Biomedical Engineering as a Major

[amin196]

I am considering majoring in Biomedical Engineering. I have a strong interest in biology and physics, yet there is a problem. I am not extraordinarily strong in mathematics. I am currently a senior and I am taking AP Calculus (doing quite well actually). Yet I am worried that my current ability is insufficient for BME. Is it possible for someone weaker in mathematics to develop the skills necessary to succeed in engineering majors? Or is it something one must innately possess?

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[Whatyousay]

I am considering majoring in Biomedical Engineering. I have a strong interest in biology and physics, yet there is a problem. I am not extraordinarily strong in mathematics. I am currently a senior and I am taking AP Calculus (doing quite well actually). Yet I am worried that my current ability is insufficient for BME. Is it possible for someone weaker in mathematics to develop the skills necessary to succeed in engineering majors? Or is it something one must innately possess?

Math is all about developing habits and recognizing patterns.

If you're willing to put in the effort to do extra problems and take your math classes seriously, it is very possible for you to develop the math skills necessary to succeed in engineering. That being said, the amount of work that you need to put in depends on your innate affinity for math.

 

[WholeLottaGame7]

I am considering majoring in Biomedical Engineering. I have a strong interest in biology and physics, yet there is a problem. I am not extraordinarily strong in mathematics. I am currently a senior and I am taking AP Calculus (doing quite well actually). Yet I am worried that my current ability is insufficient for BME. Is it possible for someone weaker in mathematics to develop the skills necessary to succeed in engineering majors? Or is it something one must innately possess?

Probably best to take an intro engineering class early to see how much you might like it/what the effort:result ratio will be. BME was a popular pre-med major at my undergrad, and those kids busted their balls. Always up late in the engineering building working on problem sets or some sort of project. My impression is that if you think you might use the engineering portion later in your career for product-development or something, it might be worth it. But it seemed to me a painful path for those just interested in getting into med school/residency.

Just my $.02 as a non-BME major with lots of BME friends.

 

[Valadi]

Probably best to take an intro engineering class early to see how much you might like it/what the effort:result ratio will be. BME was a popular pre-med major at my undergrad, and those kids busted their balls. Always up late in the engineering building working on problem sets or some sort of project. My impression is that if you think you might use the engineering portion later in your career for product-development or something, it might be worth it. But it seemed to me a painful path for those just interested in getting into med school/residency.

Just my $.02 as a non-BME major with lots of BME friends.

I second this. Unless you're exceptionally bright you're setting yourself up for pain. What would be worthwhile is trying to get into a BME lab while you figure out your major. If you're thinking applying plastics or ortho in the future, some BME papers can go a long way.

 

[Lil Mick]

It's a good major, and college mathematics are completely different than high school (hated it in high school, loved calc and am in math for my research now). If you're willing to put in the time, engineering gives you a good foundation for medicine and a good back-up plan. However, it will take a lot of work to maintain high enough grades. My school's average for BME was something like a 2.8 (engineering school, though).