Originally posted by autobot
One more question. Do you feel that ADcoms take into consideration that engineers tend to have lower GPA's when compared to say a psychology major? Or do they not care.
They don't give a rip...their attitudes (generally, for what is it worth... many med school profs/pre-med advisors told me) are, "why did you pick a major if you can't do well in it?" And honestly, most people I have talked to don't give a rip about majoring in engineering either. Honestly, I hate engineering with a passion and am glad I am picking up a bio degree too. I think I would shoot myself if I had to be an engineer for the rest of my life (GO MEDICINE!).
Just in general...I hear a lot of engineers/phsyics/whatever hard science (non chem or bio) complain about having to memorize in med school. Anyone who is as intelligent as engineers like to think they are should have no problem memorizing some measly facts. Memorization is lower on the intellectual food chain then problem solving, right? So anyone who is great at problem solving should be AWESOME at memorizing seeing that they have progressed up the ladder. Memory IS part of intelligence. It would be like a pro baseball player complaining that tee-ball is hard for them. If they are good enough to actually be a pro baseball player then teeball should be cake and you would never hear them complain....
If people think that memorizing some medical knowledge for two years so they can start applying it to clinical situations for the rest of their life is too much underneath them, then go and take an engineering job (if you can find one) and spend the rest of your life in a cubicle figuring out how to save $.02 for every transmission your company makes or doing quality control on the floor. All this while knowing you will never have the opportunity to really move up in the company (most engineers never really leave the position they start in) unless you are a good people person (which most engineers are not, and if they are they could have majored in management and had the same management jobs afforded them by the engineering degree without all the hassle) and can get into management.
This isn't directed toward anyone in general, I just get tired of the general engineering mentality. I can't get away from it at my school/in-class, so it irks me when it pops up on SDN every-so-often (not just this thread...this one is actually not NEARLY as annoying as most... I am just in a feisty mood this morning). If you like engineering and are good at it, great. Just don't pick up the "engineering attitude". I have some friends and relatives (father included) who love engineering and aren't buttholes about it.
Kind of funny though, I hate the engineering mentality, so what do I do? I go into a field that is just as bad (sometimes worse) in its overall attitude and over inflated egos.
I can't wait until I can start to become a "human mechanic" next year (hopefully...).
