<p>I'm a rising senior and very interested in math and science. I have my sights set on Medical school or maybe not, I'm not sure yet. </p>
<p>The thing is I've started to think of applying to engineering schools and perhaps majoring in biomedical or chemical engineering. But I also want to go to medical school after that and perhaps concentrate on what field I majored in engineering as.</p>
<p>Is a B.S. in engineering and then medical school a smart choice? Is it even worth it? Would medical schools look favorably or less favorably upon me if I did major in a certain field of engineering?</p>
<p>What are the career choices that are available?</p>
<p>If you do, go to a school where getting a 3.7+ in engineering is not impossible. Don't count on a medical school admissions committee giving you any slack for tackling a difficult major.</p>
<p>Getting 3.7+ in engineering is not the only thing you should worry about.
The MCAT is known for being one of the hardest high-level education admission test.
People who actually get into medical schools and dental schools after a 4 year graduation, "usually" prepare med-school starting from their freshman year of college.
I've seen many senior high-schoolers who took and passed the AP exams but re-take, intro math, biology, chem, physics etc just to get good grades. Also, med-school demands lots of volunteer work and social service.
Sure... you could do engineering, but you will most likely take 1-2 additional years trying to get your gpa up and study for the MCAT.
I personally think that its not impossible to recieve an engineering degree and get accepted to med-school, however the engineering degree is DEFINATELY lower your chances for med school admission.</p>
<p>I'm not sure how med-school really works, but I think you can choose your field of interest after you get into med-school. Since you have another 6+ years to study...</p>
<p>It is absolutely possible, and if you find the right engineering program, it is completely doable. Don't get discouraged just because engineering and medicine appear to be in different areas. There's a lot of ways the fields can blend, and many ways that a more technically oriented background can help you in medical school (think, use and proficiency with medical instrumentation). I think that being one of only a few doctors with an engineering background will be a strength, not a weakness. </p>
<p>At the school at which I work, we send a handful of engineers to med school every year. They are almost always Electrical Engineers because the quirks of the EE curric make it possible to complete all the med school required classes and still graduate on time in 4 years. </p>
<p>Don't get discouraged from doing it. If you love the idea of being and engineer and want to make a career in medicine, follow those pursuits. Just check with the schools in which you are interested to be sure they have a pre-med adviser who can help you make the right curricular choices and a track record of sending engineers to med-school. </p>
<p>Never said it was impossible. If you have the passion, go for it. Biomedical and chemical are usually the way to go. There is also nuclear engineering/medical physics.</p>
<p>Truth is, a lot of engineering majors end up in medical school. The training you receive as an engineer will help you (especially in the MCAT which is a problem solving test). If you want to continue engineering outside of medical school and apply those principles to medicine , go for an MD/PhD.</p>
<p>jaw117 - At a Brown University Engineering Open House we heard that 1/3 of the engineering students there go on to medical school! </p>
<p>DanAdmiss@Tufts - my son has also toured Tufts and is interested in applying to Tufts engineering. Are there different admissions characteristics or statistics for engineering applicants? We did not have an engineering tour that day and hope to return for one in the fall. BTW, my son is not interested in medical school - he is interested in engineering and hopes to do research.</p>
<p>Honestly the best way to become a doctor is to take the path of least resistance. A Med school admission board will take a art student with a 3.9 over a engineering student with a 3.8. There is absolutely no judgment made on how hard the persons major is. I know alot of doctors who were engineers and knew a lot of engineering students when I was a undergrad who are now in med school. All of them said while they enjoyed their studies, the path they took was worthless. When they got to med school they were use to a lot of math, which while in their undergrad never worked the reading capacity part of their brains, so they really were not prepared to read so much.</p>
<p>If you want to be a doctor, just become one and don't pussy foot around. Study either biomedical sciences or biology.</p>
<p>At most universities engineering is a more difficult major than one of the arts and crafts, hence more difficult to maintain a high GPA. On the other hand, both the problem-solving skills and the specific knowledge that engineering students acquire are very useful in medical school, particularly if you are leaning twoward a research-oriented med school. Moreover, if you major in engineering and are successful, you will become accustomed to the kind of work load that medical school requires.</p>
<p>It's certainly possible to study engineering and then attend med school, albeit very difficult. Med schools require high GPA's and loads of extra-curricular activities, two difficult tasks if you're an engineer. The only real "benefit" of studying engineering is the problem-solving skills you acquire - skills that will help on the MCAT and in medicine in general (as wobudong stated above).</p>
<p>But if you're unsure whether or not you want to go into medicine, bio/chem engineering are good paths to take because of their flexibility. Bioengineers generally have three paths - industry (ie biotech/pharmaceuticals), research, and medicine. But you aren't limited to these fields - I know a few bioE's who went to law and business school.</p>
<p>Just stay focused and driven and you should be fine.</p>
<p>With an Engineering curriculum, the science/math on the MCAT will seem trivial but as the other posters have said, keeping a Med School worthy GPA will be quite difficult.</p>
<p>it is possible. The boiE majors at my school actually get the highest MCAT scores out of everyone...so if you can keep that GPA up it def. is possible</p>
<p>If you go to an "easy" school, you definitely can do it. You'll still get a good engineering background because you'll be studying the same stuff as tougher schools.</p>
<p>Well, you'll be spending your summers on either internships or volunteer work at hospitals, so it's kind of hard to do that. You can skip the internships, but it'll be a bit tougher after graduation if you decide to go down the engineering path.</p>
<p>It is certainly possible, but I wouldn't recommend it.</p>
<p>There is no "easy" school for engineering. It does not exist. There is a notion from practicing docs that Biomedical engineering major is viewed as an advantage by Med.schools AdComs. You surely will be prepared above and beyond for the math portion of MCAT and most likely all other sections. You still will have to complete all Medical School requirements and be involved in medical field (volunteering, internship in hospitals, research labs). Another huge advantage, if you do not get to Med. School, you can find relatively good paying and secure position in industry.</p>