MD Chemical engineering to premed

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pfinn17

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I am a sophomore with a chemical engineering undergrad major with an emphasis in biochemistry. I have decided that I want to go to medical school after my undergraduate, however I have a lot of questions, and need advice from people who have experience in this!

1. My GPA is 3.49/4, which isn’t horrible for chemical engineering. However I have heard that GPA is very important on the applications for medical school. How will this be taken into account? Are my chances lowered with this GPA?

2. Chemical engineering is considered one of the hardest majors at my university, and it definitely isn’t a rumor. It’s a very difficult major and it takes up a lot of my time. I am stressed a lot about my classes often, which isn’t anything unusual for me, but I know that I need to be getting in a lot of volunteering and shadowing for medical school applications. Would it benefit me to change my major to biochemistry?? (which I assume would increase my GPA and give me more time to devote to extracurriculars for applications) or is it better to have a lower (but not low) GPA in ChemE?

3. I work as a pharmaceutical technician, and just out of curiosity I was wondering how this would be viewed on a med school application?

4. What are your general “most important things to know” for pre-med students and for the med school application?

Thank you for any help! I truly appreciate your time!

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I am a sophomore with a chemical engineering undergrad major with an emphasis in biochemistry. I have decided that I want to go to medical school after my undergraduate, however I have a lot of questions, and need advice from people who have experience in this!

1. My GPA is 3.49/4, which isn’t horrible for chemical engineering. However I have heard that GPA is very important on the applications for medical school. How will this be taken into account? Are my chances lowered with this GPA?

2. Chemical engineering is considered one of the hardest majors at my university, and it definitely isn’t a rumor. It’s a very difficult major and it takes up a lot of my time. I am stressed a lot about my classes often, which isn’t anything unusual for me, but I know that I need to be getting in a lot of volunteering and shadowing for medical school applications. Would it benefit me to change my major to biochemistry?? (which I assume would increase my GPA and give me more time to devote to extracurriculars for applications) or is it better to have a lower (but not low) GPA in ChemE?

3. I work as a pharmaceutical technician, and just out of curiosity I was wondering how this would be viewed on a med school application?

4. What are your general “most important things to know” for pre-need students and for the med school application?

Thank you for any help! I truly appreciate your time!

*pre-MED (not pre-need.. apologies for autocorrect)
 
1. My GPA is 3.49/4, which isn’t horrible for chemical engineering. However I have heard that GPA is very important on the applications for medical school. How will this be taken into account? Are my chances lowered with this GPA?
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I thought about doing biomedical engineering, and had the same question regarding rigor of program deflating GPA and if this is taken into account. Basically the bottom line that I came to was yes it's taken into account, but not "enough."

As a sophomore you still have time to get it above a 3.5 anyway... Just be selective about who you take classes with (watch out for harsh graders on ratemyprofessor)

Side note: Out of the applied schools (as in not in Arts/Science School; so Nursing, Engineering, Education, Business) I know of more successful engineering premeds than any other. But I've had lots of engineering premeds warn me about being an engineering premed (as in don't do it.)

2. Chemical engineering is considered one of the hardest majors at my university, and it definitely isn’t a rumor. It’s a very difficult major and it takes up a lot of my time. I am stressed a lot about my classes often, which isn’t anything unusual for me, but I know that I need to be getting in a lot of volunteering and shadowing for medical school applications. Would it benefit me to change my major to biochemistry?? (which I assume would increase my GPA and give me more time to devote to extracurriculars for applications) or is it better to have a lower (but not low) GPA in ChemE?

It's not better to have a lower GPA in ChemE. Change to whatever you enjoy, even non-science. Stay in ChemE if you really like it and think you'll do well (but look at the classes ahead of you, and really think about it.)

I'd say from trends I've seen on here is your program rigor is most rewarded/recognized when you do exceptionally well in it, not as much "cutting slack" for it.

3. I work as a pharmaceutical technician, and just out of curiosity I was wondering how this would be viewed on a med school application?

It's experience, and it's valuable then keep it. Yeah, it might not be the right flavor of clinical experience to claim as a "clinical experience" but if you're gaining other positive things from it like leadership, I don't think it matters that it's not exactly up the ally of a physician. But if a better opportunity comes along/this one is interfering with your studying, ditch it.

Edit: When describing the experience, I would just add some context that answers the question "But why did you decide to be a pharmacy tech though?" of which an acceptable answer (IMO) would be something to the effect of "I already had this job before I decided on medicine and I was doing well in it/gaining good real-world experience there including xxx."

4. What are your general “most important things to know” for pre-med students and for the med school application?

Have a mock AMCAS on word so the first time you see it (and realize what's lacking) isn't when you're applying. Fill in the fields about experiences as they happen so the writing is better/ideas are more accurate.

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You're in a good position
 
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There is a decent amount of advice geared towards ChE undergrad if you search chemical engineering on SDN or look at posts from @ChemEngMD (I did ChE undergrad with a biochemical eng./biotech focus as well and am applying this upcoming cycle). I was geared more towards R&D in biotech/pharma but decided towards medical school junior/senior year. The general consensus seems to be to pick a major you are genuinely interested in (this will generally help your grades). There doesn't seem to be much inflation for ChE majors. You hopefully should have a good sense of the major by now and know if its for you. If its not I'd recommend finding another major since it only gets more rigorous junior/senior years and picking a different major that you're more interested will improve your grades/sanity and give you more free time to involve yourself in other passions/extracurriculars. Chemical engineering will make you approach problems a unique way but other than that it was not have too much overlap with medicine unless you hope to be at the intersection of the fields.

With regards to your pharm tech position, I think medical schools will mostly look at what you gained from the experience i.e. meaningful interactions or anything that can be extrapolated to you practicing as a physician rather than some knowledge about drugs that you will likely learn in medical school anyways.

Feel free to DM me with any other questions.
 
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