Engineering majors for premed?

<p>Would pursuing a science engineering major in college (biomedical engineering, chemical engineering, etc.) be a smart choice for PreMed, or would it be more beneficial to stick to a basic science major (chemistry, biology, etc.) ? I am asking this because PreMed as everyone knows is a very tough route and I would prefer to have an interesting backup in case PreMed fails.</p>

<p>I was thinking the same thing, so I am going to do bioengineering. However, I heard that engineering is really hard so I am not really sure. My school is giving me 1200 dollars a year if I do engineering so I'm going to do it for at least the first year to see how it goes.</p>

<p>I'm doing BME (biomedical engineering) because I am really interested in math, physics, and biology, but also in medicine. Actually, for BMEs, about 1/3 apply to medical school, 1/3 apply to grad school, and another 1/3 go to industry. It's actually a very popular major for pre-meds. IMHO, BME is a very viable option for a future medical degree because it provides you a way to not only have the basic "biology/medical" knowledge, but also a way to apply that knowledge to complex situations as a way to solve problems--a skill (i.e. problem-solving) that is vital for physicians, since a large component of medicine is pinpointing an illness, finding out what options there are, and then taking action. This is an especially key skill for future surgeons, who often need to think quickly on their feet, as well as efficiently, in pressured situations. In fact, any engineering degree, especially, may provide you with that vital skill. So definitely don't rule out engineering as a possible major if you're really interested in both engineering and medical school, and don't rule out engineering based on the latter interest. Also, don't forget that pre-med is not really a major and that medical students do have the freedom to major in whatever undergraduate major they wish, so long as they fulfill the requirements for med school.</p>

<p>Sari,</p>

<p>I'm thinking of doing a 5 year master's degree in BME, I love math so I'm interested in engineering. But, I want to become a physician even more. The problem is if I do engineering my GPA will suffer because of the difficulty. Should I major in something else I like for example Biology and have a better GPA or go into BME and risk dropping my GPA. My school is one of the top 10 in BME so that is a plus.</p>

<p>Tell me what you think.</p>

<p>if you are set on becoming a doctor, i would say pick something that u like and something in which u can keep ur GPA up and get involved with. Engineering will often cause GPA to suffer and thus i will not highly recommend it.</p>

<p>Any other reccomendations?</p>

<p>I visited JHU recently, obviously a very competitive school that turns out a lot of future doctors.</p>

<p>There must popular pre-med track is BME.</p>

<p>Our school's valedictorian is going to Duke for a BME degree then plans to go to med school. Same for about five other people I know.</p>

<p>BME seems to be really hot nowadays, but I distinctly remember such trends come and go. Aerospace engineering was popular back in its day.</p>

<p>I agree with some of the other posts. Do what you really like, then decide on medicine. A UNC-CH admissions officer said the major with the most likeliness to get into med school was English, since so little English majors actually apply to med school. But, you can basically get into med school with any degree, provided you have the other credentials.</p>

<p>Personally, I'm thinking of following the traditional Biology major then med school path. I just really like straight-up biology.</p>

<p>I’m planning on doing chemical engineering at Princeton. But I don’t even know if I should stick with engineering, or apply to med schools. Don’t know what I want to do. Would pre med even be a good idea? Assuming I enjoy both, which choice would provide me with the more monetary potential in the future? I’d assume pre med. But then again, I wouldn’t want to be a doctor (psychiatrist, surgeon perhaps?)</p>

<p>You should stick with engineering.</p>

<p>What’s your reasoning?</p>

<p>You don’t even want to be a physician that much, its financial benefits are not worth going through the pain and the debt if you really are ambivalent about it. Engineering can pay well and will have much more assurance of a balanced lifestyle. Also, psychiatry doesn’t make very much and surgeons work a lot in most cases.</p>

<p>TomJones,</p>

<p>I think chemistry could be a good choice. Reasons are:</p>

<p>1) Chemical engineering is very heavy as a pre-med.
2) If you decide to take on Medicine and get good GPA/MCAT (by early Junior), you have the choice to apply to medical school.
3) If you decide not to pursue medical school, you are in a good position to go for the Che Eng MS degree.</p>

<p>Bio-medical Eng is good too especially for medical school. But, it is further away from Che Eng.</p>

<p>What about civil engineering? Also, is it possible to take a BS in physics, then take civil or environmental engineering for masters?</p>

bump