Engineering Premeds (Accepted or Applying)

[thestrokes14]

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Hi guys and girls,

I am an Engineering major with the premed concentration. I was curious, what sort or person are you thinking of selling/already sold yourself when you get to premed interviews.

I am not saying this is completely accurate, but I think many would agree that the engineering major is tough (and usually results in lower GPA). What are some of the benefits of being an engineer? I personally think it develops good organization/teamwork/working with people skills, which are probably important when we become doctors. Anyway, I just wanted to open a discussion for engineer premeds who are going/have already gone through the application process.

 

[Morsetlis]

I met the most obnoxious CSE interviewer at my NYMC interview (Jan 6). East Asian girl.

 

[JoshUNCW]

I'm a computer science premed, not technically an engineer, but pretty much the same department. Personally, I'm gonna sell my major as showing that I'll obviously be able to handle all the technological advances in the medical field and would be an ideal candidate to further those advances as well. Not to mention engineering/comp sci teaches amazing problem solving skills. There's really no way to complete that kind of major without them. Plus it sets you apart from the majority of premeds. Medical schools look for diversity in all aspects. Being an engineering major definitely will add another element to that class.

Aside from all that, try to get an internship or something. I'm currently an intern in the engineering department of a multimillion dollar software company. You better believe I'll milk that to seem as impressive as possible lol. Good work ethic, the ability to have a challenging job while doing a million other things in school (and making good grades), and it also shows that med school wasn't your only choice. I've already been offered a great paying job at my company, but I'm choosing medicine (and more debt) as my first pick.

Pretty much, just sell how different you are than the normal premed. Anything different is a plus.

 

[surftheiop]

Hi guys and girls,

I am an Engineering major with the premed concentration. I was curious, what sort or person are you thinking of selling/already sold yourself when you get to premed interviews.

I am not saying this is completely accurate, but I think many would agree that the engineering major is tough (and usually results in lower GPA). What are some of the benefits of being an engineer? I personally think it develops good organization/teamwork/working with people skills, which are probably important when we become doctors. Anyway, I just wanted to open a discussion for engineer premeds who are going/have already gone through the application process.

Teamwork, teamwork, teamwork. Just drive that point home.

In pretty much all engineering classes you have to cooperate with a team to get things done / do projects. Much different atmosphere than "normal" premed classes where people think its wrong to ask people for class notes you mised, etc.

 

[BMEZephyr]

69 views and very little inputs? What a shame.

Anyway. I'm nowhere near the application process but I will get my major in biomedical eng. If you ask me about "the benefits of being an engineer" I'll tell you this:

The courses you will be taking will be tough. The amount of time you will be dedicating for classes like vector calc. linear algebra, diff. EQ, prob/stats, biomechanics, bioinstrumentation, biomaterials/tissue engineering will be IMMENSE (assuming we're talking about BME). Along with that, you have to take all your prereqs. as well. In the long run, you better be loving your engineering major or else it's probable that your GPA could take a hit. From what I would LIKE to believe, med schools don't give a rat's rear end if you got a 3.0 from a BME major.

However, the benefit of coming out from BME (I can only say it from this perspective as I have no right to speak on behalf of ChemEs, EEs, or MEs) is that a good portion of your upper level classes will highly overlap with some semesters of med. school. You will (hopefully) think differently compared to your traditional pre med. lackeys. As a result, you will have the ability to approach a medical problem from many more different angles than your peers 😀 (yeah of course there are always bad BME graduates but there are also bad bio majors too).

Personally, I chose BME because I'm nuts.

 

[Morsetlis]

You choose BME because you want to go into Radiology, Radiation Oncology, or Medical Physics...

 

[BMEZephyr]

Nah bro.

I picked BME because I take pride in knowing I'll make a fine surgeon someday. Neurosurgeon or Orthopaedic. Only time will tell.

 

[surftheiop]

BME is pretty sweet.

For my lab class this semester my group is getting pig femurs (not sure if they are called that in swine?) and pig ribs from a slaughterhouse and doing a lot of mechanical testing (tension,compression, 3 point loading,etc) on them. More exciting than counting fruit flies in a genetics lab in my opinion.

 

[surftheiop]

You choose BME because you want to go into Radiology, Radiation Oncology, or Medical Physics...

I want to do pediatrics 😀

 

[Morsetlis]

BME is pretty sweet.

For my lab class this semester my group is getting pig femurs (not sure if they are called that in swine?) and pig ribs from a slaughterhouse and doing a lot of mechanical testing (tension,compression, 3 point loading,etc) on them. More exciting than counting fruit flies in a genetics lab in my opinion.

My genetic lab has mice and rats. More exciting than pigs!

And I hated all the tension-related labs I had to do in physics and physiology, so at least I know I'm already turned off by physics.

 

[surftheiop]

My genetic lab has mice and rats. More exciting than pigs!

And I hated all the tension-related labs I had to do in physics and physiology, so at least I know I'm already turned off by physics.

haha, tension testing "dogbones" of steel is boring. When you have bone splintering all over its a bit for exciting.

Should also be good practice for anatomy lab ... busting out a bandsaw on a pig carcass.

 

[BMEZephyr]

That's awesome bro. Keep rocking. Sadly I haven't done anything fancy like that yet.

I always questioned the purpose and application of just about everything in school. I get answers now. When I get answers, I get happy. I picked BME because I want a challenge. Existence is pointless if there's no challenge. Others may disagree but no one said there's a right or wrong.

 

[Morsetlis]

That's a really good answer, actually. I liked my biochemistry major because I love internal medicine (lab values), genetics, and metabolism/pharmacology. You must find something you love to do, and as physicians getting answers out of problems should be fun and challenging.

 

[surftheiop]

That's awesome bro. Keep rocking. Sadly I haven't done anything fancy like that yet.

I always questioned the purpose and application of just about everything in school. I get answers now. When I get answers, I get happy. I picked BME because I want a challenge. Existence is pointless if there's no challenge. Others may disagree but no one said there's a right or wrong.

Granted BME is almost surely the easiest engineering major. I transferred out of ChemE after 2 years and I went from making 3.3s to over a 4.0 (couple of A+'s in there)

We pretty much do the "Intro Level" stuff of every other engineering major but in the context of a biological setting.

Biomechanics = MechE statics/dynamics
Electrophysiology and Devices = Basic ECE circuits class
Biological Materials = Basic materials science class
Physiological Engineering = ChemE combined with biochem

So its a great major to learn a little bit about all the engineering fields

 

[BMEZephyr]

That's a really good answer, actually. I liked my biochemistry major because I love internal medicine (lab values), genetics, and metabolism/pharmacology. You must find something you love to do, and as physicians getting answers out of problems should be fun and challenging.

It's strange actually. I ended up going to an engineering school because I hated doing what everyone else was doing. I hate being categorized as the book-worm, epitome of a premed, BIO major, chem major, physics major, shadow this, intern that, etc. Everyone in my high school feared BME because of the difficulty and ****ty lifestyle.

I wanted to separate myself from everyone else because I want to know on my own how difficult this thing really can get. I'm even going to the extent of trying to graduate earlier. I like puzzles and I want to figure this one out. The tougher the better.

 

[BMEZephyr]

Granted BME is almost surely the easiest engineering major. I transferred out of ChemE after 2 years and I went from making 3.3s to over a 4.0 (couple of A+'s in there)

We pretty much do the "Intro Level" stuff of every other engineering major but in the context of a biological setting.

Biomechanics = MechE statics/dynamics
Electrophysiology and Devices = Basic ECE circuits class
Biological Materials = Basic materials science class
Physiological Engineering = ChemE combined with biochem

So its a great major to learn a little bit about all the engineering fields

Hands down bro. I couldn't agree w/ you more. I've seen some of the things Mech/Es and Chem/Es. It's rather brutal. I personally could have never handled that, seeing how I always like to see things in a medical context

 

[rclimb]

I'm a ME major with personal connections to advances in medical technology (sister who had a congenital heart defect -> pacemaker -> eventually a heart transplant). For obvious reasons I think the future of medicine will be highly dependent on technology and thus an engineering background made the most sense.

In an interview with the dean of admissions at my future med school he told me he believes that engineers make the best doctors due to our analytical abilities. Engineers are trained in analyzing a ton of information and whittling it all down to a solution (diagnosis). Bio/chemistry/art history/etc. are trained to memorize tons of data and regurgitate it with minimal processing (I realize that's subjective, no need to flame, but I have taken engineering courses and the pre-req courses and that's my experience).

At another interview I was told I had set myself up to be an incredible radiologist if that's where I saw my future going.

I haven't regretted engineering at all. Frankly if I'm not solving a problem I get bored with learning.

 

[Musclemass]

You should "sell" you major as something you chose because it interested you. Coming from an engineering program, I wouldn't go too far about emphasizing how you learned teamwork or working with others, it may not come across well. Right or wrong, engineers have a rep of being more asocial than not. Learning to get along with other engineers may not be a transferable skill.

rclimb, being told you would make a great radiologist might have been a backhanded compliment rather than a positive comment.

 

[Hoody]

My brother did Computer Engineering and Computer Science. He's a big puzzle solver. It was more about following both his passions (computers and medicine) than trying to set himself up to look good for Med School Adcoms. I'm not sure if it will have any effect on where he ends up or what he accomplishes, but I can see how it might help him in regards to being able to incorporate both into his future (if that makes any sense).

MD/MPH are a dime a dozen these days
MD/MBA, MD/JD, MD/PhD...they are growing too

I would like to see more dual degrees exist for a masters in engineering combined with a medical degree. I'd actully like to see more dual degrees in other feilds...But then again, when you are working on things of that scale, and in that detail, you will probably have straight up MDs working with straight up PhDs and all sorts of differenly educated people. Having a dual degree is probably rather uncesseary in the end, even though people do have more than just passions for medicine.


Basically I added nothing. Sorry. PM me if you want more dets on my bro, email exhcange, etc.

 

[Morsetlis]

The MBA takes exactly 1 year after you get your MD. You can do it 90% online. It's useful since not a lot of doctors think to get it.
The research-path MPH and MS take more, but are really common.
JD is rare.
PhD and PharmD aren't common but people definitely know about them.

I'm not sure how useful these are, in a practical sense...

 

[Quantum Mecha]

Electrical Engineering major right here. Though I did not initially enter engineering with the thought of going into medicine, I developed an interest in the medical applications of engineering after seeing shows such as "medical marvels" (showed some amazing procedures/inventions) and "sports science" (discussed biomechanics of the body), as well as after reading some articles about medical imaging.

Though I am not applying to medical school any particular time soon, I would try to market myself as someone who can collaborate with different fields (interdisciplinary work), bring new ideas to the table, and methodically approach a problem (i know everyone does this, but there is a certain way engineers are taught to attack problems, which is what i am referring to). I would also like to do research in some area that integrates the two, so that could be another way of presenting myself. We'll see what happens..

And of course analytical skills are always a plus

 

[Limvostov]

Being an engineer won't add much to your application. Most people could care less that you got a B- in Heat Transfer or some specialty course like Bio Product Recovery instead of an A in some memorize and puke micro course. The only advantage that being an engineer really seems to give over traditional premeds is the ability to "think ouside the bun" and visualize systems, how they work, and some of the governing properties of fluids and membrane/mass transfer. Don't get me wrong, it will serve you well when it comes time to perform a task that calls for reasoning and problem solving that requires a strong understanding of physics, but most Adcoms could care less and would rather your stats were higher. If you can keep up the grades then more power to ya, otherwise, choose something where you can maintain that 3.8+ GPA and focus on the MCAT.

 

[Velocity]

The courses you will be taking will be tough. The amount of time you will be dedicating for classes like vector calc. linear algebra, diff. EQ, prob/stats, biomechanics, bioinstrumentation, biomaterials/tissue engineering will be IMMENSE (assuming we're talking about BME). Along with that, you have to take all your prereqs. as well. In the long run, you better be loving your engineering major or else it's probable that your GPA could take a hit. From what I would LIKE to believe, med schools don't give a rat's rear end if you got a 3.0 from a BME major.

The national average GPA for engineering majors was 2.8 back in 2006 or so. It's a tough major, and practically everyone knows that. I say "practically" because medical school admissions officers don't seem to know (or care) about it. I've heard one admissions committee member make a direct comparison between engineering and history majors and, when challenged, responded with "what, you don't think history is hard?" Well, maybe it is, but not quite on the same level...

As far as I've seen, you get zero credit for being an engineering major over any other type of major. That it's more difficult doesn't mean a thing - if you get a 4.0 in engineering you may be regarded more highly than someone with a 4.0 in fine arts, but get a 3.4 in engineering and you will be looked down upon compared to candidates who received 3.7's in the "easier" majors.

What's somewhat insulting is that engineering is actually not classified as a science. That's right, none of your engineering classes will count toward your science GPA. Yet engineers still seem to carry some of the worst generalizations about science majors (particularly in terms of socializing).

Can you play up what you gained from engineering? Sure - the teamwork one could theoretically be used to your advantage. Don't push the major itself too hard, though - extracurriculars are what you should really be drawing from to show life experience and skills. Be aware that you may also need to overcome the stereotyping that engineers are antisocial and/or don't connect well with people, if your interviewer believes that.

You will (hopefully) think differently compared to your traditional pre med. lackeys. As a result, you will have the ability to approach a medical problem from many more different angles than your peers 😀 (yeah of course there are always bad BME graduates but there are also bad bio majors too).

"Think different" isn't a terribly welcome concept in medicine - at least, not at the moment.

From my time in engineering I know that my peers (and I) had some terrible academic snobbery - we suffered worse than everyone else, after all, so it seemed deserved. Lose that attitude. In medical school you will be among plenty of people who took the easy route to get in. If you show disdain for the people who will be your peers, or any form of arrogance at all, you will not make it in.

If you enjoy engineering and are doing well with it, stick with it. In my opinion, engineering was a handicap. I ended up changing majors midway through and my GPA received a massive, massive boost along with it. Nobody cares that you did engineering when it comes to getting into medical school (except for fellow engineers and perhaps faculty whose children struggled through engineering), they just look at your GPA.

Being an engineer won't add much to your application. Most people could care less that you got a B- in Heat Transfer or some specialty course like Bio Product Recovery instead of an A in some memorize and puke micro course. The only advantage that being an engineer really seems to give over traditional premeds is the ability to "think ouside the bun" and visualize systems, how they work, and some of the governing properties of fluids and membrane/mass transfer. Don't get me wrong, it will serve you well when it comes time to perform a task that calls for reasoning and problem solving that requires a strong understanding of physics, but most Adcoms could care less and would rather your stats were higher. If you can keep up the grades then more power to ya, otherwise, choose something where you can maintain that 3.8+ GPA and focus on the MCAT.

Quoted because it's true.


I'm sure this is depressing for any engineering majors who are well into their program and were banking on the idea that their major would make up for slight GPA deficiencies, but it's just how things are.

 

[BMEZephyr]

The national average GPA for engineering majors was 2.8 back in 2006 or so. It's a tough major, and practically everyone knows that. I say "practically" because medical school admissions officers don't seem to know (or care) about it. I've heard one admissions committee member make a direct comparison between engineering and history majors and, when challenged, responded with "what, you don't think history is hard?" Well, maybe it is, but not quite on the same level...

As far as I've seen, you get zero credit for being an engineering major over any other type of major. That it's more difficult doesn't mean a thing - if you get a 4.0 in engineering you may be regarded more highly than someone with a 4.0 in fine arts, but get a 3.4 in engineering and you will be looked down upon compared to candidates who received 3.7's in the "easier" majors.

What's somewhat insulting is that engineering is actually not classified as a science. That's right, none of your engineering classes will count toward your science GPA. Yet engineers still seem to carry some of the worst generalizations about science majors (particularly in terms of socializing).

Can you play up what you gained from engineering? Sure - the teamwork one could theoretically be used to your advantage. Don't push the major itself too hard, though - extracurriculars are what you should really be drawing from to show life experience and skills. Be aware that you may also need to overcome the stereotyping that engineers are antisocial and/or don't connect well with people, if your interviewer believes that.


"Think different" isn't a terribly welcome concept in medicine - at least, not at the moment.

From my time in engineering I know that my peers (and I) had some terrible academic snobbery - we suffered worse than everyone else, after all, so it seemed deserved. Lose that attitude. In medical school you will be among plenty of people who took the easy route to get in. If you show disdain for the people who will be your peers, or any form of arrogance at all, you will not make it in.

If you enjoy engineering and are doing well with it, stick with it. In my opinion, engineering was a handicap. I ended up changing majors midway through and my GPA received a massive, massive boost along with it. Nobody cares that you did engineering when it comes to getting into medical school (except for fellow engineers and perhaps faculty whose children struggled through engineering), they just look at your GPA.



Quoted because it's true.


I'm sure this is depressing for any engineering majors who are well into their program and were banking on the idea that their major would make up for slight GPA deficiencies, but it's just how things are.

True. True. And... True. Knowing the regularities of pursuing such a major, I feel great knowing the fact that I am indeed, nuts.

 

[surftheiop]

Also fwiw, I've talked to about 10 MD's who say engineers tend to struggle MS1 & MS2, but once they hit the clinical years they really shine and typically end up having really successful careers and tend to do alot of meaningful research

About 3 of those people had engineering degrees and the others where just talking about colleagues they know who did

 

[surftheiop]

rclimb, being told you would make a great radiologist might have been a backhanded compliment rather than a positive comment.

Don't get started on this, that could be said about someone saying you would be great at any specialty.


You'd make a great surgeon because your arrogant and insensetive.

You'd make a great psychiatrist because your crazy yourself.

You'd make a great pediatrician because you act like a kid.

Etc., All types of physicians have their negative stereotypes

 

[Kickback]

Also fwiw, I've talked to about 10 MD's who say engineers tend to struggle MS1 & MS2, but once they hit the clinical years they really shine and typically end up having really successful careers and tend to do alot of meaningful research

About 3 of those people had engineering degrees and the others where just talking about colleagues they know who did

I have heard the EXACT same thing as well

 

[harvman11]

I'm doing a double major in BME and Biology, and I recieved several comments from my interviewers about how having both science and engineering backgrounds would be very helpful. I honestly thought that was kind of weird, because I've always thought of engineering as a science of sorts, but it just sort of gives you the persepective of admission committee members.

That being said, I do think my engineering degree helped me stand out from the crowd, and I even mentioned of it in my personal statement. My feeling is that if you do well in engineering, then it's only going to help you, but it's not going to save you if you're getting a 3.0 or something like that.

 

[Musclemass]

Don't get started on this, that could be said about someone saying you would be great at any specialty.


You'd make a great surgeon because your arrogant and insensetive.

You'd make a great psychiatrist because your crazy yourself.

You'd make a great pediatrician because you act like a kid.

Etc., All types of physicians have their negative stereotypes

Who's talking about stereotypes? The couple of radiologists I've talked to like what they do but somewhat regret the solitary nature of their work. I'm sure there are exceptions. Many rarely see patients and mostly spend a good portion of the day looking at images and typing or dictating their findings.

Great money and great hours, no doubt. If an interviewer told me I would make a good radiologist, I wouldn't be happy about it. If you think it's a compliment, fine with me.

 

[johncalvin]

I didn't study engineering at all, but my major sure does sound like it (PM me if you really want to know). I've had to stifle a few giggles when interviewers comment about my "engineering background."

 

[extremelyloud]

Also fwiw, I've talked to about 10 MD's who say engineers tend to struggle MS1 & MS2, but once they hit the clinical years they really shine and typically end up having really successful careers and tend to do alot of meaningful research

About 3 of those people had engineering degrees and the others where just talking about colleagues they know who did

Well I guess the next two years of my life are gonna suck...

 

[surftheiop]

Well I guess the next two years of my life are gonna suck...

Yeah I believe the phrases coming from couple of engineers now MD's were something like


"So I was surprised to see not all my med school classmates were even that brilliant, I don't think 4/5 of them could have survived a semester of engineering. Then I realized they were willing to spend hours a day memorizing every word of a textbook."

Then they usually proceed to talk about how they dominated MS3 and ended up at top %10 of class or something.

So yeah, MS1 and MS2 are going to be rough for us 🙁

 

[drizzt3117]

I don't think that's necc the case, I haven't found 1st n 2nd year to be too hard *shrug* there's a lot of memorization but everyone has to do that whether or not you're an engineer.

Btw I was chem e.

Yeah I believe the phrases coming from couple of engineers now MD's were something like


"So I was surprised to see not all my med school classmates were even that brilliant, I don't think 4/5 of them could have survived a semester of engineering. Then I realized they were willing to spend hours a day memorizing every word of a textbook."

Then they usually proceed to talk about how they dominated MS3 and ended up at top %10 of class or something.

So yeah, MS1 and MS2 are going to be rough for us 🙁

 

[Morsetlis]

Engineers typically make GREAT money with only a Bachelor's. This is why it's a hard and competitive major.

Now, compare that to the kind of work a BA/BS in Biochemistry can do...

Lol.

 

[futile]

What's somewhat insulting is that engineering is actually not classified as a science. That's right, none of your engineering classes will count toward your science GPA. Yet engineers still seem to carry some of the worst generalizations about science majors (particularly in terms of socializing).

I don't agree with this. I called all of my engineering classes (I'm an electrical engineering major, so these were things like Electromagnetic Fields, Circuits, Signal Processing, etc.) "Physics" or "Math" and they were accepted as BCPM credit on my AMCAS. This is not really true of LOR's -- generally you need LORs from your life sciences professors, but it varies depending on the school.

Regardless, I do feel like I got a little snubbed -- I'm highest honors at one of the top three programs in the country and I didn't hear anything from the Ivy Leagues. I don't think this would have made a difference if I was some fluffy major, though, since I feel like they would have still picked from their own flock.

 

[Morsetlis]

You will drive yourself insane thinking about WHY they didn't pick you...

It's a mysterious process.

 

[Velocity]

I don't agree with this. I called all of my engineering classes (I'm an electrical engineering major, so these were things like Electromagnetic Fields, Circuits, Signal Processing, etc.) "Physics" or "Math" and they were accepted as BCPM credit on my AMCAS.

You specified it yourself? I didn't know we could do that. Hmm...

There's a chance that it may vary school by school, as well. I know that the institution I'm currently at has a program where non-science majors apply after their freshman year of undergrad and can receive an acceptance into the medical class. They matriculate once they finish undergrad. It's strictly for non-science majors, but engineers can apply to that (or so I heard from a faculty member). So engineering isn't considered a science major here, at least I was quite surprised when I heard it.

 

[rg871]

Granted BME is almost surely the easiest engineering major. I transferred out of ChemE after 2 years and I went from making 3.3s to over a 4.0 (couple of A+'s in there)

We pretty much do the "Intro Level" stuff of every other engineering major but in the context of a biological setting.

Biomechanics = MechE statics/dynamics
Electrophysiology and Devices = Basic ECE circuits class
Biological Materials = Basic materials science class
Physiological Engineering = ChemE combined with biochem

So its a great major to learn a little bit about all the engineering fields

surf...where did you go??? at my school BME was the top of the top...i would even go as far to say that there was a certain of level of arrogance among us.

we had the most ridiculous workload and the classes were definitely not basic.

in fact, i took a chem e class on bioprocessing and it was sooooo much easier than any BME class i ever took.

i think it just depends on the specialty of the school.

 

[GTV]

The national average GPA for engineering majors was 2.8 back in 2006 or so. It's a tough major, and practically everyone knows that. I say "practically" because medical school admissions officers don't seem to know (or care) about it. I've heard one admissions committee member make a direct comparison between engineering and history majors and, when challenged, responded with "what, you don't think history is hard?" Well, maybe it is, but not quite on the same level...

As far as I've seen, you get zero credit for being an engineering major over any other type of major. That it's more difficult doesn't mean a thing - if you get a 4.0 in engineering you may be regarded more highly than someone with a 4.0 in fine arts, but get a 3.4 in engineering and you will be looked down upon compared to candidates who received 3.7's in the "easier" majors.

What's somewhat insulting is that engineering is actually not classified as a science. That's right, none of your engineering classes will count toward your science GPA. Yet engineers still seem to carry some of the worst generalizations about science majors (particularly in terms of socializing).

Can you play up what you gained from engineering? Sure - the teamwork one could theoretically be used to your advantage. Don't push the major itself too hard, though - extracurriculars are what you should really be drawing from to show life experience and skills. Be aware that you may also need to overcome the stereotyping that engineers are antisocial and/or don't connect well with people, if your interviewer believes that.


"Think different" isn't a terribly welcome concept in medicine - at least, not at the moment.

From my time in engineering I know that my peers (and I) had some terrible academic snobbery - we suffered worse than everyone else, after all, so it seemed deserved. Lose that attitude. In medical school you will be among plenty of people who took the easy route to get in. If you show disdain for the people who will be your peers, or any form of arrogance at all, you will not make it in.

If you enjoy engineering and are doing well with it, stick with it. In my opinion, engineering was a handicap. I ended up changing majors midway through and my GPA received a massive, massive boost along with it. Nobody cares that you did engineering when it comes to getting into medical school (except for fellow engineers and perhaps faculty whose children struggled through engineering), they just look at your GPA.



Quoted because it's true.


I'm sure this is depressing for any engineering majors who are well into their program and were banking on the idea that their major would make up for slight GPA deficiencies, but it's just how things are.

This. I'm a EE major with a BME minor and, quite honestly was expecting to get lots of interviews because I anticipated that me being an engineer would make me stand out. I applied to 13 schools and got 4 interviews and one acceptance, and I feel like the only real reason I got that acceptance was because of my geographical connection with the area, and not because of my work/accomplishments. Granted, my MCAT sucked, but still.

It is totally true. A 3.8 in bio >> 3.5 in engineering. And the fact that engineering classes aren't considered "real science" is the most ridiculous thing ever, but unfortunately it is the case with AMCAS and most schools for LOR's. I would say that the only real benefit of being an engineering major during the application process is to play up the whole teamwork/critical thinking/problem solving thing. Also, if you happen to get an internship as an engineer at a company you can play up that you've tried other careers and they are not for you, medicine is really what you want, blah blah blah.

Oh yeah, and one of my interviewers even chastised me for going into a field like medicine when i "had such a great career in engineering already lined up" and told me she thought it was a silly thing to do to throw the opportunity away. Be prepared to defend yourself against such attacks.

Basically, in my experience engineering won't help you get into med school at all. If you are an engineering major, do it because you want to do it, not because you feel like it will benefit you on your application.

 

[surftheiop]

surf...where did you go??? at my school BME was the top of the top...i would even go as far to say that there was a certain of level of arrogance among us.

we had the most ridiculous workload and the classes were definitely not basic.

in fact, i took a chem e class on bioprocessing and it was sooooo much easier than any BME class i ever took.

i think it just depends on the specialty of the school.

Im at Cornell, thing is at most engineering schools about 2/3rd of any given class are just looking to makes C's and go to industry.

But here if your in an ECE/ChemE probably 1/8 of your class is going to go on to get PhD's in the field, then another 1/8 are aiming for Investment Banking jobs. Then all of the rest of the class is gunning for "Big Name" offers right after graduation (Exxon, Google,etc.). For example, in ChemE historically the top 3-5 people get offered 90k/year jobs straight out of undergrad from Exxon/Shell. So in general, the premed people tend to be the "less brilliant" folks.

Because almost all our classes are graded on a curve, BME is easier to make good grades in because the premeds in general bring down class averages.

 

[roaming]

engineering major here! (female too 😀) graduated last year and turned down a great entry level engineering job (paying between 80 - 100k / yr) so that i could apply to med school...accepted to med school this year! i turned the job down last year because of inflexible hours (can't go on interviews) and the year-long contract would have infringed on the start of med school this year...

interviewing experiences: mostly favorable, despite my low gpa. i played on teamwork and creativity/ingenuity needed for engineering. however, at one school the interviewer was extremely belligerent and said my gpa was ridiculously low (it is 3.3-3.4 from a great school). i didnt get into this school, but i got into couple more that were significantly higher ranked. i also did not receive too-too many interviews, and heard from one school that it was because of my low gpa. it is right from a previous post that even though engineering courses are harder than others (im also a humanities major, so i can compare), a lot of adcoms will not give engineering majors much wiggle-room.

 

[junjinie]

lol.
im at cornell and im a chemical engineering senior. i dont know who you are mr. surftheiop, but thanks for calling me one of the "less brilliant" folks.
If you're a chemEng, i think i know who you are... and within our senior class of 60 people, I will find you !!

lol you jerk.

Im at Cornell, thing is at most engineering schools about 2/3rd of any given class are just looking to makes C's and go to industry.

But here if your in an ECE/ChemE probably 1/8 of your class is going to go on to get PhD's in the field, then another 1/8 are aiming for Investment Banking jobs. Then all of the rest of the class is gunning for "Big Name" offers right after graduation (Exxon, Google,etc.). For example, in ChemE historically the top 3-5 people get offered 90k/year jobs straight out of undergrad from Exxon/Shell. So in general, the premed people tend to be the "less brilliant" folks.

Because almost all our classes are graded on a curve, BME is easier to make good grades in because the premeds in general bring down class averages.

 

[Naijaba]

I graduated with three majors, one of which was Computer Science & Engineering. I did suffer the lowered-grade-itis that infects most engineering majors. I do think that it has lessened my chances at several amazing schools, but there's also no way I could've gotten the interviews that I did without the engineering major. From my experience some schools are number focused whereas others do look at the applicant's educational background.

 

[surftheiop]

lol.
im at cornell and im a chemical engineering senior. i dont know who you are mr. surftheiop, but thanks for calling me one of the "less brilliant" folks.
If you're a chemEng, i think i know who you are... and within our senior class of 60 people, I will find you !!

lol you jerk.

Im a premed too 😉

Not smart enough to get PhD, and not afraid to admit it! *

*To clarify, Im not smart enough to get a PhD from a big name place. If my goal in life was just to get a PhD im sure I would find somewhere to go!

 

[Engineer2MD]

I'm an engineering non-trad. I worked for 3 years after getting an MS. I was accepted this cycle and during my interviews, I really played up the "problem solving" and "how stuff works" aspect of what I did. They also seemed to like the "get to the point" attitude of engineers as well as the ability to read thousands of pages of government regulations and understand them quickly.

Plus - I don't care what they say - medical school CANNOT be as hard as my senior year of engineering school. I won't elaborate, but it will be cake comparatively.

 

[harvman11]

lol.
im at cornell and im a chemical engineering senior. i dont know who you are mr. surftheiop, but thanks for calling me one of the "less brilliant" folks.
If you're a chemEng, i think i know who you are... and within our senior class of 60 people, I will find you !!

lol you jerk.

Perhaps it's different at Cornell, but I would actually agree with Surf, at least at my school. I'm not sure if BME is THE easiest (I'm looking at you Civic Engineering), but MechE and EE are definitely much more in-depth. My personal opinion is that BME shouldn't even be an undergraduate major, because its just a combination of material science, EE, and ME... I look at my EE friends' work, and I have no clue what they're doing, while I'm consulting them on my final design project.

 

[Corpsman Up]

Hi guys and girls,

I am an Engineering major with the premed concentration. I was curious, what sort or person are you thinking of selling/already sold yourself when you get to premed interviews.

I am not saying this is completely accurate, but I think many would agree that the engineering major is tough (and usually results in lower GPA). What are some of the benefits of being an engineer? I personally think it develops good organization/teamwork/working with people skills, which are probably important when we become doctors. Anyway, I just wanted to open a discussion for engineer premeds who are going/have already gone through the application process.

I WAS a chemical engineering major, with a concentration in biomolecular engineering. I wanted a back-up plan in case I didnt get into med school. However, after my first few core engineering courses, I realized if I was really serious about medicine, then engineering wasnt the best option for me because it was destroying my GPA. I accepted that I was smart enough to be an engineer, smart enough to be a doctor, but not smart enough to do both

 

[surftheiop]

I WAS a chemical engineering major, with a concentration in biomolecular engineering. I wanted a back-up plan in case I didnt get into med school. However, after my first few core engineering courses, I realized if I was really serious about medicine, then engineering wasnt the best option for me because it was destroying my GPA. I accepted that I was smart enough to be an engineer, smart enough to be a doctor, but not smart enough to do both

I think for the VAST majority of situations, this is definitely the best advice/perspective to have.
👍

 

[thesauce]

surf...where did you go??? at my school BME was the top of the top...i would even go as far to say that there was a certain of level of arrogance among us.

we had the most ridiculous workload and the classes were definitely not basic.

in fact, i took a chem e class on bioprocessing and it was sooooo much easier than any BME class i ever took.

i think it just depends on the specialty of the school.

It absolutely does. The BME curriculum has not been standardized across schools yet. At some schools, BME sprung out of EE, at some it came from ME, etc. At my school, BME (or bioengineering actually, there's no medical in there) sprung from ChE and they take all of the same courses as ChE until the 2nd semester of junior year. It's probably the hardest major we have.

 

[specialK32]

Hi guys and girls,

I am an Engineering major with the premed concentration. I was curious, what sort or person are you thinking of selling/already sold yourself when you get to premed interviews.

I am not saying this is completely accurate, but I think many would agree that the engineering major is tough (and usually results in lower GPA). What are some of the benefits of being an engineer? I personally think it develops good organization/teamwork/working with people skills, which are probably important when we become doctors. Anyway, I just wanted to open a discussion for engineer premeds who are going/have already gone through the application process.

I graduated in chemical engineering in 2005 with a 3.9 GPA. I worked as a process engineer for an oil refinery for 3 years before applying to medical school. I have had 7 interviews and been accepted to 4 schools so far, and my background as an engineer came up positively in each interview. In particular, the aspects of being able to apply logical reasoning to a seemingly complex situation, working with diverse teams and demonstrating professionalism, came up in each of my interviews. Working as an engineer, I believe, definitely made my application stand-out. Not so sure if it would have been as impressive just coming out as an undergrad (unless the GPA is high and application has been demonstrated in internships/research).

Bottom line - engineering is a tough field but is a great fall-back if your aspirations change or if medical school doesn't happen for you.