Biomedical Engineering Major/ Pre Med

[llamaoverlord]

Hi everyone,

I have a interest in majoring in biomedical engineering. My question is is this a good decision vs one of the easier/traditional majors like biology. As we all know a medical school application needs more than good grades and a challenging major. You need things like extracurriculars, service hours, maybe a clinical internship. Is it manageable to do all these things with a major as challenging as biomedical engineering?

Also from a gpa perspective. Which major is better. One will probably have a higher gpa with a biology major vs a biomedical engineering major. So is this a weakness in majoring in biomed engineering.

Now I know many will say the cliché "do what major you will love the most." I honestly have an intrest on both majors and could see myself having some fun in both. So if we could look at this strictly from a statistical and analytical standpoint it would be the most help.

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[Obnoxious Dad]

Do you want to be a physician or an engineer? Your major is unlikely to impress anyone on a med school admissions committee. One third of the people being admitted to medical school didn't major in the sciences.
https://www.aamc.org/download/321496/data/factstablea17.pdf

If you want to be a physician, don't put yourself through the grind and GPA hammering of an engineering major.

 

[Sharknad0]

I chose Biology because I knew I was Pre-med and wanted a straightforward path to doing it. Major doesn't matter so much as how you perform in cumulative GPA and your science classes GPA. I have friends doing Biochem or Biomed Engineering and I also have friends doing Psychology. It's whatever you think you'll be more devoted to studying, hence again why I chose Biology over Biochem and the like.

 

[Neuroplasticity]

I graduated with a BME degree and high GPA. But like you know, your GPA will most likely be higher and you'll have more time for extracurriculars in biology.

In the United States we have the unique opportunity to study something outside of medicine for four years before dedicating our lives to it. You will learn plenty of bio in med school, why not use this time to explore an interest and develop problem solving skills?

My advice is to begin freshmen year by taking a balance of courses required for both majors, and if you can handle the math/physics and if BME still interests you, go for it.

 

[llamaoverlord]

I graduated with a BME degree and high GPA. But like you know, your GPA will most likely be higher and you'll have more time for extracurriculars in biology.

In the United States we have the unique opportunity to study something outside of medicine for four years before dedicating our lives to it. You will learn plenty of bio in med school, why not use this time to explore an interest and develop problem solving skills?

My advice is to begin freshmen year by taking a balance of courses required for both majors, and if you can handle the math/physics and if BME still interests you, go for it.

What school and what was the gpa?

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[Neuroplasticity]

I can PM you more info of my undergrad experience.

 

[puglover94]

People say major doesn't matter, but I was asked about my BME and mechanical engineering majors specifically as well as my engineering experiences at all of my med school interviews. Honestly it is significantly harder to maintain a high GPA as an engineering major, but it's doable.

 

[Toutie]

People say major doesn't matter, but I was asked about my BME and mechanical engineering majors specifically as well as my engineering experiences at all of my med school interviews. Honestly it is significantly harder to maintain a high GPA as an engineering major, but it's doable.

People are asked about their major during their med school interviews regardless of what their major was. You weren't asked about yours specifically because it was BME. If you had majored in Art History, you would have been asked about it also. Major in what interests you. Being able to convey a passion for a subject/major will get you further in an interview than having to discuss a subject you had no interest in or passion for.

 

[puglover94]

People are asked about their major during their med school interviews regardless of what their major was. You weren't asked about yours specifically because it was BME. If you had majored in Art History, you would have been asked about it also. Major in what interests you. Being able to convey as passion for a subject/major will get you further in an interview than having to discuss a subject you had no interest in or passion for.

I understand that. OP asked which major was "better" and I gave my opinion. OP already said that they have interests in both majors. Just was stating that I think my engineering experiences helped me, not that it got me into med school.