<p>Hey I'm a rising senior looking to apply to UCLA in the fall, and I'm sort of on the border and I'm wondering if I should apply for bioengineering or for biology and possibly try to transfer, I like both majors but favor bioeng, but I'm afraid that I'll be denied because of the competitiveness into the the major. Any insight is greatly appreciated
Uc uw: 3.75
Uc w: 4.08
Sat best(of 2) :2180(670 cr, 740 m, 770w)
Act (took blind going to retake with some studying): 31
Sat2:math: ~750 bio e:~700 (still havent taken but that's what my practice would suggest
I play varsity lacrosse and have won awards for leadership, I volunteer in a hospital 12 hrs a week will have approx. 200 hours by apps, and for senior year I'll be interning at a local biotech company.</p>
<p>Well after colleges, you dont have much job opprotunities with a major like biology. The Biotech field is projected to be the fastest growing field right now. Also you can get a decent paying job right after college. I personally am more favorable towards Bioengineering. You can always change your major if its not what you want.</p>
<p>That’s how I feel but im just worried the difference between getting into an engineering major(especially such a popular one) will prevent me from admissions</p>
<p>bioengineering is a competitive major, so its hard for u to get in.</p>
<p>It is much harder to be admitted as an engineering student than a biology student in College of Letters and Science.</p>
<p>So would it be a good idea to apply to l&s and transfer?</p>
<p>I would apply for BioE. Honestly, unless you are a gunner and want to go to med school, BioE will be your best route.</p>
<p>You’re likely to get a high paying job [for a Bachelor’s degree only] after college. Furthermore, it’s a very practical degree as Engineering is a profession and not a liberal art. Biology on the other hand, is almost as useless as a B.A. in History if you have no intention on going to graduate school. You won’t get a great job with just a B.S. in Biology.</p>
<p>So if you want to work immediately after college or don’t mind going to school for 1-2 more years for a Masters degree, then do BioE.</p>
<p>If you intend to pursue another profession, such as Optometry, Pharmacy, Veterinary Medicine, Oesteopathic Medicine, Medicine (M.D.), MPH (Masters in Public Health), then Biology would be the ideal since it’s significantly easier than BioE.</p>
<p>notaznguy. I don’t know about the high paying job for a bachelor’s degree only part…My cousin who did receive a bachelors for bioengineering did not receive her current job until after getting her masters. She was unemployed after graduating with her bachelors. I say, research more about BioE first laxing and see what you like more. I applied for BioE for UCLA as my first choice, and EE as my second. I got EE, which isn’t so bad since I can go into another field like Biomedical Engineering. </p>
<p>I second the things about bio and into graduate school. Mostly, if you have a bio degree you would want to go to a grad school of some sort.</p>
<p>Oh I totally forgot la gives you a second choice! But yeah I’ve done a lot of research bioe a masters is almost always needed but I’m considering med school (if I try hard I can get the grades). So I’ll apply bioeng first choice, and biology second! And If I hate it I can get a good gpa and request to change</p>
<p>That is why when you read carefully, you’ll notice I wrote, “you’ll likely,” which suggests that if the OP majors in BioE, there is a chance he will get a high paying job, and there is a chance he will not get a high paying job. I never indicated how likely he was to secure a job, I just said it was more likely over just a B.S. in Biology because overall, Engineers make more than other majors that just have a bachelor’s degree.</p>
<p>Furthermore, everyone knows how anecdotal evidence is useless on the internet (or anywhere for that matter). We do not know your cousin and we do not know her circumstances. Since you did not mention it, I could have assumed your cousin graduated with a 2.3 GPA, has a horrible personality and awkward social skills, and put a half ass effort to look for a job. Also, you mention she was unemployed after graduation, but you did not state for how long. For all I know, she could have been unemployed the day after her graduation, but she was hired by a BioTech company the day after. Lastly, you mention she did not receive her current job until she got her Masters. This is out the scope because for all we know, she held multiple Engineering related jobs before obtaining her Masters.</p>
<p>I don’t know about the bioeng major to be honest. It’s very new with little reputation. If you’re a good student then you’ll get a job but if you’re average, you might find the going rough. I’ve also heard(from a guy in the industry) it’s not so attractive to employers because it’s a mishmash of other eng fields. You become a jack of all trades and a master of none. One I’d thing I’d recommend is doing a related engineering discipline(ee, meche, cheme) and doing the track in those majors related to bioeng. Or even do atech breadth or minor in bioeng if you’re inclined.</p>