So I’m going to a highly ranked LAC which is strong in the sciences but doesn’t offer engineering. At the time I enrolled, I was initially planning to study biology or biochemistry there and go onto medical school. However, for the past few weeks I’ve been thinking that BME might be a better fit for me. I’m thinking of transferring to a school that has a good BME program (ex: Vandy, uva, umich) after my freshman year and majoring in BME. I think that since my high school grades, course rigor, and sats are good and as long as I maintain a high gpa w/ science courses at my LAC, then I’ll have a good shot at getting into at least one of these schools for BME. I’m just wondering if it is a huge disadvantage for a biomedical engineer to take no engineering classes for a full year freshman year and just have 3 years of undergrad engineering education (I would still go for grad school though). Would there be a lot of catching up to do?
Thanks for anyone who answers!
Engineering majors usually take Math, Physics, Chem etc. for their first 2 years, so if those courses are offered then you should take those.
Your LAC probably has a 3+2 deal, in which you do 3 years at your LAC and 2 years in an engineering (incl. BME) program (Dartmouth, Columbia and WashU are 3 who partner with a lot of the competitive LACs). Look at Calc, Physics or Chem and CompSc for 1st year courses.
If you have a solid grounding in math, (calculus based) physics, chemistry, and biology in your first year, plus some humanities and social studies breadth, then you will likely be able to complete the degree in three remaining years after transfer if you plan your schedule carefully, taking in to account any “catch up” courses you may need after transfer.
However, if you do not take math and physics (the ones suitable for physics majors) in your first year at the LAC, then you may be further back in terms of being able to “catch up” in a biomedical engineering curriculum.
Thanks for all the posts everyone.
Something cool that my LAC has is an integrated quantitative science program, which is basically one course that you take both semesters but you get credit for 2 courses each semester, so it is basically 4 courses all into one. You get credits for math, bio, chem, and physics altogether with this integrated course.
Ah, so you are Richmond bound then 
That is a very cool course, but if you are serious about engineering talk to an advisor before you bank on that class fulfilling pre-reqs at other schools. Iirc UR has both a 3+2 program (with Columbia) and a 3+1+1 program (that finishes with a Masters) with UVA. Talk to the dual degree advisor day 1.
@collegemom3717 Thanks for your advice! And yeah I’ve looked into that before but it doesn’t seem like it’s as comprehensive as the traditional engineering system within the 4 undergrad years