MIT Course2A for someone long interested in Biology, but only recently Bioengineering?

Colleges and Universities A-Z Massachusetts Institute of Technology
1

<p>Hi CC, </p>

<p>I am a senior applying to MIT EA (wish me luck) this year! I am so excited about this process and eager to find out whether MIT and I are good matches for each other. </p>

<p>I guess you could say I'm a "well-rounded student" with EC's in the arts and in the sciences. For a long time, I thought I would go the pre-med route and major in biology as an undergrad. Just recently as I was looking through all the courses at MIT, Mechanical Engineering with a focus on Biomedical Engineering (Course 2A) really caught my eye. After I looked through the MIT ME and BE websites thoroughly, I became really fascinated with this other approach to biology that I had never really considered before (long family history of biology undergrads). Some of the research happening at MIT is simply breathtaking! You MIT-ers are a lucky bunch. </p>

<p>That having been said, mechanical engineering at MIT is possibly the most prestigious/difficult/demanding course in the entirety of the universe. I have no mechanical engineering experience (other than the tiny prepackaged robotic car models I assembled in middle school!) although my math/physics scores are stellar. While my admissions essay on which course I would like to pursue still has "Biology" in it, I'm curious as to whether I could still explore 2A as a freshman at MIT (if accepted, of course.....) given my lack of background. </p>

<p>A friend of mine has discouraged me from Course 20 (just BE) as a not-quite-there halfway point between biology and engineering, and says that if I really want to pursue engineering then 2A is the way to go.
So, thoughts on the possibility of a complete engineering noob (for lack of a more eloquent word) in 2A, or the quality of 20?</p>

<p>Sorry for long post. Thanks in advance, everyone!</p>

2

<p>Completing 2A: </p>

<p>Most students who start in mechanical engineering have no experience. If you get into MIT, you’ll be perfectly fine pursuing 2A. (That’s not to say you won’t have late nights with a thermo textbook… but certainly, the major will be well within your reach.)</p>

<p>Course 20:</p>

<p>I came in intending to be course 20 (I left as a 6-2). I personally think that the department is still a little underdeveloped. Part of it is that the field is still a little underdeveloped. But that’s not necessarily a bad thing, because then you can be part of something sort of revolutionary and growing. On the other hand, you can get a solid education in 2/2A and take individual course 20 classes that interest you.</p>