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JPodel

JPodel

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3.5 GPA in BME or 3.75 GPA in Biochemistry?

My cousin gave me shiz for not wanting to do an engineering degree (he's doing CSE). I told him its too risky for GPA and lastly I would enjoy Biochem more. Then he said, there is a higher acceptance rate of Engineers than hard science. He also said "Low BME GPA > High Hard science GPA" that was where I said Adcom does not give 2 F's.

Can someone clear this stuff up with evidence and statistics? My mind hurts.
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Jpatel2018 said:
3.5 GPA in BME or 3.75 GPA in Biochemistry?

My cousin gave me shiz for not wanting to do an engineering degree (he's doing CSE). I told him its too risky for GPA and lastly I would enjoy Biochem more. Then he said, there is a higher acceptance rate of Engineers than hard science. He also said "Low BME GPA > High Hard science GPA" that was where I said Adcom does not give 2 F's.

Can someone clear this stuff up with evidence and statistics? My mind hurts.
Click to expand...

It's an easy problem if you remove the unnecessary variables.

3.75 > 3.5
 
Jpatel2018 said:
3.5 GPA in BME or 3.75 GPA in Biochemistry?

My cousin gave me shiz for not wanting to do an engineering degree (he's doing CSE). I told him its too risky for GPA and lastly I would enjoy Biochem more. Then he said, there is a higher acceptance rate of Engineers than hard science. He also said "Low BME GPA > High Hard science GPA" that was where I said Adcom does not give 2 F's.

Can someone clear this stuff up with evidence and statistics? My mind hurts.
Click to expand...

What's the goal? If the goal is to get into med school, do the easiest classes you can to get the highest GPA you can, period. Adcoms dont have the time to evaluate course selections to decide which is more challenging. The guy with the 4.0 in art history who took just the prereqs has an easier time getting into med school than the engineer with a 3.6. If the goal is to learn something specific, or to do something you enjoy, though, then the rest is secondary. Acceptance rates are pretty meaningless to look at, given the extremely high degree of self selection (most of the weaker applicants in most fields don't ever apply), and the fact that the MCAT also serves as a weed out component.
 
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Jpatel2018 said:
3.5 GPA in BME or 3.75 GPA in Biochemistry?

My cousin gave me shiz for not wanting to do an engineering degree (he's doing CSE). I told him its too risky for GPA and lastly I would enjoy Biochem more. Then he said, there is a higher acceptance rate of Engineers than hard science. He also said "Low BME GPA > High Hard science GPA" that was where I said Adcom does not give 2 F's.

Can someone clear this stuff up with evidence and statistics? My mind hurts.
Click to expand...

Look at BME as a totally different career path. It's a professional program.

It's really hard to get a 3.5 or higher in BME, and my friend who is graduating from Rutgers this year had majored in Biomedical Engineering... He absolutely adored it, and he used to eat his textbooks day and night. However he managed to get a 3.3 GPA which is not even nearly high enough to get into medical school. If I were a med school/dental school applicant, I would major in economics or another social science to be honest, because the main goal is for medical school. Not to do something you "like" in undergrad to possibly blow your chances at something you'll "love".

I'm thinking about majoring in BME or ME, purely because I like engineering and the physical sciences, as well as wanting to make a potential career out of it.
 
If you're gonna major in engineering just to do it, then don't. The way I see it, you have no real reason to do it. You're coming in with the mindset that you won't do well or as well as you would have with another major so if you pick engineering you'll end up looking back and thinking "what if I chose an easier major?".

If you're set on medical school, biochem is fine. I'm personally very indecisive about my career choice (spent junior and senior years of HS going from pre-med to pharmacy to engineering back to pre-med back to engineering), so I'm going to play it safe and major in bioengineering. The thought of completing three years as a life sciences major and then realizing I don't want to go to med school is somewhat terrifying. But I'm not going to look at it as something that will hinder me. Who says my GPA has to be lower just because I'm in engineering? Plenty of people make it out with > 3.5. And if my GPA is too low and I realize I wanna go to med school? I'll delay my application a year and take more science classes to raise my GPA. It might even take two years but I'll find a way to get it done.

Enough of my ranting. Basically what I'm trying to say is don't not major in something because you're worried about what it will do to your GPA when you haven't even taken any classes in that subject (if you get a 2.5 your first semester as an engineer, that's a different story ;) ), and don't major in something just because your cousin told you to.
 
Thank you for the feed back everyone! I could use some more!

Also, biochemistry is a physical science right? And ad-com sees it as chemistry?
 
Would there happen to be any statistics out there? I tried looking but can't find any. I just want to show my arrogant cousin some verified info.
 
Jpatel2018 said:
Thank you for the feed back everyone! I could use some more!

Also, biochemistry is a physical science right? And ad-com sees it as chemistry?
Click to expand...

Honestly they see it as another cookie cutter premed who is just majoring in something because it is efficient -- it incorporates most of the prereqs. Not unique or unusual in the applicant pool. Which is fine, BUT you'll have to do something to give yourself some "wow" factor if you want to set yourself apart. Another biochem major with usual ECs and adequate MCAT/GPA won't translate into writing your own ticket.
 
Law2Doc said:
Honestly they see it as another cookie cutter premed who is just majoring in something because it is efficient -- it incorporates most of the prereqs. Not unique or unusual in the applicant pool. Which is fine, BUT you'll have to do something to give yourself some "wow" factor if you want to set yourself apart. Another biochem major with usual ECs and adequate MCAT/GPA won't translate into writing your own ticket.
Click to expand...
What if I enjoy it? Does that still make me a cookie cutter premed?
 
Jpatel2018 said:
Would there happen to be any statistics out there? I tried looking but can't find any. I just want to show my arrogant cousin some verified info.
Click to expand...

Who cares what he thinks? And if he's as arrogant as you make him out to be, he more than likely wouldn't change his mind because of numbers on a spreadsheet. You however can either listen to your non-premedical cousin for pre-medical advice, or stick with the several thousand people on sdn who all generally agree that a 4.0 in basket weaving is better than a 3.5 in theoretical quantum nuclear physics.
 
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Thanks. I just decided to forget about it. :)
 
^ when are they going to actually be doing that, and who's winning? The website won't let me look :( Last I saw whiteboy7thst was in 1st, but that was a looonnngggg time ago.
 
Tolbert said:
^ when are they going to actually be doing that, and who's winning? The website won't let me look :( Last I saw whiteboy7thst was in 1st, but that was a looonnngggg time ago.
Click to expand...

I have no clue.
 
Jpatel2018 said:
What if I enjoy it? Does that still make me a cookie cutter premed?
Click to expand...

Yep. You'll have to find another way to separate from the pack.

Fwiw, if you really enjoy biochem, you actually might not like most of medicine -- despite all the biochem majors who apply to med school, there isn't much day to day use of that course in medicine -- it's just foundation.
 
If you could write and talk about majoring in BME, sure.

Or you could write and talk about how much you love doing BME research (no need to be a BME major) or volunteering or dancing or whatever.

I guess what I'm saying is that BME sounds as special as Biochemistry.

Also, it does make more sense that less less-qualified applicants would be majoring in BME.
So as long as you're good, you're good.
 
Hillo said:
If you could write and talk about majoring in BME, sure.

Or you could write and talk about how much you love doing BME research (no need to be a BME major) or volunteering or dancing or whatever.

I guess what I'm saying is that BME sounds as special as Biochemistry.

Also, it does make more sense that less less-qualified applicants would be majoring in BME.
So as long as you're good, you're good.
Click to expand...

Uhh....what? :confused:
 
I kind wanted to say that but I didn't want to sound mean. :confused::confused:
 
You pointed out that there is a higher acceptance rate for engineering majors.

I'm saying that they're not getting accepted because of their major.
In general, you get accepted because of your EC's, essays, and interview.

Some additional info - I was set on BME four years ago and only looked for colleges with that major (the "low-ranked" schools did not have that major).
Also, those who took AP Physics tended to want to major in engineering and be "the cream of the crop" in my high school.
The colleges that I looked at had higher admissions standards for those applying for an engineering major.
So I'm saying that talented students will be majoring in BME (I know plenty who are).

I switched from BME to Biology last month, I believe.
 
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Oh okay.

Yeah, I'd agree with that.

So why'd you switch?
 
Even though I was SO ecstatic when I got accepted into the BME department...
switching will let me graduate earlier (a student at the dental school I want to go to told me that they expect you to graduate in your major).

BME won't prepare me for dental school, a certain exam, OR life.

I dislike how BME has an $800/yr engineering differential tuition and how everyone and their mom is majoring in BME too :p

Oh yea, less money spent on books in Biology because some professors only utilize Powerpoints and because some Biology textbooks will be available in the library.
Engineering = working out LOTS of problems = you want your own books.
 
Last edited:
I'm No Superman said:
It's an easy problem if you remove the unnecessary variables.

3.75 > 3.5
Click to expand...

Your cousin is terribly misinformed. This is because he is not a premed. Tell him to get over it.

Make the decision of your major early and stick to it. Biochem is a great major for premed. I wish I had been in it from the start.
 
TexasSurgeon said:
Your cousin is terribly misinformed. This is because he is not a premed. Tell him to get over it.

Make the decision of your major early and stick to it. Biochem is a great major for premed. I wish I had been in it from the start.
Click to expand...
Thanks! Definitely still doing Biochem. He annoys me cause he tells me "use proper sources" when debating with him and I can't find any so then he give me crap for not being able to back anything up. Lol, I am over him and just stopped listening to him. Thanks for the advice guys!
 
Jpatel2018 said:
Thanks! Definitely still doing Biochem. He annoys me cause he tells me "use proper sources" when debating with him and I can't find any so then he give me crap for not being able to back anything up. Lol, I am over him and just stopped listening to him. Thanks for the advice guys!
Click to expand...

Ask him to use proper sources.
 
Jpatel2018 said:
Thanks! Definitely still doing Biochem. He annoys me cause he tells me "use proper sources" when debating with him and I can't find any so then he give me crap for not being able to back anything up. Lol, I am over him and just stopped listening to him. Thanks for the advice guys!
Click to expand...

Lol ask him to use proper sources.
 
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