Going to Med School through BME degree?

Colleges and Universities A-Z Boston University
1

<p>Alright well I got accepted into Boston U for Biomedical Engineering for this fall. The thing is I’ve decided after discussing it with my family that I really want to go the medical school route rather than the engineering route when it comes to jobs. </p>

<p>So I read that Boston U has a program called ENGMEDIC that you apply to at the end of your 2nd year and if accepted you then do coursework for both pre-med as well as your biomedical engineering major in order to prepare you for medical school. In the end however you still graduate with a BS in BME.</p>

<p>A couple questions.

  1. How hard is it to get into the ENGMEDIC program?
  2. Would it be possible to get into medical school without it?
  3. Would the natural grade deflation caused by being an engineering major really screw my GPA over when it comes time to apply for medical schools and all the Biology majors got an easy 3.7?
  4. Is it assumed if I do the ENGMEDIC program that Im going to do my MD degree at Boston U or do I still have the option of going to other Med Schools. Will BU undergrad even give me all the reqs for going to other med schools?</p>

<ol>
<li>Instead of going through all this would I be better getting good grades my first 2 years in BME and then transfeering to a different school for pre-med? Would I still be able to do all the pre-med stuff and then graduate in 4 years?</li>
</ol>

<p>Sorry I know it’s a ton of questions but I really have to know before I send in my SIR to BU</p>

2

<p>I can’t answer your questions but when you say bio majors receiving an easy 3.7…</p>

3

<ol>
<li>How hard is it to get into the ENGMEDIC program?</li>
</ol>

<p>It can be difficult since they only accept a handful of students each year. I am BME and I know lots of hopefuls - but in the end, it is no easy task to get into this program.</p>

<ol>
<li>Would it be possible to get into medical school without it?</li>
</ol>

<p>Yes… you can apply as a regular BU med applicant.</p>

<ol>
<li>Would the natural grade deflation caused by being an engineering major really screw my GPA over when it comes time to apply for medical schools and all the Biology majors got an easy 3.7?</li>
</ol>

<p>Yes - engineering majors have a lower GPA than other majors. I live on an engineering floor and already half of the people have switched out due to difficulty and a lack of interest in - well engineering…And bio majors getting 3.7 easy? LOL</p>

<ol>
<li>Is it assumed if I do the ENGMEDIC program that Im going to do my MD degree at Boston U or do I still have the option of going to other Med Schools. Will BU undergrad even give me all the reqs for going to other med schools?</li>
</ol>

<p>You will have the option of doing your MD program at another school I believe - but why would you turn down an automatic acceptance into an already top program (if you get an MCAT of 30)</p>

<ol>
<li>Instead of going through all this would I be better getting good grades my first 2 years in BME and then transfeering to a different school for pre-med? Would I still be able to do all the pre-med stuff and then graduate in 4 years?</li>
</ol>

<p>Consider the MMEDIC program in CAS. It is the same thing but for CAS. Engineering is well - engineering and too many students have come here only to transfer out because they were to focused on the biomedical part of the degree. You will take classes that completely challenge your analytical mind - engineering mechanics, thermodynamics, and many physics based courses. You will also take MATLAB that teach you programming skills - totally unrelated to med school - then again what is really “related to med school”. But nonetheless its an engineering program and its no easy task (trust me I know >_< I am sick from over studying for CH102 and PY211)</p>

4

<ol>
<li>I have to assume it’s relatively hard because you’re talking about early admission to medical school, contingent only on maintaining a relatively low GPA and a base MCAT score. That’s a ticket and there must be competition.</li>
<li>Of course. If you can score well on the MCAT, you will get into medical school. I’m assuming you can do reasonably well in your class work. </li>
<li>I think you’re over-stating. </li>
<li>If you’re interested in BME, then why in God’s name would you do it for 2 years and then not? You could make that decision then but why plan for that?</li>
</ol>

<p>[url=<a href=“http://www.bu.edu/bme/files/2010/01/ENGMEDIC-Handbook-2010.pdf]Here[/url”>http://www.bu.edu/bme/files/2010/01/ENGMEDIC-Handbook-2010.pdf]Here[/url</a>] is the current handbook for the program. Honestly, if you’re good enough to do this level of work, you’ll be fine. If your goal is truly and solely medical school, you can obviously take an easier curriculum and still cover the prereqs.</p>

5

<p>Ok so the easy 3.7 was a gross exageration, but my point was that having engineering classes and taking all these difficult math and physics classes in addition to my pre-med reqs are for sure going to drag down my GPA compared to someone who can exclusively focus on their pre-med stuff. I have no problem no-lyfing it for 4 years of undergrad, but I just don’t want to be dissapointed in the end when people who do less work end up getting in med school and I dont.</p>

6

<p>. How hard is it to get into the ENGMEDIC program? </p>

<p>Depends on how many apply that year. They only pick the students they feel are ready to be accepted. I was MMEDIC, and in my year there were 4 ENGMEDIC’s and in the year below me there were none. All depends on the individual-they’re fine with picking a few very qualified people and fine with picking none.</p>

<ol>
<li>Would it be possible to get into medical school without it? </li>
</ol>

<p>Absolutely-that’s how most people get into medical school.</p>

<ol>
<li>Would the natural grade deflation caused by being an engineering major really screw my GPA over when it comes time to apply for medical schools and all the Biology majors got an easy 3.7?</li>
</ol>

<p>Biomedical engineering is known as a tough major. That being said, medical school is difficult to get into, and I’ve had friends at BU (though very few, like 2) that have gotten over a 3.5 and an amazing MCAT score, making them very competitive. Like I said above, it’s all about you in the end.</p>

<ol>
<li>Is it assumed if I do the ENGMEDIC program that Im going to do my MD degree at Boston U or do I still have the option of going to other Med Schools. Will BU undergrad even give me all the reqs for going to other med schools?</li>
</ol>

<p>If you get into ENGMEDIC, you go to BUSM (Boston University School of Medicine). That is your acceptance. BU undergrad, in the normal path with no early acceptance, absolutely gives you all the prereqs for med school applications.</p>

<ol>
<li>Instead of going through all this would I be better getting good grades my first 2 years in BME and then transfeering to a different school for pre-med? Would I still be able to do all the pre-med stuff and then graduate in 4 years?</li>
</ol>

<p>No-the med school admissions committees would wonder why you transferred out. premed is essentially included in the biomed. eng. major, and the only extra courses you may have to do would be writing. if you are dead set on getting an M.D. and don’t want to do research with it that would be linked with biomedical engineering, i would consider another major that gets you the same requirements but isn’t as trying, if you’re that worried about grades.</p>

7

<p>Hope med school is going well. I was hoping you’d answer his question. I remembered that you were in the early admit program.</p>

8

<p>Well I can tell you this, it’s tough to get into the ENGMEDIC program each year. They only select 5-7 each year. And I will tell you this getting the requirements for it is tough as it is. One major thing you need is good grades but besides that, you also need a professor who is willing to write you recommendation letters. However this professor MUST be an engineering professor for the ENGMEDIC program. For the first 2 years of Undergrad BME you really don’t have that many Engineering professors, maybe max of 4? And you have them for such a short time. In that time you not only have to prove your intelligence, you have to show that you are mentally ready to be a doctor for them to even consider writing you a letter. However one may think oh I just need to get good grades. That doesn’t really work here with the professors, a lot of the professors here are very busy with research and you really have to have a brilliant mind to stand out. </p>

<p>And also all the hard math and physics that engineer’s take isn’t all that different from the one’s you would take as a let’s say Bio Major? (Chem and Physics major take the same courses as an Engineer during the first 2 years). Grades here at BU in the science department aren’t handed out not even in Bio. My friends in BI 108 a course necessary for the Pre-Med requirements aren’t doing that great only getting around the avg on exams which range from a low 40 to a high 60.</p>

<p>Also remember, ENGMEDIC you aren’t finishing the pre-med program, you are starting your first year of Med School practically. So you will have to be able to not only finish your engineering work but also finish Biochemistry and advanced Medical Ethics course your Junior Year/Senior.</p>

<p>And one thing I shall advise you on, make sure your doing Engineering because you want to. If it’s something you think that will help you but you aren’t 100% sure on doing it, it will not help you. I was in that situation, I was like hey BME seems like a good way to get into med schools, but I ended up being unhappy in the courses I was taking, and my grades took a slight sag. However I am remedying that problem by doing something I like, lol… Chemistry but anyways.</p>

<p>Also if you end up not doing BME for a reason, realize there is an MMEDIC Program as well. Not that many people apply for it as you would think. Anyways that is the end of my rant lol.</p>

9

<p>So I’m a senior in BME. I started out with the intention of going to med school and managed to make it through those 2 semesters of orgo. In the end, I decided med school isn’t really what I wanted to do and I also realized that I probably should have been Mech. Eng instead of BME, but I still have some advice.</p>

<p>1/2. I’m under the impression that it’s pretty difficult to get into ENGMEDIC. My year doesn’t have any, though I’m not sure how many (if any) ended up applying. If you just want your MD and don’t intend on doing engineering-related research, I don’t really see the point of being BME and trying to get into ENGMEDIC.</p>

<ol>
<li><p>It’s not impossible to get good grades in BME-- I think the dean’s list cutoff (top 30% of your engineering class) each semester ends up being somewhere around a 3.3, though I know it’s been lower than 3.25 before. I’m also not saying that being a bio major is easy. However, sophomore year as a BME is significantly harder than freshman year as a BME, even more so if you tack on the extra orgo classes for pre-med. You’ll end up having Physics 2, Engineering Mechanics, Multivariate Calculus, Statistics and Orgo 1 first semester and then Electric Circuit Theory, Differential Equations, Molecular Cell Bio, Linear Algebra, and Orgo 2 the second semester. Time management is absolutely essential. Whereas most of the CAS pre-meds have orgo as their primary difficult class to focus on those 2 semesters, you’ll soon realize that all your other classes are very time-intensive, too, and it’s difficult to juggle. Especially when you realize, “Oh, all my other classes are actually required for my major and orgo is just kind of an extra class I’m taking.” I ended up doing well in my engineering classes, but at the expense of 2 C+ grades in the orgos…and when you haven’t had time to build too much of a GPA cushion yet, 1) a few low grades is going to really hurt your GPA, and 2) Med schools don’t really want to be seeing a C+ in orgo haha</p></li>
<li><p>The only difference between BME requirements and pre-med requirements is that BME’s aren’t required to take the 2 semesters or orgo. However, BMEs are required to take 2 “Professional” electives and you can use Orgo 1/2 to fulfill those two electives. As a BME, you don’t leave undergrad with a very impressive bio background, though. You only end up taking one molecular cell bio class and a systems physiology class. The molecular cell bio class is offered in the College of Engineering and is just for BMEs. The systems physiology class is a CAS course, you take it with all the CAS and SAR people-- and by the time you take it 1st semester junior year, those other people have a much better biology background. The BMEs are known for being notoriously awful in that class.</p></li>
</ol>

<p>Soooo, I’d say sit down and think about why you originally decided to be BME and why you thought that was a better choice than pre-med CAS/SAR</p>

10

<p>thanks lerg, school is going well, can’t wait for 1st year to be over (i’m exhausted!), but have loved the experience so far!</p>

11

<p>Heather, that’s a hard schedule. Orgo is a pain but orgo labs can be dreadful.</p>

12

<p>currently a junior in the Program. It’s difficult to get into the program. They want to see that you can both exceed as a premed and an engineer.</p>