Electrical Engineering major

Discover Your Odds of Getting into Medical School
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dmission said:
Is an EE major possible to have and get into med-school?
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Yeah, but it might make your GPA non-competitive. Engineering programs tend to have lower averages than many others, if all the whining I've heard on SDN and from my buddies in eng. has any merit to it.
 
I'm a chemical engineer, which is arguably the toughest major at my university. However, I have managed a strong GPA. I am conveniently putting off all of the theoretical and applied engineering courses until my senior year, so all I will have to do is pass then instead of push myself towards an A... assuming my application goes well of course 🙂

In terms of research though, I couldn't tell you. I just went to do research in chemistry, for you... I dunno physics? I'm sure you can find opportunities though.
 
With a major like EE, it may be difficult to land medically- or biomedically-related research, if that's what you're looking for. Research within your major shouldn't be an issue. The thinking here, and it sounds reasonable, is that medical schools are looking for intellectual curiosity and a knack for independent learning, qualities that can be shown regardless of the field of research.

You may also be able to leverage your natural science skills learned from your pre-med classes into biomedical research.

The natural question is why medicine if you're interested in electrical engineering? Consider the answer, and it should guide your choices.
 
dmission said:
Is an EE major possible to have and get into med-school? Or, will there not b enough research possibilities and stuff like that?

What are you all majoring in?

Thanks!
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I am a electrical engineer. I even did a master in electrical engineering in a top 3 school and have designed two flash memory chips that have been used widely in your ipod nano and iphone.

It is very easy to find research opportunity in bioengineering related with your EE background. I am got interview at several cali schools already for MSTP program. In my opinion, my EE background made me really strong in the process.

I believe EE is the best major. You got a brutal education that really make you strong. Plus, if you don't make to med school, you can immediately get a six figures job.

Let me know if you have any question.
 
Thanks for all the replies ^^

I am interested in a career in medicine, but the school I'm planning to attend has no Pre-Med major, so I'm trying to find something else I enjoy.

I was considering between Economics, Electrical Engineering, and Neurobiology, Physiology & Behavior. I'm worried the last one is too hard to maintain a high GPA in, and aside from that, I'm trying to decide which would give me the most research chances to do well in med school.
 
DesignEngineer said:
I believe EE is the best major. You got a brutal education that really make you strong.
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That's why I stuck with chemical engineering. I feel like my brain is trained in so many different, out of the box ways. Trying to figure out abstract problems and deduce equations is so useful compared to just regurgitating information... that is if you can keep your GPA up, of course.
 
I'm a Mechanical Engineering major and I would advise you to stay in engineering. There are EEs in medicine; personally I met a trauma surgeon who was an EE and explained to me the operation of a CT scanner in great detail.

One thing to note is that it will take you longer than 4 years to fit everything in (took me 2 extra semesters). Most important thing to realize is that you should not rush things. Taking an extra or two extra years to finish everything will allow you to do all your volunteering/research and think things over before you make the decision.

Here are the main reasons to consider:

[1] If you don't get in, you'll have a nice starting salary and can still make more than a doctor if you become successful in the industry.

[2] Engineering school will give you very good problem solving skills that will transition wonderfully to medicine.

[3] You have a unique major, and that is a plus.

[4] You can find research projects in any department since the research done by undergrads does not require that much in depth knowledge. You will definitely find stuff in BioE.

Hope this helps.
 
Hmm true.

Another one I'm considering: Neurobiology, Physiology & Behavior.

Does anyone know if this is a hard major? I've heard physiology is tough
 
i think elec. engr'ing is a great major, if you actually like it....i loved the theory and i felt i had an inclination towards math/physics before going into it....as far as getting into medical school, you can do any major you want, so if you choose engr'ing, that's great....but if you are passionate about learning something else, then go for that...i think engr'ing is very relevant to medicine today, and it can definitely help develop a solid foundation before entering med school...im actually a non-trad and worked for a bit before deciding on medicine....so it is absolutely possible to go into medicine after doing engr'ing....gluck 👍
 
Thanks everyone!
I've decided to go with Computer Science and Engineering, something I think i'll enjoy, and after getting B.S. i'll then apply to med-school. =)

(Last Q: does this engineering degree still take more than 4 years?)
 
MassTransport said:
With a major like EE, it may be difficult to land medically- or biomedically-related research, if that's what you're looking for. Research within your major shouldn't be an issue. The thinking here, and it sounds reasonable, is that medical schools are looking for intellectual curiosity and a knack for independent learning, qualities that can be shown regardless of the field of research.

You may also be able to leverage your natural science skills learned from your pre-med classes into biomedical research.

The natural question is why medicine if you're interested in electrical engineering? Consider the answer, and it should guide your choices.
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EE is plan B in case you don't get into med school?
 
I'm a non-trad mechanical engineer who is applying this cycle so my perspective might be useful. First off, props on gunning for engineering. It's a great field. I would recommend, however, going for electrical, mechanical, chemical, or biomedical engineering. From my experience these majors are the most applicable to medicine. Also, Csci/CompEng majors don’t seem to have as much practical grounding as the other engineering disciplines.

Chemical or biomedical engineering will require the least amount of additional course work to get into medical school. I believe these guys take more general chemistry, organic chemistry, and possibly biology. As a mechanical engineer I had to retake three semesters of basic science after deciding to pursue medicine.

At my university I believe electrical and chemical engineering were the hardest (at least these guys bitched the most). Mechanical and biomedical engineering are hard, but they didn’t seem as ridiculous.

Just about every undergraduate engineering program I have seen is four years long. A fair amount of people (probably >15%) stretch it over five years. You might be able to get a computer science degree in only three years.

Finally, chemical engineering and biomedical engineering are where the girls are at (assuming you’re a guy and you care). If you go into computer science, computer engineering, mechanical engineering, or electrical engineering you will be enjoying massive sausage parties for the next four years.
 
I was an EE. I can tell you that I don't regret going through it, but only because I was very attuned to the subject, and loved both theories and the practical applications of the field. And if you are doing well by your senior year, while people in other majors find their career paths narrowing, you find your own path widening (only for a brief time though, like anything else, but that time is hard to acquire any other way). You could enter the EE industry and work for competitive companies like Intel/IBM/AMD, or get hired by IB firms, or even get into consulting. And EE definitely credits the applicant with a unique educational background when applying for medical school.

The field definitely isn't for everyone. Like any other major, a low GPA will null all the said advantages above. If you are having difficulties with the early mathematics, physics, or circuit courses, and your intent is definitely to go into medicine, I recommend switching, since I've seen plenty EE/premeds suffer from the low GPA, or could not find time to take the required organic/biochem due to the heavy and difficult courseload.
 
lol, i agree with the sausage thing in the post above mine. i did ee for under and biomed for my masters.

guy/girl

electrical engineer = 99/1
biomedical engineer = 50/50

the gender proportion in biomed was definitely relieving. always fun to have a good mix of guys and girls in your study groups.
 
I'm applying right now and have a BS and MS in ECE, and am finishing up an MS in BME.

I finished my first masters and went back to take premed classes. I would totally recommend this to anyone thinking about medicine from engineering, as it really gives you some perspective into what you have learned. Orgo? A BREEZE after finished 2 EE degrees.

I realized that more than anything else, I had truly learned to think and problem solve, skills you won't acquire in any major outside of engineering.

Engineering is hard, and as my Dad said to me: "Most people are going to college to have fun... You're going to be an engineer." Its true, many nights when your friends are out partying, you will be in the library or computer lab studying and working on projects. Hell, my senior design semester, I spent on average over 12 hours a day on campus. (I'm a nerd though and actually enjoyed it)

Of course you can still have a life and have fun as an engineer, and in fact, I think its crucial that you become a well rounded person in college, and not just an engineer or premed.

If you want to talk about this more, PM me as I think I have a much better insight into your question that most people on here.
 
narretgrez said:
guy/girl

electrical engineer = 99/1
biomedical engineer = 50/50

the gender proportion in biomed was definitely relieving. always fun to have a good mix of guys and girls in your study groups.
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Do NOT do BME as an undergrad. They always try to cram too many different subjects into one major and you come out knowing almost nothing about a lot of stuff. Stick to one of the traditional engineerings (Chem, Mech, Elec), and you will know a lot about a lot. Trust me on this one, I have a bunch of BME undergrad friends that are now regretting their decisions.
 
Thanks again for all the replies. You guys think that Comp. Sci. & Engineering isn't a very good major then?

I'm confused on how EE pertains more to medicane than ECS does, though.
 
I'm an EE major and it is definitely possible to do premed and EE at the same time. Granted it will be harder than a natural science major simply because the material will be different and you may need to take more time to complete your prerequisites, but if you do well it will speak volumes about your ability to handle tough coursework.

As far as research goes, make sure that you get in contact with biomedical engineering faculty to find good projects. Many fields exists that overlap between EE and BME, such as medical imaging, bioinformatics, or any research related to radiology. Many BME graduate students did undergraduate work in a field other than BME such as EE, CHE, ME, etc. so you shouldn't have too much trouble finding a lab that has an EE focus.

Good luck to you!
 
Monarch Kong said:
I'm an EE major and it is definitely possible to do premed and EE at the same time. Granted it will be harder than a natural science major simply because the material will be different and you may need to take more time to complete your prerequisites, but if you do well it will speak volumes about your ability to handle tough coursework.

As far as research goes, make sure that you get in contact with biomedical engineering faculty to find good projects. Many fields exists that overlap between EE and BME, such as medical imaging, bioinformatics, or any research related to radiology. Many BME graduate students did undergraduate work in a field other than BME such as EE, CHE, ME, etc. so you shouldn't have too much trouble finding a lab that has an EE focus.

Good luck to you!
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Thank you! Going off of that, though, would there also be similar possibilities for a Computer Science & Engineering major? I imagine some would be fairly similar to EE major research possibilities.
 
dmission said:
Thank you! Going off of that, though, would there also be similar possibilities for a Computer Science & Engineering major? I imagine some would be fairly similar to EE major research possibilities.
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Yes, CS majors would do well with bioinformatics and modeling protein folding and all that good stuff.
 
Thanks for all the replies/info., everyone. I've decided to apply with Computer Sci. & engineering as my major 🙂
 
I really think you should consider EE. You learn a LOT about the way things work in EE that you will not learn in CS. Just out of curiousity, where are you applying?
 
Do something that sounds interesting, not something that sounds easy. Life is too short to do things just as a means to an end. Pick a major you will enjoy and you will do well.
 
Igor4sugry said:
One thing to note is that it will take you longer than 4 years to fit everything in (took me 2 extra semesters). Most important thing to realize is that you should not rush things.
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I was a bioengineering major during undergrad. I came in with a lot of credits, but still had to take a ton of classes each semester in order to graduate on time, in 4 years.
 
BoilerWolverine said:
I really think you should consider EE. You learn a LOT about the way things work in EE that you will not learn in CS. Just out of curiousity, where are you applying?
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Agreed, EE you learn the hardcore inner workings of our technology today. The con is that most of the thing you learn will be outdated in 10 yrs, but the ability to do rigorous quantitative analysis will be retained and invaluable. And the reputation of EE as a difficult major will give a good bonus to your image too.

However, if you get your high off programming and math, and still want to dabble in some of the EE stuff (like digital logic), CE would be perfect for you.
 
whoisthedrizzle said:
O'RLY?
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Ummm, don't bet on a 6 figures, but bet on getting a higher salary than most of your peers. With an EE, you can get into consulting and possibly hit 80-90k. Everyone knows about IB. A normal industry job in EE will probably rack an average of 60k, which is higher than what any other major coming out could possibly obtain besides chemical engineering or CS.

I know I'm certainly enjoying the fruits of my labor at the moment before heading off to med school next yr.
 
Which is generally harder to maintain a high GPA in? Computer Engineering/Science or Electrical Engineering?
 
dmission said:
Which is generally harder to maintain a high GPA in? Computer Engineering/Science or Electrical Engineering?
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Aren't electrical engineering and computer engineering more or less the same thing?

Computer science is probably easier to maintain the higher GPA in, as long as you actually know how to program (i.e. you know at least one programming language inside-out). Most programming languages are pretty similar in structure, it's usually a matter of learning new syntax (sort of like learning Spanish after studying French). You'll also need to be comfortable w/ learning algorithms and the math behind them. But the math involved shouldn't be as difficult as w/ the EE classes.
 
Hmm... well currently I know PHP/mySQL and more basic ones like HTML and stuff... or does computer science deal more with stuff like C++?

I'm just stuck a bit because I like both, programming and electronics... trying to find which I'd do better in. :laugh:
 
Electrical engineering involves a lot of programming. You'll probably use a MATLAB among other languages for all the digital signal processing. A EE degree is much more impressive than a CS. The one thing about EE is that is involves A LOT of very high level and abstract math. You'll also have to take extra time to take all the pre reqs for med school. Engineering degrees don't have free electives.
 
dmission said:
oh, lol... What kind of math level are we talking about here? I'm doing okay in math in high school (it's calculus, and I'm getting Bs usually)..
also, does that mean, for EE, it'll take me 5 years to graduate instead of 4?

if it helps any, the program info can be found here:
http://admissions.ucdavis.edu/academics/major_view.cfm?major=eeel

and here are the courses/electives
http://registrar.ucdavis.edu/UCDWebCatalog/programs/EEC/EECcourses.html


Thanks again for the help!
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Lots and lots of multivariable and vector calculus, at least w/ the EE course I'm taking right now.
 
dmission said:
Hmm... well currently I know PHP/mySQL and more basic ones like HTML and stuff... or does computer science deal more with stuff like C++?

I'm just stuck a bit because I like both, programming and electronics... trying to find which I'd do better in. :laugh:
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whoever said ece was purely programming is dead wrong. ece is a huge and broad field. if you like silicon physics, you can go into engineering silicon devices. if you like mathematics, you can do digital signal processing. if you like theories, you can mess with nonlinear mathematics. if you like device programming and making robots, take a microcontrollers class and master your basic circuit skills (this was my choice). or if you like biomedical applications, you can even go into MEMs (microelectromechanical devices, more of a blend of ece/mech) [lab-on-a-chip anyone?]

whatever you decide to specialize in, you'll have to first plough through a lot of common math, physics, silicon courses which are usually very difficult. if you're still in high school, don't fret. focus on the moment. take baby steps.
 
That is in electrical engineering or a computer engineering major?
I've worked with micro-controllers/robots before and that really interests me.
 
You could always just declare either EE or Csci/CompSci as your major coming in and then possibly switch it to the one you like best after a year. I would be willing to bet that the first year of each of those programs would be very similar (read: same classes). Switching between majors usually isn't a problem.

In the end I would study whatever you find the most interesting. You can make any of these work with medicine.
 
Thanks for all the info. -- seems I've got some real thinking to do 😛
 
dmission said:
That is in electrical engineering or a computer engineering major?
I've worked with micro-controllers/robots before and that really interests me.
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oh yes, definitely. that stuff is the ****z. it's what you dream of engineers doing as a little kid, building gadgets and stuff.
 
All right, here's the last thing. If I'm willing to put time and effort into this and study it, is it possible to have an EE major while still maintaining a competitive GPA for med-schools, while studying for the MCAT and becoming involved in research/volunteering in hospitals at the same the time? (And EE anyway, since Med-school might be in the future?)

Thanks again
 
dmission said:
All right, here's the last thing. If I'm willing to put time and effort into this and study it, is it possible to have an EE major while still maintaining a competitive GPA for med-schools, while studying for the MCAT and becoming involved in research/volunteering in hospitals at the same the time? (And EE anyway, since Med-school might be in the future?)

Thanks again
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Yes, it is. I know it is possible because I'm doing it right now as a chemical engineer. Honestly though, I am going at 100% capacity most of the time. This, being my junior year as the last year before I apply, is the hardest I've ever worked, the least average nightly sleep I've gotten, and the most effort I've put into various aspects in my life.

But it is fun and fulfilling, in a weird way.
 
dmission said:
All right, here's the last thing. If I'm willing to put time and effort into this and study it, is it possible to have an EE major while still maintaining a competitive GPA for med-schools, while studying for the MCAT and becoming involved in research/volunteering in hospitals at the same the time? (And EE anyway, since Med-school might be in the future?)

Thanks again
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Yes, if you're a hoss. Just playing, but recognize that it will be more challenging than a more "traditional" premed major.
 
Thanks! I think I'm gonna go for it 👍
 
I know it may sounds crazy now, but taking a couple of extra years to prepare to med school is not a bad thing at all (I think). My advice would be to take 4 years and do EE, don't even worry about getting in the classes for med school yet (though you might want to volunteer and get involved in various leadership activities during undergrad). Take a year after your degree to finish your premed requirements, and study for the MCAT. After your premed reqs, spend a year and get an MS in EE or BME (you REALLY learn a lot about your field and I truly think this will make you a better doctor in the end) while applying to med school. You can have all your applications in before school even begins and then come out with an MS in something awesome, making you a very unique doctor.

Just my 2 cents!
 
My thoughts on the "Computer Engineering" or similar majors that are somewhere in between EE and CS.

Short answer: don't do it.

I was a Computer Engineering major. At my undergrad (Georgia Tech), the major heavily overlaps EE. You have some options on a couple of classes to take an EE class or a CS class. I took the EE classes, and I could have literally take 1 more class and graduated with an EE degree instead. However, I wanted to do digital design, so I went with CmpE. Mistake. At many or most schools, the CmpE or EECS degree is a lot closer to CS. When I was looking for a job, the big companies (Intel, IBM, etc.) threw my resume in the trash when they saw my major. They thought I was a programmer, despite all of the design experience I placed on my resume.

As far as $ being made in engineering, you're joking if you think a 6-figure salary is anywhere near guaranteed at entry level. Maybe you can swing that in silicon valley, but the cost of living will be a heck of a lot more. You can get that if you have a graduate education, but otherwise a good average starting salary is about $55k. Not a bad chunk of change for a college graduate, mind you.

As I'm a pre-med also, I can't really say how it translates into medicine. I do think that you pick up some valuable skills you can't appreciate otherwise.

Anyway, med schools do want you to pursue what you're passionate about. If that's engineering, then do it.
 
BoilerWolverine said:
Do NOT do BME as an undergrad. They always try to cram too many different subjects into one major and you come out knowing almost nothing about a lot of stuff. Stick to one of the traditional engineerings (Chem, Mech, Elec), and you will know a lot about a lot. Trust me on this one, I have a bunch of BME undergrad friends that are now regretting their decisions.
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Downright false, at least a my school. While there are a lot of possible subjects in BME (computational biology, medical imaging, instrumentation design, biomaterials, etc.), it is definitely possible to focus in on one area and make it your own. You can't claim that in one major you'll come out knowing "a lot about a lot" and in another "a little about a lot." It all depends on the program, the individual classes you take, and the experiences you personally seek out within that program.
 
Thanks for the replies. I agree, I noticed that Electrical Engineering and Computer Engineering seem to overlap quite a bit. From what you've said, it looks like those majoring in EE will still get some computer hardware/software experience... hopefully. 😛

Boiler -- That does sound like a good idea, but if possible I'd like to apply to medical school after four years (I'd like to be as young as I can still, lol). I would consider the MS in EE/BME, but I'm not really looking to become a professional in that field, more just as an undergraduate study.

Is that still possible?

Thanks again.
 
A lot of people go into engineering because they like robots, cars, ipods, computers, and other tech toys. Just realize that you won't really talk about any of these things until you take tech electives your senior year if even then. You learn a lot of theory, principles, and problem solving, which is great. Just make sure you look at the detailed course requirements and know what you're getting into.
 
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