If you do not believe me, read this. It is from 2011, but nothing changed.
Agree with you that GPA is hands-down the most important factor for getting into medical school with MCAT a close second. Med school is exponentially more difficult to get in now than it was 10 years ago. To have a decent chance, and then I think it’s only about 60%, you need a GPA of 3.8 or higher. You’re going to work harder for that as a biomedical engineer than in most other majors.
The sticky part is thousands start planning on going to medical school and then decide it’s not for them, for a multitude of reasons. Sometimes it’s organic chemistry that gets them but also could be lots of other things. You spend most of your 20s in training, and many come out with mountains of debt. If your fallback career is engineering, and realizing that most who start out premed don’t stay that way, Georgia Tech is a great option. If you have wanted to be a doctor since you were eight years old and see no other career path, I would go to the school which makes that path more likely.
You are right though that going to Georgia Tech isn’t going to matter to the med school admissions officers and is not going to salvage a GPA below their admission criteria.
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Yeah, we have many docs and BME and EE and ME in the family!!! CFO, CIO, VPs and what not… I comprehend all of that.
Kiddo will exit school with no debt, even if go to med school. So that’s been a priority for us day one…
We’re thinking maybe do GT BME program, and take 12 CR per semester, minimum, to not so much “grade management”… but to be very smart with course selection, take best teacher or bail, take over summer and transfer credit in …
We haven’t decided yet exactly how to work it… but thinking want to select GT (for the win)… and now just be very (very) smart about it according to some of the stern warnings.
If love BME and decide no MED School, okay, cool. BUT, want to be very cautious year one.
THANKS ALL FOR THE WORDS OF WISDOM!!! I truly appreciate it!
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FWIW, I don’t think that majoring in BME at VT is going to be a walk in the park either. Congrats to your child on making a decision!
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Great choice! We know kids with 4.0 in STEM/etc there—and I know many BME to MD from my similarly-hard alma mater. I bet your kid will do well!
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Yeah, Thanks 2Devils!
Its kind of funny me being warned… its like its my son’s decision, not mine. Its his life, not mine. If he likes BME and he likes GT… and he has a history with good study, work, life balance… and he succeeds.
So I appreciate your counterbalance to the universe! 
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Sounds like OP’s dilemma is solved but just for future CC searchers whom might be weighing these options that land in this thread I feel its prudent to clarify a couple of things.
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BME at Virginia Tech is “new.” This is not entirely accurate, while it is true that there is a newer (5yrs) BME undergraduate degree, BME at Virginia Tech is both well established and respected. Biological Systems Engineering dates back many decades, and Virginia Tech kept pace with the boom of the Biotechnology industry 30yrs ago with new cutting edge labs. The Fralin Biomedical Research Institute was founded over a decade ago and its research spans across a vast network. Graduate degrees in BME have been offered at Virginia Tech for over 20yrs, as well as joint MS, PhD, and MD/PhD BME programs with Wake Forest. Several departments, including the dept of BME, merged 9yrs ago to form BEAM, the dept of Biomedical Engineering and Mechanics, which houses the redesigned BME undergraduate degree program and is not lacking in experience or tenure. Also worth mentioning that not only is it a respected engineering school it is also one of a small group of universities that have both a veterinary school and medical school, opening up a wealth of literally endless opportunities for experience.
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Blacksburg may be “in the middle of nowhere” from the bird’s eye view because its in the valley of the (beautiful) mountains but between Blacksburg and Christiansburg (there was a time when you knew exactly when you were leaving one and entering the other but now is one seamless sprawling area) you literally have access to anything the vast majority of college students would want or need. I don’t know how many college students are visiting the Olympic Village in Atlanta on a regular basis but there are certainly kids out there who crave the finer arts of museums and theaters and concert venues of a big downtown lifestyle, and those students would definitely be unfulfilled by Blacksburg. But its also a far cry from its origins as a university sprung up on the side of Route 460 and some would argue its not even ‘just a college town’ anymore either.
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I would say it comes down how they like the campus and surroundings, where they want to live for 4 years. The people, the vibe, the culture. City vs rural. GT is much better for engineering, however it doesn’t sound like your child is applying for an engineering job or being recruited for one. For medical school undergraduate doesn’t matter, and matters less when it comes to getting a job someday. Confused as to why you would choose a a school that you feel is much lower ranked school just for an honors program?
Also, curious on your thoughts on the VT honors program?
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Your kido will not have the choice of teachers that you expect. For the record, there are new teachers every semester (new postdocs?) with 0 historical records of how it will work, and some of them are not the best teachers…There is a choice (some, depending of the conflict of schedules) for general classes like Calc, differential equations, and physics. However, there is usually 0 choice for upper BME classes. There can be one lecture per semester, and 7 lab sections at different days and time for example. Labs are done with different teachers/TAs but lecture is the same. Also from DD experience BME classes are often taught not by one teacher but by 2 or 3. Each teaches unit that he/she likes…Also, there is a sequence of classes, so if you will not take this class this semester, you cannot take the next one… Yes you can transfer credits if you have them prior to enrollment (DD transferred quite a lot) and yes you can take classes during the summer at other colleges. However, you have to make sure that they will transfer. That often is not easy to predict (Oscar database shows only classes that were transferred in the past). You cannot transfer any BME classes, since there are no equivalents. On top of it, if your child wants medical school, I am not sure how well it would look on transcript. Also medical schools like to see students loaded and overloaded. BME expects 15-18 credits per semester, unless your son has 30+ credits he will have a hard time graduating in 4 years with 12 credits per semester. In fact not many students graduate in 4 years at GaTech…Your strategy would be awesome (and that was my strategy too even as a student there many years ago, and I have 2 degrees from GT and help DD to set up a schedule) if it would not be for medical school.
Just think about how application to medical school will look with classes taken in summer at different schools while all other students took 18 credits every semester. You can pull 4 year plan BME at GaTech using Google in 5 seconds…I forgot, GaTech is full of overachievers. DD’s roommate was doing CS and Math majors simultaneously. Taking 18+ credits. And I have a family member who graduated GT in 3 years too. But your son needs GPA protection for med school…
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my daughter got into honors and I was wondering if yours did too and how your are deciding between VT honors and the lower ranked honors? Also, did you hear about any VT scholarships? Stamps? You said that VT is much more expensive than GT, but when I look tuition is the same?
COA OOS GaTech $49,650
Undergraduate Costs | Financial Aid.
and VA Tech $58K
https://finaid.vt.edu/content/dam/finaid_vt_edu/Cost_of_Attendance/2324/undergrad/2324%20COA%20OSF%20UG%20On%20Campus.pdf
This is about 8K difference *4 =32K
Note, second year students at GaTech have more expensive dorms, but you are free to live off campus, or you can opt out of meal plan (it is mandatory for freshman who lives on campus.)
However, non-freshman have kitchen in the dorm rooms. GaTech lists cost for 2nd + year students cost as $52k but you can do it cheaper.
I do not know much about VA Tech cost cutting approaches…
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Tuition is 34k at both but looks like VA has some other fees? Does GT have similar fees they just don’t put in here?
Any thoughts if we should be excited about VT honors?
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Look at links above that I posted. You have cost of room and board and some fees everywhere.
Sorry, I know nothing about VT, except that it is solid school. Note, VT has extra $2k for school of Engineering. GaTech does not have extra fees for different majors or upper level students… All pay the same fees (except for different dorms.)
The OP has decided on GTech. I would recommend that if someone has specific questions about VTech, or wants to start a discussion about VT, it’s better to start a new thread.
All GOOD advice!!! Likely no perfect answer! And, as soon as kiddo leaves the nest… I’m not old school you’re on your own… but it will be his life to lead, and I can only nudge/assist/recommend, etc.
Maybe first year we keep it light… just to ease into it… 12CR per semester… if straight A’s, as a Sophomore go to “normal” course load of 15-17CR based on the 4 year plan, etc. Really only first 3 years matter if still entertaining medical school.
And also to note, this anonymous forum only knows about his medical school ambitions. When he graduates high school, he just tells his friends and family, headed to GT for BME. No more, no less. To some early poster notes, so many folks never make it that far… so why set oneself up for bad karma.
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Congrats on his decision to go to GT. I certainly hope he is as happy there as my dd has been so far. Wonderful school!
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What does “dd” stand for? I’m newer to these forums.
What is your kiddo studying? What year? Is getting A’s impossible? Any other advice?
Congrats on choosing GT! That’s absolutely the way to go in terms of quality of fellow students and academics, reputation and opening of doors post-graduation. Virginia Tech is no slouch but it’s no Georgia Tech either.
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