<p>Hi guys so i have some questions about double majoring. Basically i want to major in Biomedical Engineering and a premed major such as Biology or something along those lines. I know BME is a premed major but I dont want my focus to be totally on the engineering side of medicine. </p>
<p>For my tentative career plans, I would like to eventually become a doctor (idk what kind yet) which is where the premed part/biology major comes in and also still be able to partition some to half of my time to research which is where BME would come into play. I know some schools like Ohio St. offer dual Ph.D programs in both BME and Medicine (might be wrong about medicine part it might be biology). </p>
<p>I was just wondering if these plans were not possible/foolishly hard to undertake.</p>
<p>If this kind of double major/career is possible how much undergrad and grad schooling would I be looking at?</p>
<p>The schools im interested in are OSU, Johns Hopkins, Duke, MIT, UChicago, Vanderbilt, Harvard, Yale, and perhaps Princeton (lots of hard to get into schools i know)</p>
<p>Thanks!!</p>
<p>
If it is medicine, then it is a joint MD/PhD and it is oriented to those who want to do medical research (i.e., not work as a regular doctor or physician). If it is NOT medicine, then it is probably an interdisciplinary program - most schools will not allow the award of 2 separate PhD’s, or will allow it only under very unusual circumstances.</p>
<p>
Fairly. BME is not an easy field, and the schedule does not normally allow for a lot of flexibility. Given that it will provide you with an appropriate pre-med education with no (or minimal) extra courses, I am not sure why you need the double major. Bear in mind that a BME undergrad will open a few doors in your post-MD career, but it will not shut any - you can still be a pure MD with a BS in BME.</p>
<p>Considering how important grades are to med school admissions, I would heartily recommend picking a major, adding whatever additional classes are needed to qualify for med schools, and then just focus on getting the good grades. If you are serious about that PhD remember that you will ALSO need some undergrad research which will be difficult if you are double-majoring.</p>
<p>
Possible, yes, but you will pay a penalty in length. Double majoring in undergrad will probably take an extra year (maybe longer), and a dual-doctorate usually takes 6-7 hard years - and they are rushing you at that. So figure roughly 4 years extra to get a double major in undergrad (including BME) and a joint MD/PhD, not counting internship and residency.</p>
<p>Dang that would be alot of schooling… and most likely a lot of debt in the end. I think i just have fears of focusing too much on engineering/just sticking with engineering as a career choice rather than go to med school, which i have heard is frequently the case for BME who hope to go to med school. </p>
<p>You may have answered it and i just didnt notice it but is there such a career path where i can do like 50% of my time doing medical research and the other 50% doing actual practice of medicine?</p>
<p>Thanks for comment though it has helped clear my mind a bit.</p>
<p>Most Med school hopefuls actually do not do BME just for the reason that it is very hard to get good GPA in Engg and GPA is very important to Med school admissions.</p>
<p>On the other topic - doing medical research and practicing medicine are not necessarily mutually exclusive. Most large University hospitals have professors/researchers regularly attending to patients as well.</p>
<p>Awesome thanks brutally honest. Would i be at a personal disadvantage if i didnt do BME? I feel like it would help in my hopes of doing research. But i have no idea :/</p>
<p>
Yes, medical careers wander all over the spectrum. While many MD’s focus solely on practice and others focus entirely (or nearly so) on research, many devote some time to each. One common example is that medical researchers (who may or may not actually be MD’s) will partner with practicing MD’s to research new treatments, allowing the practitioner to work on some major research and allowing the researcher additional assistance with the clinical effort. Further, many practitioners who work for large organizations (including hospitals) are encouraged to perform research alongside their clinical duties, as it raises the profile (and often funding) for the organization.</p>
<p>For more details, ask these kind of questions in [Pre-Med</a> & Medical School - College Confidential](<a href=“http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/pre-med-medical-school/]Pre-Med”>Pre-Med & Medical School - College Confidential Forums)</p>
<p>
No disadvantage unless you are dead set on doing research in BME. Medical research spans dozens of fields, and while your undergrad degree will help you do research in that field it does not lock you out of others.</p>
<p>The main advantage you will have with BME is that it provides a solid alternative but related career if you decide (as so many do) that medical school is not for you. You may be either helped or hurt by the relative amount of work involved in the degree, but brutallyhonest is correct when he notes that your gpa in BME is almost certainly going to be lower than it would have been in any other pre-med field. I would not let that dissuade you, just be aware.</p>