<p>hello.. this is my first thread at CC (i just found this site few minutes ago lol)</p>
<p>i'm currently a junior and my favorite subjects are math, chem, and physics.. (i don't like bio for somereason)
i got 780 on old SAT math, and i'm pretty sure i got over 750 on new SAT math & 4 or 5 on this year's AP chem exam..
my future goal is to get into a big pharmeseudical company (merck or glaxo smith cline)
my favorite thing about chem is working in laboratory..
and i just want to work in laboratories of a pharmeseudical company when i grow up...
then... is chem E right for me???
if chem E is right for a person like me, which school has a good chem E program?
(i read that chem E majors can work in pharmeseudical industry at a website)
my weighted GPA (9th~11th avg) is about 4.45 and unweighted is 3.71
old SAT 1320, new SAT hopefully over 2100 (took may one)
PLEASE GIVE ME SOME ADVICES!!!! (by the way, i live in pennsylvania)</p>
<p>With pharmaceuticals you're going to have to like bio. B/c biochem will be involved. ChemE is a great major for that work and I am interested in working for a pharmaceuticals company as well. I go to U of I. Other great programs are of course at MIT, Minnesota, Wis-Mad, Delaware, and Stanford and Berkeley. Not in that order of course but I love chemE. If you look in the Thinking like an Engineer Forum it will give you an idea of how chemE's have to think. They wont be involved in making the drugs (biochemists do that) but once the drugs are made, the chemE's have to come up with a way to make them efficient, affordable, and in large quanities. Nice stats. You can pretty much apply anywhere except maybe MIT.</p>
<p>yeah, chem E is awful hard. I would also recommend materials science. I know that atleast here at MIT, chem E seems to be focused heavily on nanotechnology, which means a rather unique blend of physics, chemistry, and of course math. It is something to consider atleast.</p>
<p>Suggestion.....go visit the chem e & bio e labs at U Penn.........see if a grad student will tour you around a few of the labs. May be enlightening, and you might see how much chemistry is really in the "bioengineering" field.</p>
<p>Chem e does have the rep of being the hardest due to thermo & some other very tough courses. If you like the material, stick with your direction. Chem E is also kind of a badge of honor in a way....everyone in the outside world knows its the toughest eng major & only sharp people pursue it......mitigating this good "brand" image, though, is the ocassional chem e grad who has a swelled head.</p>
<p>IBE gives a good summary, but I would suggest talking to someone in a major pharma company, and taking a tour if possible. I'm a Chem E myself, and have known a lot of pharma guys, but I'm wracking my brain to try to remember one who was also a Chem E...seems like there were a lot of biochem guys and a surprising number of Pharm D guys running those companies and doing a lot of the most lucrative work.</p>
<p>See if you can get a tour or a meeting at a company. This will be enlightening. Also, it should not be too hard since the Philly-to-New Jersey corridor is Pharma territory.</p>