I’m having a bit of a dilemma with what major to declare when applying to colleges. I’m aiming for a few t30 schools and I’m pretty set on engineering as a major. However, I haven’t taken all that many engineering/physics classes (aside from senior year), and I have virtually no engineering ecs. I have taken several bio classes including AP bio (which I got a 5 on) and I’ve taken the bio subject test (760). My bio teacher is also writing one of my letters of rec. I simply have very little interest in going into medicine and majoring in biology. I do have an interest in biomedical engineering, but I’m more interested in electrical engineering and cs, especially from a career perspective. Would it be advisable to declare a major in ee/cs, or would it be better to apply as a bme (given my biology background) and then potentially switch later on within an engineering school?
Apply for and write supplements about what you are really interested in. There is overlap between many of the engineering fields. I’ve heard and read more than once that majoring in a different engineering field and taking some extra bio classes is often better than a BME at the undergraduate level anyway.
How would you describe your math level/ability/grades? That would be an important piece too.
I would say I’m a higher level math student, but nothing exceptional. 790 on SAT math, 98 in precalc and ap stats, taking calc AB and aiming for 750+ on math 2 this October.
Sounds like you have strong math stats too. I think you will do fine.
Sounds like you really want EE/CS. But I think choosing “Engineering, Undecided” or “Exploring Engineering” or “General Engineering” would be fine if the college offers one of these choices in the application. They understand that, although you want engineering, you may not have decided on a discipline. Most engineering students choose a path late in their freshman year.
Good luck!
Only on CC would a student with a 790 say they were nothing exceptional. FYI, a 790 means you missed a single question all day.
As for major, CS isn’t for everyone. Have you coded? Can you see yourself in front of a terminal 8h/day? Why EE? It is far less tangible than BME. Did you really enjoy that portion of physics? You might want to consider ME if you like things that are more tangible. Mechatronics does blend a little EE into ME.
Lastly, expand your view beyond “t30.” There are plenty in there known to offer less than ideal experiences and lots of great schools outside the top 30. More importantly, there are great schools like Harvey Mudd, Olin, Cal Poly, and Rose Hulman, to name a few, that aren’t in the same ranking because they don’t have doctoral programs.
Good luck!
Agree with @eyemgh. Expand your list to t50. You will be amazed at the great schools out there. Many with better scholarship opportunities also. My son wanted t10. I made him look into and apply to a few from 20-50. Due to merit Alabama is hot right now. Iowa State has great merit.
You have plenty of time to explore your options on campus. If you enjoy Bio/EE/CS, think about the imaging side of BME.