, I have known BME who were able to find more jobs than I did. As well as opportunities to advance. But, if you have your doubts on these degrees, just choose either major and shadow doctors to see if you want to do what they do. You will have only a taste of what they do, but you will see what doctors do more when you get into medical school. If you still want to become a doctor after shadowing, apply to medical school and stay in. That way, you won’t have to worry about using your BS as a back up. The poor career prospects will motivate you to becoming a doctor.</p>
<p>Also, what will really tell you where these two majors are heading, go to google.com, careerbuilder.com, indeed.com, etc and type in “Biochem jobs” and “BME jobs”. That way, you can get a feel on what to expect when you graduate. I should have done that, that would of saved me a lot of time, money, and less life wasted. Also, read up on articles on the future outlook on these jobs. Whether they are likely to increase or be placed on the worst majors list. Just do tons of research. Good luck.</p>
<p>BME isn’t all that better than biochem, chem, or bio. Many companies don’t really recognize BME. I know many BMEs that end up just doing programming, consulting, or financial jobs. Why hire a BME when you can just get a mechanical, chemical, electrical, or computer engineer, while teaching them biology on the side, to do the same thing? BME employment outlooks always look rosy because there are probably 1000 jobs out there with “BME” labels. If you create another 1000 jobs, wow that’s 100% increase expected, even though you’re graduating 15,000 BMEs per year. </p>
<p>You have to questions why your REALLY want to go to med school. Many people are not honest with themselves and just want to go because of the money. Guess what, after 10-15 years experience, many engineers are at mid-level to management positions and are easily raking in $120k+ salaries if they’re good at what they do. Plus they aren’t saddled with tons of debt, a highly stressful job, don’t have to work 60 hours per week and holidays/weekends. Also, going because you “want to help people” is a weak reason. Engineers can help millions of people at time by developing a new imaging technology, drug delivery device, or artificial limb. God bless the people out there that want to be docs out of pure love for such a stressful and time consuming job with lots of red tape. I’m glad I don’t have to do it. </p>
<p>If I could do it all over again, I’d easily do computer or electrical engineering–two fields with high salary and demand. Mechanical engineering is sort of like the swiss army knife of engineering, they can do almost everything, and are always in demand. Basically anything that involved electronics, computers, or programming will be in demand and pay well in the future. Work for 10 years and make management level. Then you’ll be raking in cash. Too many kids these days expect $70, 80, 90, 100k + salaries right out of college. Those salaries take years under the belt to get.</p>
<p>The bottom line is:</p>
<p>If you major in Biochem and do well (3.5+ GPA, 3.5+ Science GPA) and get over a 30 MCAT, I guarantee you will be accepted into a Pre-professional school of some sort. That might not necessarily mean MD med school; but it could mean DO med school, dental school, podiatry school, physical therapy school, or Pharm school. </p>
<p>Of course that’s a rough way of putting it, but you see what I mean. You don’t have to worry about job prospects with a Biochem major if you just work your butt off to get good grades, a good MCAT, and some decent clinical volunteering hours. As a BME major, you’re not only putting your GPA at risk, but you’re filling your schedule ALONG with having to take med school pre-reqs.</p>
<p>@Graveneworld: I do agree that both these degrees don’t offer any good career prospects. You have some excellent advice! If I were to do it all over, I would major in something else. The OP was asking about which out of the two they should major in. If you wanna go to medical school, out of these two, do Biochem. A good GPA and MCAT are what they are really looking for. Trust me, I have been to med school interviews and stats matter more. BUT, if you change your mind or don’t get in and want to get a job as a Biochemist, a degree in Biochem ALONE is not a good back up degree either. No matter how good grades you may have, you have to have more specific skills and experience due to a huge glut of Biochemist with better resumes applying for the same jobs. I would still do more research if I were you and look at jobs in your area in favor of which degree too.</p>
<p>If possible, why not major in Biochem and minor in something else? Or, like Grave said, ask yourself why you want to go to medical school. There are other careers out there where you can help people, don’t have to worry about huge debt, the schooling isn’t as long, and are just as respected and prestigious. Good luck</p>
<p>What was your inclination for choosing Biochemistry in the first place - If you enjoy it, do it. However, it is good to know that Biochemistry is not much different from a medicinal chemistry degree or biology degree. Most of these majors are intended for people who wish to do research, teach, etc. This can also include pharmacy, medical, dental, etc. Anyways, the bottom like is that these degrees require much more schooling. I am a medicinal chemistry major, but never once would I consider settling for just that. I am pursuing a pharmaceutical science Ph.D which offers more than just being a professor living under grants, etc</p>
<p>^Exactly. With degrees like Biochem, you need extra schooling, training, test taking, etc when using it as a back up because Biochem is way too broad. You are not taught every skill in class, so you have to reach out on your own. However, it is a good major as a stepping stone for graduate school. BME is a little more specialized, but just like Grave said, that maybe good for some jobs but not all due to limitations. I wouldn’t think it’s a good major than Biochem for medical school, because like said before, you can finish most of your premed classes with a Biochem degree easily. Good luck!</p>