Hi there,
I am a first-year at Virginia Tech currently in General Engineering and desiring to follow a pre-veterinary path. There are two potential paths I can take: biological systems engineering and biological sciences degrees in four years, and biochemistry ad biological sciences degrees with a minor in chemistry in three years. The latter option would allow me to obtain more veterinary-related experience and encounter a lot less stress in college, but it would also mean switching out of engineering at an engineering school for which I am out of state. Also, if I don’t end up going to/getting into vet school, I would most likely have a lot fewer job prospects at significantly lower salary (but I don’t know if I want to be an engineer anyway)… before this I was considering going to grad school regardless, and my first choice vet/grad school is currently my in-state flagship. Any advice would be much appreciated as I stress out. 
First, I just wanted to say that I know I spend too much time on college confidential because I read “major dilemmas” and my immediate thought was “dilemma regarding course of study” rather than “a very big dilemma” LOL - but any who…
If your first inclination is to pursue graduate study outside of the field of engineering and you have no serious interest in being an engineer if your vet school plans don’t pan out, then I’d say to go with the latter route - especially if it means a lot less stress. Obviously engineering has strong job prospects but that means very little if you aren’t even sure you want to be an engineer.
@preamble1776 thank you for the insight. I think I am most worried about the backup plan aspect–even losing an engineering scholarship, the science path will save me a chunk of change for sure, but if vet school doesn’t work out, I am not sure what kind of jobs I will be able to get, and how those would compare with what I would have gotten as an engineer.
Any help would be much appreciated!
Before you give up your engineering scholarship, make sure that you can still afford your school without it. A bioengineering degree can serve as a good premed/prevet degree as long as you make sure to cover vet school requirements for admissions. It does you no good to switch your major if it means you no longer can afford your school.
@NorthernMom61 I am definitely heavily considering that, but actually I will end up saving between 10 and 17 thousand dollars by graduating a year early with the double major in the college of science, even considering losing the scholarship. So either way the money works out (I wish I had a bigger scholarship though, but who doesn’t?).
Well if money isn’t an issue, then go speak with your academic adviser regarding the pros and cons of the decision, then make one and move forward. Best of luck.
Thank you @NorthernMom61 ! Believe me, I’ve been to multiple advisors, and will continue to do so
Any additional comments are welcomed
Like many big decisions in life, you make the one that feels the most right at the time, then move forward, don’t look back, and don’t second guess it. Otherwise you won’t get anywhere and you end up chronically indecisive and stressed. There is no one who can tell you with absolute assurance what to do. Welcome to adulthood.