I am a rising high school senior and I am having trouble trying to decide what major I want to do. At this point, I think I want to be a doctor, so I will be doing pre-med studies as well. For my major, I am kinda stuck between biomedical engineering, biochemical engineering, kinesiology and possibly considering electrical engineering. I think BME or biochemical would complement pre-med well and provide a good backup if I decide I don’t want to do medicine as well. But from what I’ve seen, it is harder to get into some colleges if you apply as an engineering major (such as Cal Poly SLO: http://admissions.calpoly.edu/prospective/profile.html). As for kinesiology, it would work well with pre-med too, but if for some reason I decide I want to do engineering and I am at a school like a UC where engineering is impacted, from what I have heard, it is hard to change majors. I have also read that BME does not include a lot of the engineering component and it would be more practical to just do electrical engineering instead.
Basically what I am saying is that I want to be doctor, but if I decide medicine is not right for me, I would want to go into engineering.
So to sum up my concerns/questions:
Is it harder to get into a college as an engineering major than other majors?
Is it difficult to switch into engineering during college?
Does biomedical engineering put you at a disadvantage compared to other engineers?
Out of BME, biochemical engineering, kinesiology, and Electrical engineering, which one do you think would make the most sense to do?
Sorry this was kinda long, but any advice is appreciated!
The valedictorian from my daughter’s high school is planning to become a doctor, and she is majoring in biomedical engineering. It makes the most sense for preparing for med school because it will cover some of the basic required sciences and something like electrical engineering won’t. It also makes the most sense as the backup engineering career, because it is related to the medical field, which is obviously (I hope) something you are truly interested in. There are very exciting things going on in the biomedical engineering field, so I’m sure there are plenty of opportunities if you chose that instead of med school.
Yes, it is very difficult to switch into engineering if you start in a different major, if you plan to graduate in four years. I would think you definitely want to graduate in four years if you’re looking at med school or any other graduate degree. However, keep in mind that you can major in something like chemistry and then, if you decide you want to do engineering instead of med school, you can just get a master’s degree in engineering and become an engineer that way.
I’m no expert on admissions to med school, but from what I’ve heard, your GPA will be very important. When choosing a major undergrad, keep in mind that engineering programs have lots of weed-out courses that are extremely difficult even for highly capable students, and that the average GPA of engineering students is often below a B average – certainly not a 4.0, all A average. You don’t want to crush your dreams of medical school by choosing a major that forces you into a different path because of grades. Some medical programs accept students who have “easier” majors in the humanities, and by easier, I mean that they are degree programs that tend to have much higher GPAs across the board and require fewer all-nighters to do the work.
Know yourself. For some students, certain subjects come naturally and easily, and a “difficult” STEM course requires little effort from them to master. For other students, it takes tons of study and work to master the same material. Go to college websites for the various majors you are considering and actually look at the courses you would have to take to complete the major, and think about how those line up with your abilities and interests, and choose accordingly.
At some colleges, yes. At other colleges, no. It depends on where you're applying. For most UCs and Cal States, engineering majors are harder to get into.
Yes, because engineering requires a specific sequence of coursework that begins freshman year. Switching in later can delay graduation.
Some say yes; I think it depends on what coursework you take and what your career plans are. It would probably be harder to go into a more general engineering role post-college; if you want the most options open to you, a major in mechanical or electrical engineering with a minor in biology might be the better bet. If you know for sure that biomedical engineering would be where you're heading if you don't go to medical school, then it doesn't matter.
I think it depends on your interests and future career goals. Engineering is a very thriving field and has lucrative career opportunities, but you have to like engineering and actually want to be an engineer for it to work out. Electrical engineering is one of the more lucrative ones, and widely applicable across industries, but because of that it's also one of the more competitive majors (especially since it's often paired with computer science & engineering). Biomedical engineering is a little bit more narrowly applied but still has career options and is projected to grow nearly 30% over the next 10-15 years. I'm not sure that there are great bachelor's only options related to kinesiology specifically - but you can do anything with a kinesiology degree; it just doens't relate specifically to anything. It's a common major for future athletic trainers, occupational and physical therapists, exercise physiologists, and related careers.
Sort of. You’d have to take a lot of engineering prerequisites to ensure that you were prepared for that path - so many that it might make more sense to just major in engineering to begin with. Most engineering master’s are designed for students with a bachelor’s in engineering or significant coursework in the physics, math, and engineering courses required as a prerequisite.
Too slow out the gate with this- the above posters have made a lot of these points while this was sitting in my drafts!
Caveat: it is hard to make categorical statements, b/c there are so many variations, but:
In general, engineering is nearly or completely a separate admissions track;
In general, the admissions standards are higher than average within a given college;
In general, it is easier to change out of engineering than change into it later.
BME v a different engineering is only a ‘disadvantage’ if you decide you want to do the other later- but you can always go back and get that qualification.
If you think you might want to move into an engineering field later, physics is your best bet for an undergrad course: there is the most overlap- much more than chem or even math.
