I am applying to the Purdue College of Engineering and will probably end up studying MechE if accepted. I was planning on a premed track, but wanted a solid major for backup. Because it is harder to find a job from BME, I was wondering if it was feasible to dual major in MechE and Biology while pursuing premed. Is this too much? I’m not sure as to how rigorous the academics are here, but I would assume they are pretty difficult at such a prestigious engineering college.
Do not do engineering here if you want to do pre-med. The grade deflation for engineering here is ridiculous. Purdue has a fairly recent program in engineering technology. Purdue appears to be doing its hardest to discourage people from engineering and instead to go to engineering tech. If you’re a good student, it won’t matter too much but your grades will likely be deflated as a result. This is not good for professional school.
Alright, thank you for your feedback. I was interested in doing premed, but just wanted a solid backup in case I lose interest or do not get accepted in medical school. I’ll definitely have some decisions to make down the road, to say the least.
I largely agree with the previous poster. You need to determine what you really want. Do you want to be an engineer who might want to consider med school or someone who wants to optimize their opportunity to get into med school.
Purdue’s engineering program is not for the faint of heart, especially their ME program. Their second semester ME Thermodynamics class is considered one of the hardest courses in the nation. I believe the average is something like a C.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/03/29/the-hardest-college-class_n_841930.html
I wouldn’t consider double majoring. The two majors would both consume too many hours even assuming some courses would be considered for both majors. If you are primarily interested in engineering and want to keep med school options open then consider Chem E. It will cover the Chemistry and Physics you need. You will still need biology, anatomy and physiology, nutrition, psychology and some more I have forgotten. All in all not very forgiving electives. If you have a lot of AP credits it may make it easier to finish in 4 years. If your attitude is that if your grades are good (3.5 or better) then go ahead and take the MCATs and see where it takes you. If you struggle then you have a shot as an engineer.
If your primary goal is to become a doctor then you may reconsider your priorities. There is not really going to be an easy engineering school although there are those you will be more likely to be at the top of their class. You can essentially major in anything to apply to med school so long as you have completed their prerequisite courses. Med schools consider GPA, and MCAT scores more than which school you attend.
I’m not trying to talk you out of it because it is doable. @mom2collegekids has a son who graduated as a Chem E and went onto med school. I don’t believe he double majored however.
Thanks for the reply, @Ivvcsf . What do you think of BME plus premed? It’s just that the job field for BME isn’t as great as MechE or ChemE and I feel that an engineering major would help separate me from the rest of the med school applicant pool.
It is my understanding that BME positions usually require an advanced degree. If you are looking for an engineering degree to “fall back on” then it may not be the best course. Please understand I’m just a dad with two kids in college and one who is an engineering major at Purdue. My second D want to be a Physical Therapist which requires undergrad course work similar to a pre-med major. I would say the engineering degree is definitely more challenging. The level of math and physics is definitely higher than pre med. In my opinion the courses require different strengths. The engineering is very conceptual, while the biology and anatomy and physiology is very memorization based.
I am not an engineer myself. Some of what I’ve said is through the experience my D has had at Purdue and from my younger Ds pursuing an allied health degree, the rest is information gleaned from CC. I would say that you will likely be discouraged from double majoring in two different colleges by Purdue. I am sure there are a number of engineering majors who might have similar ideas concerning med school and Purdue could work with you on arranging a schedule to fit in those courses. Good luck.