Computer Engineering Premed

[JBDoctor35]

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Hey everyone,

I just finished up my freshman year of college and majored in computer engineering. Through dual enrollment, I was able to take most of my gen ed classes so I now have 50 credit hours. All throughout high school I wanted to go into the engineering or medical field. I've always had a passion for science and math. Last summer I chose to major in CE because I loved math and people told me I would be good at it. I loved it and was able to obtain a 4.0 GPA. The deal is I've always been a people person. I don't want to be stuck behind a computer all day dealing with software. I love helping people and I feel like medicine is a great outlet for that, so I really want to go to med school and become a physician one day. I've been told by multiple people that I should major in biology because I can achieve a higher GPA and gain valuable research experience with my university. On the other hand, people have told me to stick with CE and enroll in some premed prereq courses at the same time. If my end goal after undergrad is to go to med school, which route should I pursue? Should I switch to a biology major or continue on my CE track and add premed classes in there? Thank you guys for all your help!

JB

 

[goft20]

If you are sure you can maintain a high gpa in cs classes and take the all the pre reqs then go ahead. It will make you stand out from the cookie cutter bio majors and you will be able to do something that interests you.

Good luck


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[claduva94]

I think it is a myth that engineers always have lower GPAs and I am living proof. You will do best in a major you are passionate about because you will commit to it. As a result, my GPA is much higher than many people I know who have an "easy" major because they wanted an easier load. Do what will make you happier. I personally like the security of having an engineering degree if my medical school plans don't work out.

 

[acquiescing]

Plus, with a unique major, you can spin that into a diversity essay if you have to. I am an engineering major and wouldn't trade it for the world because I enjoy my degree. Don't think of it as which major should you pursue. Think of it as "which major do I want to spend the next three years of my life studying". There's also plenty of research out there that is heavily dependent on software and coding and I'm sure you could find some projects that utilize your skills. My first year of research I did computational chemistry, which combined organic chemistry and writing code and running scripts. People on this site don't put enough effort into doing what they like to do. If for you that is compsci, then do it and maybe you'll be able to incorporate it into medicine some day, streamlining your clinic or hospital's workflow or something even on a grander scale. My friend's dad is an MD with a CS degree and he worked in the ER for 20 years before now running and optimizing the records system for the state network of hospitals. I'm rambling now, but my vote is CS.

 

[allantois]

There is a very absurd situation when it comes to majoring in something different from most other people. A lot of pre-meds seem to agree that it is in your best interest to major in something that you are passionate about but then you will find medical students wishing that they had taken all sorts of courses in ugrad to help them out in med school. There is, of course, no consensus on this, so you will hear all types of opinions. The pre-med curriculum includes a lot of credits of courses that will only further expand due to new MCAT requirements. These courses for the most part will not count for a degree in CE so you need to ask yourself whether you want to be taking an incredible amount of course load or if you rather want to go for a more convenient and IMO more practical major and have time to do a lot of other things that are unrelated to academics yet expected by medical schools. Another good question to ask yourself is whether you really believe that taking a bare minimum of prerequisites will adequately prepare you for medical school.