Hey guys I really need help ASAP finalizing my major. Background: I’m gonna be a pre med applying to highly selective colleges. The dilemma is that although I’m aiming for med school, I want to have a solid back up plan. My top two choices are BME and ChemEng. I don’t wanna do pure bio or chem cause I heard job prospects aren’t good if ur not a doctor. Also, I’m good with memorizing but I get bored of just 1 topic so I like interdisciplinary stuff. I’m also pretty good at math and problem solving. The issue is I heard ChemEng and BME are notorious for lowering GPA which I need to keep super high for med school. I also want time to intern, volunteer, etc. Sooo, my question boils down to: are ChemEng or BME too hard to do with pre med gpa and is there a good amount of chemistry and biology respectively in each major (cause I don’t want a mostly engineering focus)? If not, what other majors do you recommend?
If you do not want a mostly engineering focus, no engineering major will be a good idea.
What subjects do you like?
I enjoy Bio, math, and chem mainly. The thing is if an engineering major has a good amount of bio/chem, Im cool with it. It becomes a problem when its almost completely engineering.
engineering is engineering. I’d focus on your math interests, or applied math, or statistics. Lots of good prospects there as your “back up plan.”
Chem E is more Physics than Chemistry. About the only courses that may apply directly to pre Med are going to be your math courses which are overkill, basic chemistry and maybe O Chem. Beyond that you will be taking a lot of challenging courses having little to do with completing your prerequisites. I think Chem E is better for the student who wants to study engineering and may want to consider medicine than the other way around. I don’t know much about Biomed but I would think it would at least cover some of the bio courses you would need.
The good thing is that you don’t have to pick now…just randomly pick one for now. The freshman courses will be the same for both (Calc, Physics, Chem, etc). Talk to professors/advisers …you don’t have to declare a major until after sophomore year.
I would pick based on which of them has the most overlap in coursework with premed…like if you have to take Organic Chem for Chem E, then that would be better.
Aside from the GPA issue, there are a lot of prereqs to graduate with a chem E degree and you may have trouble getting in your pre-med requirements and still graduating in 4 years. At my daughter’s school, there are more premeds doing BME because there is more flexibility in the course requirements. That also can negatively impact the job hunt too.
And yes to Ivvcsf’s post about physics in chem e. Lots and lots of physics, especially to start.
@momofsenior1 it will continue. Thermodynamics, Heat and Mass Transfer, Fluids, Separations, and Reactions are all pretty much Physics based. Physical Chemistry is more quantum mechanics than chemistry. The freshman courses would probably be the most relevant to preMed.
If you like math and statistics, those majors may be easier to fit pre-med courses around and offer more backup options than biology or chemistry in the likely event that you do not get into medical school.
My son graduated with a ChemE degree as a premed.
I think this is a risky plan for a premed. If you want a Plan B, then choose a good school that has ChemE and be premed.
Thanks everyone. I’m getting the vibe that ChemE is too much physics and math. Also @mom2collegekids r u recommending that I go to a less selective undergrad school for pre med?
Highly selective colleges dont ask you to pick a specific major. In most schools, you can change your major irrespective of what you thought you would study when applying. It can be a little harder if they are broken up into separate schools like engineering or business etc.
If you are applying to selective state schools they may admit you by major and it may not be as easy to change if the school has a highly ranked engineering program.
Different schools offer different programs under engineering majors. A school with biomolecular specialty in Chemical engineering may cover most of the minimum required classes for premed (one year of physics, biology, regular chemistry and one year of organic chemistry, at least one math class, one year of English). So if you go to a school which does not require selecting a major upfront, you can review the curriculum and determine which major allows you to overlap most of the premed requirements if you do choose engineering.
Chemical usually pays more than biomed if you do choose not to do medicine.
Summary: It really depends on the school. For each school: research the relative course flexibility, difficulty, and career prospects of biomedical versus chemical engineering. Converse with students and faculty in each department. Pay attention to what piques your interest (e.g. maybe one school has awesome orthopedic biomechanics research going on between several BME professors, and that sways your decision towards BME at that particular school).
Longer answer: I studied biomedical engineering, and my sister studied chemical engineering. At our school, I think you would be happier in biomedical engineering. Its curriculum is extremely broad, varied, and interdisciplinary with opportunities to specialize if you wish. Of course, it is firmly rooted in medicine, which keeps the pre-meds inspired throughout college. It is also the path of lesser resistance when compared to chemical engineering, as most pre-med requirements are requirements for the major itself. Further, our chemical engineering program is top 10 in the US and is known to be rather brutal if you’re concerned about gpa. On that note, if career prospects are your primary motivation, our chemEs seem to have the best jobs lined up well before graduation.
On a final note: it is absolutely possible to make it as a pre-med in both, so don’t be afraid! You don’t have to be a genius, but you must work hard. Good luck 
Daughter graduated completing premed classes along with a bme major.
She was taking 17 to 18 credits a semester to graduate in four years. It was a ton of work and more than likely you will take a gap year after you graduate to get a break and prepare for applying to med school.
You run the risk of messing up your gpa. The engineering classes are going to be harder than your premed classes.
Imagine taking two premed classes and 3 engineering classes each semester. That makes for a very stressful schedule.
Pay attention to the following. Remember GPA is the most unforgiving one among GPA, MCAT and ECs. Once you ruin your GPA, it takes forever (time & money) to bring it up.
In a word…yes.
It may depend on the chosen school. Some ChemE programs have a “premed track” so there’s a plan to get it all in and/or may allow generous AP credits which also help students fit it all in.
My ChemE son had no trouble fitting it all in. His school did have a ChemE premed track and also gave AP credits. He was essentially done after only 3 years. The 4th year was simply for fun.
Some top schools have competing requirements that take up a lot of space on their transcript which dont always have anything to do with engineering or premed. Columbia for example has a core with about 6-8 additional classes to be completed in liberal arts.
@Malluman Chem Eng is good for alternate career path ( Plan B) with good job prospects. It can be tough on your GPA. It would be hard to get GPA > 3.7 for medical school admission. You start earning good paycheck after 4 years. It is not a long grueling journey as in Medical School.
D is a CS premed sophomore at Vandy. She planned her classes out for the 4 years ( wanted to get all premed classes before the summer of junior year, but that would mean that she is slightly behind on CS classes until this semester) and there is really no playing room. The problem is that she is repeating science classes per the advice of Health Profession Counselling, in spite of her AP credits. This semester, she has two science classes with labs, and one CS, one writing and Psy. Yes, 17 credits are not fun!
She will also get a math minor after she is done with CS degree.