<p>Hi everyone,
I am a sophomore at Johns Hopkins. Currently I am a biomedical engineering and applied mathematics & statistics major, which I can complete in a total of 4 years. I am now considering the possibility of dropping the biomedical engineering major and graduating in a total of 2.5 years. Originally, I wanted to do both because I like both and wanted to keep my options open. But I don't want to go to graduate school in biomedical engineering or become a professor. I feel like this limits my options in bme. I rather become an actuary (which is in applied math). I can see myself doing that for the rest of my life.</p>
<p>The pros of dropping bme:
1. save my dad tons of money
2. accelerate my life 1.5 years (I can't wait to become independent and get my first full-time job.)
3. save the torture of completing a lot of bme requirements</p>
<p>The cons of dropping bme:
1. potential regrets
2. miss out on a year of college
3. limit future career options</p>
<p>What do you think I should do?</p>
<p>This is a tough situation.</p>
<p>First, BME and actuarial sciences are two vastly different fields. I'm thinking that even if you major in both of them, somewhere down the line you'll have to choose a field and therefore you other major will go to waste anyway. </p>
<p>You need to ask yourself if you enjoy BME and why you want to major in it.
Personally, I agree that BME is in its infantile stages and that there are few employment opportunities--most BMEs go to graduate school or medical school. </p>
<p>Also, do you enjoy Hopkins? Do you study all the time or have a good set of friends and enjoy college life? You need to think about this to see whether you will miss out or regret graduating early. </p>
<p>Another alternative would be to drop BME and maybe can an internship at an actuarial firm or preparing for the multitude of exams you'll soon be facing. </p>
<p>Ultimately, it seems that you are happy with your major/profession and that should be your paramount guide.</p>
<p>Your goals are very clear and I think the applied math and stats major would be the best way to go if you want to be an actuary. You also have the opportunity to spread out your classes a little bit from dropping BME, which can give you time to do an internship in your field. </p>
<p>A lot of students have a hard time paying for college and dropping BME would be very practical for you. If you drop BME, you can do concentrate on the other major, which will only help you get better grades.</p>
<p>Spread out your classes if you really don't want to miss some time of college, like maybe a semester or two. As far as career options go, I don't think dropping a major will limit them, in fact, you can make a productive use of that time that you would spend on the major.</p>
<p>Thanks for your replies! I psychoanalyzed myself. And I here's what I discovered. The real reason I prefer actuarial sciences over bme is that I HATE uncertainty. I like both fields equally. But when I graduate, if I have a graduate school offer (requiring me to shell out more money and time) and a job over (that is decently well paid and has advancement oppurtunities). I would hate to go the route that is uncertain, so I would probably take the job. It's not like I don't have the motivation to complete an advanced degree. But I hate the uncertainty of it all. What if I do all that and end up in a place no better than where I started? I feel like that is also the reason I'm more motivated in actuarial sciences. There is a certain path that I need to take to get a good job--just take tests. It is so much clearer than BME.</p>
<p>But on to some of the things other people brought up... Do I enjoy Hopkins? Not enough to want to stay if it won't help me. I think I would enjoy the real world just as much or even more. I will get an actuarial internship this coming summer. If I stick with both, I will try to get a bme internship the next summer. If I drop bme, I will do another/ the same actuarial internship the following summer.</p>
<p>I really don't want/need to spread out my classes. There is nothing else I really want to take. I am already taking a lot of finance/ accounting classes, which I like a lot. I am really goal-oriented and would hate to take a course for no reason. And the thing is... I can afford it. My dad is paying for it for now. But I feel like he can turn on me any moment. (He told me when I was a senior that he wouldn't. But then I made a deal with him. I was like "This is stressing me out. You help me out now, and I'll help you out if you need it later.") He has tons of money saved up, so it's not that big of a deal. He didn't really want me to come here though. He would have much rather preferred me to go to a cheaper state school or even a community college.</p>
<p>With all that in mind, I still have no idea what to do. I need more advice/ opinions please. Thanks!</p>
<p>
[quote]
I HATE uncertainty
[/quote]
</p>
<p>Sounds like actuarial sciences is for you!</p>
<p>Just a little caveat about graduate school, if your grades are good and you do take time to find funding/fellowships, graduate school can be free. You won't be living a grand life by any means but a TA/RAship will help cover the costs.</p>
<p>One thing you need to answer is whether you actually ENJOY BME? Can you see yourself in the future as a BME?</p>
<p>Personally, I think unless you love or have a passion for it, there isn't really a reason to pursue a BME degree. A BME/math major could let you work as a geneticist, medical doctor, computational/statistical biologist but besides a bio/medical field, there is very little overlap between BME/applied math, and most likely you'll need to attend graduate school. Since you already mentioned you want to be an actuary which has little/nothing to do with BME,there is no reason to major in both.</p>
<p>
[quote]
I am really goal-oriented and would hate to take a course for no reason.
[/quote]
</p>
<p>My bottom line is--unless you are interested in BME there is no reason to major in it for no reason.</p>
<p>Class wise, are there any graduate/advanced actuarial classes you can take? Are you interested in taking the GMAT, CFA or any other certifications exams?</p>
<p>Gosh, at $49,000 a year, too.
My older d wants to be an actuary. She is going to a state U. It sounds like all she has to do is take a bunch of tests.</p>
<p>She's gifted, a math whiz, her dad (who graduated from Hopkins himself) wasn't going to pay all that money for her to go to Hopkins, since he got financial aid but she wasn't.</p>
<p>I'd graduate early. While your dad may not turn on you, as you say, that school is way too expensive for the education, in my opinion.</p>