<p>I'm a high school student who wants to be a doctor someday. I know that majoring in something like bio is the easiest route to getting into med school, but I'm really interested in biomedical engineering. I've been thinking about going to UCSD, which has a top-ranked BME program. The problem is, even though I've done a lot of research on the BME curriculum, I really don't know if I have what it takes or if it would be worthwhile to pursue a BME major if I'm pretty sure I want to be a doctor.</p>
<p>I have a 2380 SAT, straight A's and am particularly good at math but I'm not sure how good I am at physics and programming. Also, I'm pretty bad at art...does BME require artistic ability?</p>
<p>So I ask you guys: What skills are essential for one to succeed in BME (art, physics, math, programming, etc.)? What are the upper division courses like? What do your pre-med BME friends think about their experience?</p>
<p>wow BME has to come up like a few times a day…popular topic!</p>
<p>My friend at Iowa was in the same position, he wants to go to med school but figured to major in BME as an undergrad to do research and enjoy what he’s studying; there’s a downside associated with it though, bio would be a higher gpa in route to a good med school…</p>
<p>no artistic ability required for any engineering degree : )</p>
<p>My son is thinking about BME, also, but he’s really prettly clueless as to what it’s all about.</p>
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<p>That’s what I thought, but as an architectural engineering major (emphasis on structural design), I had to take two semesters of architectural design. Gulp! I discovered that (1)artistic ability IS required for arch engineering majors, and (2) I do not have an artistic bone in my body. I barely pulled out a C my first semester, and somehow got a B second semester. It was a painful experience, but it did serve a purpose, because it me realize that architects ARE good for something, after all.</p>
<p>Normally people who are very good at math concepts and computation have no problems with programming and that sort of thing. Programming is also a bit like physics, you have to have some problem solving skills, more times than not there is more than one way to do things. You should take a physics class and see if you’re good at it, and assess your skills as you go along. If your number one priority is to get into med school, I think you should make sure you have a high GPA no matter what. Your priorities may change if you happen to really like bioeng., so I’d say take it step by step.</p>
<p>Also, are you a junior or a senior? If you’re a junior, you might want to sign up for a physics class (and a programming class also, though it’s okay if it’s not available to you).</p>
<p>Mathematical skill correlates very well to programming and physics.</p>
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<li>Programming relies heavily on a mathematical approach to solving problems, and in general, all the students that excel in my programming classes are the ones that are quite good at math. (I seem to be an anomaly.) It’s persistence and logic, essentially.</li>
<li>Physics is probably the most mathematically-based science (out of biology, chemistry, and physics). Knowing mathematical concepts helps in understanding physics concepts. Personally I like it because everything seems to boil down to a math problem that is fairly straightforward to solve.</li>
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<p>MIT offers their introductory programming class lectures as free downloads on iTunes U. If you want to explore programming without taking the classes at school I would recommend it. (There might even be something about BME on iTunes U as well.)</p>
<p>Regarding artistic ability…I imagine if you can draw clear diagrams to visually demonstrate your ideas (clear and neat) that might be all you need.</p>
<p>first, BME/bio engr is a highly variable field. in some cases, you are an electrical/mechanical engr and you design systems. maybe prosthetic legs (mech e), maybe you design the circuity of a pacemaker (electrical), or ear implants (cant spell the technical name…)</p>
<p>on the other side, you may work with genetic engr and cells etc. that scenario, you’re more of a bio major. if you want to be pre med, thats probably the more relevant one.</p>
<p>most of my BME friends like it, although i seriously question how much they’re learning in terms of depth. when it comes to subjects statics/dynamics and thermodynamics, the mech e majors beat them. when building circuits, the electrical (and some cases, still mechanical) engrs beat them. when it comes to imaging/spectroscopy, physics and chem majors beat them. lab bench stuff, the bio majors win. it really seems like a jack of all trades fields. the niche of BME is that “they work in biology!”</p>
<p>a couple of my friends are graduating from bme soon and most cant get jobs outside of graduate school in BME. some thoughts:
the fact they dont have jobs is a combination of the economy and their skill sets.
*friends who did very well in their respective fields tended to get job offers anyway (companies tend to realize the economy will recover eventually, so they try and latch onto the best talent and take a loss now to hold onto them later apparently)
*the bme kids had trouble going into other fields besides bme and biology.</p>
<p>if you cant tell, im very much against BME as an undergrad major. makes a great minor/supplement though.</p>
<p>as for being sure you want to be a doctor, lets deal with the fact that you’re an 18 year old kid. A LOT OF KIDS FEEL THE SAME WAY AND WASTE A LOT OF TIME IN COLLEGE BECAUSE THEY WANT TO BE DOCTORS. everyone will tell you to major in an easier major to keep a high gpa. I duno whats better, a high gpa in a field you dont care much for, or a lower gpa in a field you loved. and you may actually do worse in the easier field cause you dont care/study. several variables.</p>
<p>Thanks for all the advice! I’m not too worried about not learning any one subject in significant depth because I’m pretty set on being a doctor anyway.</p>
<p>Any other opinions? </p>
<p>Thanks again! I really appreciate it; the decision between BME/easier major has been really tough to make, and it helps to have the thoughts of people who have seen it all or been through it all.</p>
<p>I think it really depends on the specific subfield of BME to see how it compares to other majors. On top of that, different schools do things differently; I think what constitutes BME probably varies a lot more between places than MechE or EE would, for example. Depending on what electives you take, BME can be a very strong degree. I won’t deny that it’s probably a good idea to have more of a broad base and keep things flexible, though.</p>
<p>^Absolutely not. That is what we have AutoCAD/SolidWorks for. At the most, you MIGHT have to do some drafting, but that requires a straight edge and a bunch of templates.</p>
<p>No offense meant, but have you shadowed a doctor or talked to a real-live med student? You sound like you have the smarts to get in, but there are distinct benefits and drawbacks of becoming a physician. It’s really not the field that it used to be, and once you get in med school and take on debt, there’s really not much chance to turn back. </p>
<p>I believe that BME is a great major for med school or graduate school, if you are willing and able to put in the effort.</p>