Benefit for Engineering Majors???

[nwalltheway]

---

Members don't see this ad.

I am wondering if having a degree in engineering will have any benefits when applying to med. school as in lower GPA requirements, etc. I heard from a representative of Baylor med. school that a 3.2 in ChemE is weighed the same as a 3.8 in bio. Is this true for other programs as well? I know there is ALOT more to it like MCAT, etc. but does the engineering degree grant some GPA "leeway"? Thanks again!!

 

[fizzgig]

i wouldn't bank on it. for every person who does look at it that way i would think there are many more who won't. plan to get a 4.infinity in whatever major you have, picked because you LIKE it, and you apply with what you have when you're done.

 

[gettheleadout]

i wouldn't bank on it. For every person who does look at it that way i would think there are many more who won't. Plan to get a 4.infinity in whatever major you have, picked because you like it, and you apply with what you have when you're done.

+1

 

[tennismasta]

I agree with most of what fizzgig said with an exception: it's not the easiest thing to get a 4.infinity in engineering. I worked my butt off to get a 3.3 cGPA in engineering from a top ten school, and I've only had 3 interview invites out of applications to 30 schools (complete since late August). decide as early as possible whether medicine is the right thing for you, and if it is, seriously consider dropping engineering. sure it's interesting, but if you won't be doing it for the rest of your life, no point in hurting your chances to pursue your dream of becoming a doctor. like fizzgig said, some schools will look favorably at your tough major, but many others probably won't

i wouldn't bank on it. for every person who does look at it that way i would think there are many more who won't. plan to get a 4.infinity in whatever major you have, picked because you LIKE it, and you apply with what you have when you're done.

 

[WorldChanger36]

Stay away from engineering unless you want to be an engineer. If you enjoy similar things consider a major in Physics or Math with minors in Chemistry or Biology. No major has an advantage over another, so do something you enjoy but keep in mind that your goal at the end of undergrad is med school so don't get sucked into a major that will have you bald before your time.

 

[MilkmanAl]

Always go for the easy major that you can put up big numbers in. Physics and math majors are just as hard to get "good" grades in as engineering, so avoid those, too.

 

[nwalltheway]

Thanks all for the great advice. I'm actually finishing up my degree with one more semester to go in ChemE. I have a 3.7 right now and was planning on working in the biotech. industry for a few years before going into medicine. Do you think this would be a wise choice? I figure that working in biotech. will distinguish me as an applicant and whatnot.

 

[mauberley]

On its face, it won't buy you anything. (Although I did have a student interviewer comment to me that my GPA was that much more impressive because it was an engineering GPA, YMMV.) If you take that engineering degree and gain practical engineering experience (real-world problem-solving skills and the discipline and rigor associated with it) for awhile before getting into medicine, it could be useful.

I graduated with a EE degree and have worked in the medical devices industry as an engineer for several years. I obviously can't comment on whether that helped my app at all, but feel free to msg me if you have any specific questions.

 

[armybound]

I do believe Engineering GPAs are seen with viewed with leniency because they know how hard the programs are.

I wouldn't do anything you don't really want to do just so you can make your application look different. apply now and go into industry if it doesn't work out for you. your goal is to be a medical student, not work in industry. don't get your priorities mixed up

 

[bacalaca]

Thanks all for the great advice. I'm actually finishing up my degree with one more semester to go in ChemE. I have a 3.7 right now and was planning on working in the biotech. industry for a few years before going into medicine. Do you think this would be a wise choice? I figure that working in biotech. will distinguish me as an applicant and whatnot.

orrrr... if you want to go to med school, you could just apply without working. this aint business school, work experience is not required. in fact, there is a sizable chunk of my class that went to med school straight from college and about some of them have engineering degrees.

 

[SFO-IST]

Thanks all for the great advice. I'm actually finishing up my degree with one more semester to go in ChemE. I have a 3.7 right now and was planning on working in the biotech. industry for a few years before going into medicine. Do you think this would be a wise choice? I figure that working in biotech. will distinguish me as an applicant and whatnot.

Why would you be asking if a 3.2 GPA counted the same as a 3.8 if you already have a 3.7? This negates the whole point of this thread. It doesn't matter, you already have a high GPA. Are you trying to see if you have a 4.3 equivalent?

Yes, go into biotech and then into medical school. Above all reasons, it will allow you to make sure industry isn't better for you. Medicine is financial suicide. Then, even if you choose to go into medicine, you will have a more realistic idea of what the outside world is like and you'll become a more dedicated doctor because of it.

 

[bacalaca]

take that engineering degree and gain practical engineering experience (real-world problem-solving skills and the discipline and rigor associated with it) for awhile before getting into medicine, it could be useful.

Flame me if you guys must, but I think the notion the "rigors" of engineering and its preparation for med school might be overblown. My classmates include engineering students from MIT, Stanford, Cal, UCLA, and not one of them have stated that their undergrad engineering rigors come close to matching what we deal with in med school. Those with engineering work experience say the same thing. Not that they are unprepared or doing poorly in med school by any means, but its like they dont feel that their background gave them a real advantage over any other student in our class that did just as well in a "easy undergrad load." The real moral of the story is just do well in what you do, and don't use a rigorous load (aka engineering, triple major blah blah) as an excuse for not getting big numbers.

 

[nwalltheway]

I do believe Engineering GPAs are seen with viewed with leniency because they know how hard the programs are.

I wouldn't do anything you don't really want to do just so you can make your application look different. apply now and go into industry if it doesn't work out for you. your goal is to be a medical student, not work in industry. don't get your priorities mixed up

Thanks! I never thought about it that way actually. I am interested in working for biotech. for a few years, but I definitely don't want it to get in the way.

 

[nwalltheway]

Flame me if you guys must, but I think the notion the "rigors" of engineering and its preparation for med school might be overblown. My classmates include engineering students from MIT, Stanford, Cal, UCLA, and not one of them have stated that their undergrad engineering rigors come close to matching what we deal with in med school. Those with engineering work experience say the same thing. Not that they are unprepared or doing poorly in med school by any means, but its like they dont feel that their background gave them a real advantage over any other student in our class that did just as well in a "easy undergrad load." The real moral of the story is just do well in what you do, and don't use a rigorous load (aka engineering, triple major blah blah) as an excuse for not getting big numbers.

Nah, I agree with what you are saying. I have alot of friends in biochem and I see how many pages and pages of information that they have to memorize and I'm actually glad I'm not them haha. I'm not saying engineering is any more difficult, but I've heard it's seen with some leniency and I was wondering if this was true because I, personally, did not believe that it is.

 

[mauberley]

Flame me if you guys must, but I think the notion the "rigors" of engineering and its preparation for med school might be overblown. My classmates include engineering students from MIT, Stanford, Cal, UCLA, and not one of them have stated that their undergrad engineering rigors come close to matching what we deal with in med school. Those with engineering work experience say the same thing. Not that they are unprepared or doing poorly in med school by any means, but its like they dont feel that their background gave them a real advantage over any other student in our class that did just as well in a "easy undergrad load." The real moral of the story is just do well in what you do, and don't use a rigorous load (aka engineering, triple major blah blah) as an excuse for not getting big numbers.

Heh. I certainly wouldn't flame you for it, as I agree with what you've said, especially your moral of the story. If engineering provided a leg up on other students in medicine, I'd think we would see way more engineers going into medicine. That having been said, the connections I've made between my engineering education and experience and medicine do make me feel like I have a unique perspective, but I don't give it any more or less weight compared to others' experiences.

ETA: the notion of being an "engineer" is applied so sloppily these days that it's hard to compare people's (anecdotal) experiences. More established engineering disciplines like civil engineering that require professional licensing certainly are rigorous (your constructions fail, people die), but the newer fields (software engineering) do show a lot of wild west-style work.

 

[nwalltheway]

On its face, it won't buy you anything. (Although I did have a student interviewer comment to me that my GPA was that much more impressive because it was an engineering GPA, YMMV.) If you take that engineering degree and gain practical engineering experience (real-world problem-solving skills and the discipline and rigor associated with it) for awhile before getting into medicine, it could be useful.

I graduated with a EE degree and have worked in the medical devices industry as an engineer for several years. I obviously can't comment on whether that helped my app at all, but feel free to msg me if you have any specific questions.

Thanks for the advice! I am interested in working as an engineer for a few years since it does actually interest me and since no one in my family has an engineering degree (or a medical degree for that matter).

 

[nwalltheway]

In an unrelated topic, do you guys know if there is any benefit for being the first in your family to get an MD? I know some colleges give you some benefit if you are the first to get an undergraduate degree, but I'm not sure for med. school. Just curious!

 

[bacalaca]

the connections I've made between my engineering education and experience and medicine do make me feel like I have a unique perspective, but I don't give it any more or less weight compared to others' experiences.

I think you hit it right on the head with this. Med schools love perspective, with all other things being relatively equal. I hope to be involved in admissions in the near future, and i couldnt have said it better myself.

 

[bacalaca]

In an unrelated topic, do you guys know if there is any benefit for being the first in your family to get an MD? I know some colleges give you some benefit if you are the first to get an undergraduate degree, but I'm not sure for med. school. Just curious!

yea I'm not really sure either, cause i think that like over half the students in my class dont have a physician in their family... so i dont think it really helps. on the flip side, having an MD in the family probably doesnt help too much either lol

 

[erikreinertsen]

Flame me if you guys must, but I think the notion the "rigors" of engineering and its preparation for med school might be overblown. My classmates include engineering students from MIT, Stanford, Cal, UCLA, and not one of them have stated that their undergrad engineering rigors come close to matching what we deal with in med school. Those with engineering work experience say the same thing. Not that they are unprepared or doing poorly in med school by any means, but its like they dont feel that their background gave them a real advantage over any other student in our class that did just as well in a "easy undergrad load." The real moral of the story is just do well in what you do, and don't use a rigorous load (aka engineering, triple major blah blah) as an excuse for not getting big numbers.

Funny, I have some friends at some top tier schools who said MIT / Stanford / Cal / UCLA undergrad engineering was WAY harder.

EDIT: coming back to this a year later, I reinforce what I said having spoken to both my PIs and faculty who teach med courses... but to cover a dif point, yes you still need a strong GPA even though engineering is a more rigorous major. Study what you enjoy.

 

[apumic]

Nope. Engineering majors who are accepted generally have similar GPAs to those in other majors. Sorry, but you're going to need that 3.6-3.8 in engineering just like the kid in bio or the well-dressed biz student.

 

[dramaqueen14]

I think that you need a GPA that is comparable to that of students in other majors who are getting in to be competitive, but once you have that GPA, it might give you an advantage. I have a 3.7something in BME with all A's in engineering classes and some of my interviewers have been VERY impressed by me having that gpa as an engineering major. My interviewer at my top choice school kept praising me and my grades in engineering, so if I get in there, I will be soo glad I chose to major in BME! They've also been really interested in hearing about how I can relate my engineering major to medicine so it's definitely something that they find somewhat unique!

 

[bacalaca]

Funny, I have some friends at Harvard Med who said MIT / Stanford / Cal / UCLA undergrad engineering was WAY harder. In fact I said this a while back and listed those exact same schools... lolol

What engineering undergrad did you do? I'm just curious where you're coming from and how you back it up.

If you read what I wrote, you will notice that I never said that I had an engineering background. I was a micro and immuno major. Now as to where I am coming from and how i back it up, I am just a med student who happens to be good friends with my classmates who have the engineering backgrounds that I have mentioned. Thats what they told me, but hey what do I know. The main point of my post was the moral of the story, which most people seemed to agree with in the subsequent comments.