MechE pre-med? Some questions

[gordmanfreeon]

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Hey, I'm new to SDN. I've recently considered pursuing medical school and was wondering if ya'll could give me a little advice on how I should go about this. Here's some info on myself:


I just finished my 3rd semester as a mechanical engineering major at a very large public university. I came in with a ton of AP credit (~40 hours which apply to my degree) and could graduate in 3 years with a BSME. However, I am thinking about pushing this back a year and completing pre-medical requirements (~19 hours of organic chemistry, biochemistry, genetics etc.) during my 3rd year along with an honors thesis.

I have done very well in all of my engineering courses (solid 4.0 GPA) and am very active with technically-oriented EC's (robotics/programming, automotive engineering, machine shop). Additionally, I do about a dozen hours of community service every semester for some honor societies I am in. I am also an active archer.


I am confident that I can complete the rest of the pre-med requirements with a 4.0 and can score well on the MCAT (35+), so academically, I think I would be in pretty good shape. However, I am lacking clinical experience thus far. So here are my questions:

- How would medical schools view a mechanical engineer as opposed to the more common biology/chemistry/biochemistry/liberal arts applicant?

- I don't think I have enough time during the academic year to dedicate to hospital volunteering/doctor shadowing on top of my current commitments. Should I drop some of my other EC's to do this? Or would it be okay to do all of this during the summer instead?

- My school offers an EMT training program that I am thinking about doing over the summer. I would prefer to be gaining practical skills/knowledge as an EMT rather than shadowing/volunteering for hundreds of hours. How would medical schools compare two applicants with:

• EMT training and perhaps ~50 hours of hospital volunteering/doctor shadowing
• 150+ hours of hospital volunteering/doctor shadowing

 

[mauberley]

- How would medical schools view a mechanical engineer as opposed to the more common biology/chemistry/biochemistry/liberal arts applicant?

You'll be judged on the same metrics as everyone else. That having been said, some admissions committees may take your engineering major into account when considering your GPA.

- I don't think I have enough time during the academic year to dedicate to hospital volunteering/doctor shadowing on top of my current commitments. Should I drop some of my other EC's to do this? Or would it be okay to do all of this during the summer instead?

My opinion is that keeping up with those activities throughout the year would be more valuable (both for your personal growth and for your application) than concentrating them into a summer. But that's all it is--an opinion.

- My school offers an EMT training program that I am thinking about doing over the summer. I would prefer to be gaining practical skills/knowledge as an EMT rather than shadowing/volunteering for hundreds of hours. How would medical schools compare two applicants with:

• EMT training and perhaps ~50 hours of hospital volunteering/doctor shadowing
• 150+ hours of hospital volunteering/doctor shadowing

I don't think there's a clear advantage either way. My understanding is that the training itself would be of little value unless you also have the associated experience putting those skills to practice. As for shadowing/volunteering, you should obtain enough shadowing for you to be able to confirm to yourself that medicine is the path you wish to pursue, and keeping up with volunteering demonstrates a commitment to task. In the end, do what you want.

 

[johnisles2011]

Are you just looking for someone to stroke your ego?

You'll be a great applicant. A phenomenal applicant.

4.0/35+ is an incredibly high starting point to to build off of, plus you are already involved in diverse activities you truly enjoy and can write/talk about. Add some shadowing and clinical volunteering (and EMS if you want; it's awesome), and you'll be an incredible applicant.

You do need to do the clinical stuff. I feel like shadowing and clinical volunteering are unspoken requirements.

Come on, if you're that smart, you must know that.

 

[dmf2682]

Are you just looking for someone to stroke your ego?

You'll be a great applicant. A phenomenal applicant.

4.0/35+ is an incredibly high starting point to to build off of, plus you are already involved in diverse activities you truly enjoy and can write/talk about. Add some shadowing and clinical volunteering (and EMS if you want; it's awesome), and you'll be an incredible applicant.

You do need to do the clinical stuff. I feel like shadowing and clinical volunteering are unspoken requirements.

Come on, if you're that smart, you must know that.

The op hasn't been thinking about medicine forever, cut him/her some slack.

I would recommend the volunteering over the emt training. You want to demonstrate some sort of altruism.

Maybe you can integrate some biology into your program as a mechanical engineer. That could help.

I'd also suggest you not take the mcat for granted because you're an engineer. It'll be tough and you will need to study. A buddy of mine didn't study for beans and was super lucky to get a 32. If he actually did study I'd guess he might have done 5-6 pts better.

Lastly, welcome. Sdn needs more engineers.