Major: Engineering, gpa 3.4

[NicMouse64]

Hey guys I am currently a Biomedical engineering student and my gpa is a 3.4. I am finishing up my 3rd semester at college and am not sure if I should switch majors to increase my GPA. I know if I wasn't an engineering student I could be pulling 3.8/3.9 each semester. My dilemma is I really enjoy engineering and I just got published in Nature and PNAS for a research project I am working on and wouldn't be able to continue the project if I switched majors. I really enjoy my research and I go to a top 20 engineering school but the rest of the programs aren't that well ranked..... I have all the other aspects of the application. I am also okay with going DO as I have shadowed a DO for nearly 40 hours. My ultimate goal is to matriculate into medical school however and I know that I can salvage my GPA if I were to switch now. Any advice or encouragement would be greatly appreciated. Sorry if I posted this to the wrong area, I am new to this.

---

Members don't see this ad.

 

[canucks99]

Schools take into account the rigour of your program, so I'd say stick with engineering, especially since it's clear you enjoy it.

You may regret switching. I think you can get interviews to MD with a good MCAT.

 

[Lucca]

With a Nature publication and a good MCAT you shouldn't have a problem being admitted at most MD schools in this country. You are only finishing your third semester so you still have plenty of time to bring that GPA up. Take lighter course loads or some easier classes on the side if your GPA sincerely concerns you (it shouldn't). Is research your end goal or clinical medicine? With two high impact publications you should be addressing why not MD/PhD if clinical medicine is the case. How is the rest of your application? Volunteering? Clinical experience? It is understanding if your course work is challenging alongside your research projects but you may have to spend less time in the lab to bring those grades up, I am certain there are many engineers in your program capable of maintaining a higher GPA - seek them out and learn from them.

 

[NicMouse64]

I currently volunteer at a nursing home every week, I work at the ER as an ER tech, and I have done a lot of shadowing (40 hours with a DO FP doctor, 5 hours cardiologist, and 10 hours with a General surgeon) . I also am on the ski team. I volunteer with the boy scouts as I am an Eagle scout. I am basically at the point where i don't know if I can get a higher GPA with all the stuff I am doing. Our project is at the point where I can't really cut down the work load without letting down my PI. Thanks for the replies.

 

[itsthat1guy]

Tbh i have a hard time beliving a Sophomore has pubs in PNAS and Nature (or maybe im just jelly)

 

[NicMouse64]

Tbh i have a hard time beliving a Sophomore has pubs in PNAS and Nature (or maybe im just jelly)

I understand why you are skeptical, I joined the project at a very opportune time. When I joined the animal testing was just starting and my PI and peers were scared of blood and needles so I stuck my foot in the door and jumped on the opportunity. I still am considering changing my major though, as I am really worried about my GPA.

 

[itsthat1guy]

So what author are you? That is very impressive

 

[NicMouse64]

So what author are you? That is very impressive

3rd author!

 

[RedPhys]

I'd stick with it. At least for me, studying Engineering Physics (another Engineering/math-heavy discipline) helped me expand my horizons in terms of scientific thinking.

 

[soccerusa]

I was in a similar situation where my engineering major definitely made things tougher in addition to a very productive research experience. My solution was to get smarter with how I scheduled my courses. So I moved orgo back a year and am finishing up my hardest major classes as a senior after moving some easy electives to junior year. It is all about setting yourself up for success.

 

[jamcat]

I'd get some opinions from adcoms here. I know Goro has mentioned repeatedly that GPA matters over rigor, particularly when it's the difference between 3.4 and 3.8. It kills me to say that as you clearly have a passion and a knack for engineering and I think it's sad that you would switch out of it just for med school, but as a non-trad with a subpar GPA (and a Cell/Science/Nature paper myself) I would have been in a much better position if I had taken an easier and safer route, and not challenged myself like I did. Not a better position for actual med school, but a better position for being *accepted* to med school, which are two different things I wish my 20-year-old self could hear this from my current late-20s self.

Not saying to switch; just saying to seek some advice from people other than pre-meds and accepted med students. Also, like the previous poster mentioned, there may be a way for you to rearrange your schedule that might help.

It sounds like you have a LOT going for you. Keep up the good work!

 

[NicMouse64]

I'd get some opinions from adcoms here. I know Goro has mentioned repeatedly that GPA matters over rigor, particularly when it's the difference between 3.4 and 3.8. It kills me to say that as you clearly have a passion and a knack for engineering and I think it's sad that you would switch out of it just for med school, but as a non-trad with a subpar GPA (and a Cell/Science/Nature paper myself) I would have been in a much better position if I had taken an easier and safer route, and not challenged myself like I did. Not a better position for actual med school, but a better position for being *accepted* to med school, which are two different things I wish my 20-year-old self could hear this from my current late-20s self.

Not saying to switch; just saying to seek some advice from people other than pre-meds and accepted med students. Also, like the previous poster mentioned, there may be a way for you to rearrange your schedule that might help.

It sounds like you have a LOT going for you. Keep up the good work!

Thanks for the input. I really am managing my time pretty well and am learning a lot of really interesting things. I also know however that although my research is very interesting, I don't have the creativity to come up with brand new ideas. Considering all of the shadowing I have done I enjoy the clinical side of medicine immensely. I would be interested to hear from an adcom but I don't know if this thread will be seen by them haha.

 

[mimelim]

I understand why you are skeptical, I joined the project at a very opportune time. When I joined the animal testing was just starting and my PI and peers were scared of blood and needles so I stuck my foot in the door and jumped on the opportunity. I still am considering changing my major though, as I am really worried about my GPA.

Just because nobody else will likely say it...

We do know what 3rd author in Nature or PNAS means. We know the level of dedication/work required (or not). I would be very careful how much stock you put in publications like this. It is a very common trap to think that something like that will resurrect/protect your borderline/low grades. If something like that isn't followed by original research and/or more productive time, it is transparent for what it is: a product of being in the right place at the right time and not a reflection of the student's research cred. It is very bizarre to publish in high impact early and follow it up with nothing else.

Do not misunderstand. It is an accomplishment, a real accomplishment. But, do not expect those of us that know the research/publishing realm to be, "OMG Nature he must be so good, worth a risk on a 3.4!"

Now, as to your question. The bolded statement below is very dangerous.

Hey guys I am currently a Biomedical engineering student and my gpa is a 3.4. I am finishing up my 3rd semester at college and am not sure if I should switch majors to increase my GPA. I know if I wasn't an engineering student I could be pulling 3.8/3.9 each semester. My dilemma is I really enjoy engineering and I just got published in Nature and PNAS for a research project I am working on and wouldn't be able to continue the project if I switched majors. I really enjoy my research and I go to a top 20 engineering school but the rest of the programs aren't that well ranked..... I have all the other aspects of the application. I am also okay with going DO as I have shadowed a DO for nearly 40 hours. My ultimate goal is to matriculate into medical school however and I know that I can salvage my GPA if I were to switch now. Any advice or encouragement would be greatly appreciated. Sorry if I posted this to the wrong area, I am new to this.

This may be true. But, there is a significant chance that it isn't. I was a Physics major. I spent a considerable amount of time in BME. I know that virtually nobody at my undergrad took a class as hard as Mechanics 411. But, this isn't about certain upper level classes being hard, this is about maintaining a high level of academic performance over years. That is where interest in a field comes in. This isn't even taking into consideration how much less enjoyable undergrad is studying something that you don't enjoy as much. The real question is why are you getting a 3.4 in a major that you are enjoying? There are legitimate and understandable reasons for it and are taken into consideration by admissions committeees. None of those reasons make sense to switch majors.

 

[NicMouse64]

Just because nobody else will likely say it...

We do know what 3rd author in Nature or PNAS means. We know the level of dedication/work required (or not). I would be very careful how much stock you put in publications like this. It is a very common trap to think that something like that will resurrect/protect your borderline/low grades. If something like that isn't followed by original research and/or more productive time, it is transparent for what it is: a product of being in the right place at the right time and not a reflection of the student's research cred. It is very bizarre to publish in high impact early and follow it up with nothing else.

Do not misunderstand. It is an accomplishment, a real accomplishment. But, do not expect those of us that know the research/publishing realm to be, "OMG Nature he must be so good, worth a risk on a 3.4!"

Now, as to your question. The bolded statement below is very dangerous.



This may be true. But, there is a significant chance that it isn't. I was a Physics major. I spent a considerable amount of time in BME. I know that virtually nobody at my undergrad took a class as hard as Mechanics 411. But, this isn't about certain upper level classes being hard, this is about maintaining a high level of academic performance over years. That is where interest in a field comes in. This isn't even taking into consideration how much less enjoyable undergrad is studying something that you don't enjoy as much. The real question is why are you getting a 3.4 in a major that you are enjoying? There are legitimate and understandable reasons for it and are taken into consideration by admissions committeees. None of those reasons make sense to switch majors.

I agree, I think the reason I say that is not because of overconfidence but because of what I have observed with grading around me. I am ranked 5/50 in my major. It has to do with the curves in classes that I am taking. Differential equations, statics, and Physics had averages around 55% but the teacher kept the Grading scale the same 60-70/70-80 etc..., I recieved a B in these class with a 85% despite the fact that I performed well compared with my peers. My peers in biology (not to put them down) get curved grades whenever a test average is below a 70%. Sorry if this sounds arrogant. As for the research I completely agree with your statement however I plan on getting a LOR from my PI to exemplify how much work I have put in. Thanks for the perspective mimelim.

 

[mimelim]

Thanks for the input. I really am managing my time pretty well and am learning a lot of really interesting things. I also know however that although my research is very interesting, I don't have the creativity to come up with brand new ideas. Considering all of the shadowing I have done I enjoy the clinical side of medicine immensely. I would be interested to hear from an adcom but I don't know if this thread will be seen by them haha.

I would also note, I had a 3.4 out of undergrad, strengths were far and away in the research realm and LOR. I also sat on a medical school adcom and have a stack of resident applications on my desk now (have another interview day this week). As with every post on here in pre-allo...

You need to understand why we care about certain parts of an application to weight their relative importance. Academic prowess is important for medical school. You will be learning continuously for a decade or more and will have a ton of tests along the way. If you can't survive those academic rigors, you are wasting one of our seats. Your grades are a single metric that measures your academic prowess. It is NOT all telling by itself. This is why we care about rigor, major, school etc. Its also why we care about your MCAT score. Taken in combination, you get a very very good idea of someone's ability to handle the future academic requirements. If you can prove that you aren't going to be a liability with your 3.4 because of all the other metrics, you will get in with a 3.4. Understand... That is a pretty big if. A 3.4 means one of a couple of things about an applicant. Most of those things are NOT good things for people trying to get into medical school. And yes, if you compare 100 3.8 applicants compared to 100 3.4 applicants, it isn't even a close comparison.

 

[Goro]

Agree again 1000% with my learned colleague.

Just because nobody else will likely say it...

We do know what 3rd author in Nature or PNAS means. We know the level of dedication/work required (or not). I would be very careful how much stock you put in publications like this. It is a very common trap to think that something like that will resurrect/protect your borderline/low grades. If something like that isn't followed by original research and/or more productive time, it is transparent for what it is: a product of being in the right place at the right time and not a reflection of the student's research cred. It is very bizarre to publish in high impact early and follow it up with nothing else.

Do not misunderstand. It is an accomplishment, a real accomplishment. But, do not expect those of us that know the research/publishing realm to be, "OMG Nature he must be so good, worth a risk on a 3.4!"


As I say to my kids all the time: "words are easy, doing is hard." If you're a 3.8 student, prove it.
I know if I wasn't an engineering student I could be pulling 3.8/3.9 each semester.

 

[efle]

Differential equations, statics, and Physics had averages around 55% but the teacher kept the Grading scale the same 60-70/70-80 etc...,

Christ how do these professors fail over half of their class and never get told to change their system? Doesn't this make it impossible for most of their students to land good internships or jobs etc? Even at the extremely anti-inflation top public schools things are at least kept to a C average

 

[NicMouse64]

Christ how do these professors fail over half of their class and never get told to change their system? Doesn't this make it impossible for most of their students to land good internships or jobs etc? Even at the extremely anti-inflation top public schools things are at least kept to a C average

Our school does it because people will go and take the course at a community college so they eventually get credit. Also getting good internships or jobs at our school especially is not contingent with a good GPA as long it is 2.5+ engineers can get really interesting (and well paying) positions. Engineering classes such as statics are just hard in nature and its hard to curve the class up to a 70 when the average person doesn't know the material. Hope that helps you understand efle, it sucks but is also due to the competitive nature and overall intellect of the class. It's comparable to medical school, if you get into this engineering program you will likely be able to graduate and pass the licensing exam.

 

[efle]

I guess the engineering world compensates for harsh grading scales better than med admissions does. We have plenty of science classes here with averages in the 30s-60s but the median GPA is kept at a 3.0 so average people can still have a shot at med schools.

Our school does it because people will go and take the course at a community college so they eventually get credit.

^ This seems pretty messed up though

 

[NicMouse64]

I guess the engineering world compensates for harsh grading scales better than med admissions does. We have plenty of science classes here with averages in the 30s-60s but the median GPA is kept at a 3.0 so average people can still have a shot at med schools.



^ This seems pretty messed up though

Yeah that is part of the issue. People don't even need a 3.0 to get a decent paying job in engineering here. I came to this school because of its stellar engineering program, but in terms of GPA its not helping me (its definitely helping with problem solving, learning material, etc.)

 

[efle]

Yeah that is part of the issue. People don't even need a 3.0 to get a decent paying job in engineering here. I came to this school because of its stellar engineering program, but in terms of GPA its not helping me (its definitely helping with problem solving, learning material, etc.)

Better be careful, we're about due for someone to bust in and tell us how majoring in sociology and education is just as difficult and there's nothing wrong with treating GPAs equally regardless of major

 

[NicMouse64]

Better be careful, we're about due for someone to bust in and tell us how majoring in sociology and education is just as difficult and there's nothing wrong with treating GPAs equally regardless of major

Probably has to do with the fact that engineers can be pretty...wierd.....socially. The less of us in Medical School the better haha.

 

[Lamel]

GPA is all about context. 3.4 in engineering, from a top school, and a high MCAT is nothing to scoff at. Especially if your sGPA is strong. You just need to kill the MCAT to give some legitimacy to your course rigor.

 

[freemontie]

Hey guys I am currently a Biomedical engineering student and my gpa is a 3.4. I am finishing up my 3rd semester at college and am not sure if I should switch majors to increase my GPA. I know if I wasn't an engineering student I could be pulling 3.8/3.9 each semester. My dilemma is I really enjoy engineering and I just got published in Nature and PNAS for a research project I am working on and wouldn't be able to continue the project if I switched majors. I really enjoy my research and I go to a top 20 engineering school but the rest of the programs aren't that well ranked..... I have all the other aspects of the application. I am also okay with going DO as I have shadowed a DO for nearly 40 hours. My ultimate goal is to matriculate into medical school however and I know that I can salvage my GPA if I were to switch now. Any advice or encouragement would be greatly appreciated. Sorry if I posted this to the wrong area, I am new to this.

Adcoms are people - human people - an engineering student with a decent GPA who got published in Nature? (We're talking about the Nature journal right- or am I confused?)

Edit: I read @mimelim 's comment. I guess they're wise to it. But you still seem like a great profile overall.

 

[estanton]

Another path you could take is to start taking the classes to get an easier degree and engineering minor. Then don't formally switch your major until your senior year so you can stay on your project for another year and a half. Perhaps not the most honest thing but I don't see how anyone would hold it against you.

Talk to your PI about keeping you on as a minor?

 

[NicMouse64]

Another path you could take is to start taking the classes to get an easier degree and engineering minor. Then don't formally switch your major until your senior year so you can stay on your project for another year and a half. Perhaps not the most honest thing but I don't see how anyone would hold it against you.

Talk to your PI about keeping you on as a minor?

I looked into this, unfortunately at our school we can only major in engineering, no minors are offered to anyone outside of the College of Engineering. Even if I could do this I would feel like I am being dishonest with my PI who has afforded a lot of trust and opportunities on me. Fortunately today I was told that he would give me 6 credits/semester of A-F undergrad research in order to help my GPA. I don't know how this would be looked upon either by an adcom haha.

 

[efle]

6 credits/semester of A-F undergrad research in order to help my GPA. I don't know how this would be looked upon either by an adcom haha.

Man your school is so weird, failing over half the classes and offering letter graded 6-credit research? Odd

 

[NicMouse64]

Man your school is so weird, failing over half the classes and offering letter graded 6-credit research? Odd

"for every 3 hours you spend in the lab, you will receive one credit hour of research". I told my PI I do about 20 hours in the lab and he gave me 6 credit hours of research. Really nice guy haha.

 

[efle]

"for every 3 hours you spend in the lab, you will receive one credit hour of research". I told my PI I do about 20 hours in the lab and he gave me 6 credit hours of research. Really nice guy haha.

That is a sweet deal, here you do 12 hrs research for 3 pass/fail credits and aren't given extra credits for more hours.

 

[RedPhys]

Research credit helped my GPA
I'd go for it