I was a chemical engineer with a concentration in bio (it was before our school put an actually bioengineering major)
the pros and cons:
(first I think it depends on the school and what the curriculum is)
pros:
-you don't end up in the premed rat race
-I liked the math courses and they really helped my science gpa
-We had to take 2 computer languages which I have actually used my programming skills since leaving college
-it does seperate you from the typical bio/chem applicant
-classes at our school were smaller so you got to know the faculty better
-I had to take much more physics and thermodynamics and fluid classes than the minimum med school requirement so that made those sections on the mcat so much easier
-the curriculum was set up much more problem solving (almost like all these pbl curriculums) which I enjoy so much more than memorizing and taking multiple choice test
cons:
-you don't have the freedom and flexibility to take a lot of outside of your major classes
-it seemed like a lot more work than my roommates and other pre-meds
-you end up with many projects due
-I have heard some schools don't like engineering applicants as much because they can be very uni-directional (I NEVER had a problem with this though)
-when the mcats come around it is really hard to fit in study time
-we had to average 21 credits a semester
-you don't meet as many people who are volunteering and involved in different activities...
-you don't have the chance to take some of the bio upper level classes
-some engineering faculty didn't like people going into medicine...felt it was a waste of training and wouldn't write letters of rec
-some engineering faculty just can't write decent letters of recs
-sometimes it can be harder to get involved in research (I say this just because alot of our faculty worked at companies and it wasn't conveniently on or near campus)
ok...that is just a few :wink:
overall must people commented during my interviews that I have a unique background and brought many aspects to the table
