Major Dilemma--Biochemistry or Biological Engineering?

Hello all,

So I’m in a bit of a struggle. I’m pre-med, and I’m pretty much sure that I will go to medical school upon graduating, or at least apply. Currently, I am an undecided first-semester sophomore in the college of arts and sciences who is planning on transferring to CALS for biological engineering. I was very sure of this major until recently…

My backup plan if I do not go to medical school, or something that I would possibly like to do alongside clinical practice, is pharmaceuticals. I’ve always loved chemistry and experimenting, and the prospect of partaking in a project and experimenting with various substances with the goal and prospect of improving human health is fascinating to me and very exciting. I know that with a bioengineering degree you can do various things with biopharma, etc., but many of the people I’ve seen who have positions in pharma companies have biochem or chem degrees. I’m kind of scared of the major though, since it’s listed under biological sciences and bio majors are notoriously unmarketable these days, or so i’ve heard. also, there is the gpa element to consider… i’ve heard that engineering majors have low gpas and that might affect med school admissions since they don’t care what major you are (supposedly). however, i don’t know mine yet since this is my first semester taking a full engineering curriculum. What would you guys recommend based on what you’ve read about my career aspirations and current status? Any and all advice is appreciated! Thank you in advance!!

Have you talked to the arts & sciences career department? I’m also an undecided first-semester sophomore, and from what I’ve heard, the career department can be really helpful. I went to a seminar they held and can only imagine that a one-on-one meeting with one of their career counselors would be incredibly helpful. They helped ease a lot of my fears!