I really don’t know much about any of these areas, so feel at a loss. My daughter, now a junior, interested in all of these areas–from physical therapist to orthopedic surgeon to “engineering” things such as robotics (electrical focus perhaps). she loves physics primarily, second is chemistry. She has done a lot of physical therapy for her knees, so that’s of interest, too. We’re in California and prefer her to stay there, but we are open (as is she) to out of state. She also loves drama and high-level dancing. No SAT or ACT yet, likely a 4.0 GPA (private school so it won’t get much higher the way they do things), focused, disciplined kid. Thinking and/or visiting: UCLA and UCSD (though likely far too big), maybe UCDavis, USC (Univ of Southern California), CalPoly, University of San Diego, NYU, Carnegie, LMU, Cornell, Harvey Mudd, John Hopkins, Villanova, Pepperdine. I realize this is quite a mix, not all fit these categories per se. Any input on pre-med, engineering, and the mix of the two, or strategies. I know some of these are really reaches. Thanks, much!
Will she be taking the SAT and ACT this spring? Having the scores then will make searching for colleges more accurate, and can allow locking down some safeties (e.g. UCR’s admission guarantee if signed up for in June/July, or knowing which automatic full tuition/ride scholarships she will get).
As the parent, have you determined your budget? Have you run net price calculators on the proposed schools to see if need-based aid will be enough, or if merit scholarships need to be earned?
A physics interest will tend to favor engineering over pre-med or health professions, although obviously nothing is set yet.
Villanova and Pepperdine are religious schools of different denominations.
if she wants to be an engineer then, unfortunately, at most publics she needs to apply as one. Technically you can change majors once enrolled but it is difficult. And the bar for college admission tends to be a bit higher for engineering majors, although it sounds like that won’t be a problem for your daughter.
In a way its better that she doesn’t know that she “wants to be an X”. A lot of kids here already “know” they want to be investment bankers or doctors, but they have no real idea of what the career is like or whether its a fit for them. Which brings up a suggestion – have her start exploring. An unofficial requirement for med school is actual exposure to patient care, so she can get started on that this summer with volunteer work somewhere. This may help her decide if its really for her. She can learn more about how to prepare for med school from the very informative FAQ at http://www.rhodes.edu/hpa/15890.asp They also have a nice writeup in the PreMed Essentials link on the left side of that page. There is also an excellent online handbook at Amherst http://www3.amherst.edu/~sageorge/guide1.html
It would be a good idea to also explore related medical areas if she’s interested in medicine such at PT (which she already seems to know about, nursing, and similar occupations. The path to practicing orthopedic surgeon will take her 12-14 years after HS, so other options are worth at least considering. In fact exploring all the areas she’s interested in by reading up on them, talking to folks in those jobs, etc. is a good idea. What most EEs actually do is little related to physics or chem as she’s been learning them, although kids strong in sciences are traditionally steered towards engineering.
If possible, though, I’d suggest trying to have a career goal (at least between engineering/medicine/science) in sight by next fall. BTW the “union card” for a decent job in the sciences these days is a PhD, so if she’s thinking chem or physics she ought to know that. And you can look up “PhD glut” and see that jobs even with that degree its still no walk in the park.
Some might say “keep options open” and try engineering with the intention of using that as a fallback in case med school doesn’t work out, but med schools are very sensitive to GPA and engineering isn’t the one to pick if you want a high GPA. Furthermore it would be hard to really stand out in both; for med school you need exposure to the field and research experience is a big plus, for engineering you need to be involved in student engineering projects and take part in internships. There is only so much time available…
Bioengineering is a good start. Should work well with premedical undergraduate requirements. You should also look up “Medical Scientist Training Programs” to see what the recommended course of study might be for entrance to those. They are usually 6 year programs leading to the MD/PhD.
Son is recent grad in mechanical engineering. Lots of physics. If she is a people person, has she looked into prosthetics?? I think I missed my calling!!!
I have a D at Harvey Mudd, and while I think it could be a great fit for many of the things your D is interested in (mine is a CS major, but is still toying with switching to physics, taking Quantum “for fun” this semester), it is not a great fit if your D is serious about med school because of grade deflation. All other science-type grad programs seem to recognize this about Mudd, but med school is different. If she thinks robotics, physics, chemistry, engineering are probable paths, then by all means have her visit Mudd. But if she is serious about med school, she needs to go someplace where she can get a high GPA, good MCAT prep, and low debt coming out of undergrad.
Wow, thank all of you for the wealth of information! These are great insights and resources. crazed she is a people person, as well–a nice mix of smart, determined and focused with personable, and I’ve seen her as a potential doctor since she was little (though I did not push it–in fact i am still wondering if with all the chaos in the medical industry and the lower pay doctors are getting if it is worth it in those terms, but she still has passion for it, so we won’t discourage her). She loves the pure sciences, too, though, and for this year’s robotics team said I am going to do the control box, electrical "stuff (boy, am I good at these topics, or what!!! 
or they’ll be hell to pay (well, she did not exactly say it that way). Thanks, again.