Need a Little Advice

[Series 208]

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So first of all, this is my first post but I've read these forums for a couple of years now. I'm posting this thread to possibly get some insight into my situation.

I'm a sophomore at a big state school that has a pretty good engineering program, and I'm also currently a ChemE and premed. My gpa is around 3.4 but best case scenario it could be around 3.65 by the time I apply to med school. I'm making pretty good grades this semester and I'm doing some hospital volunteering but that's about it EC wise.

Here's the problem: I really don't like the school I'm at or the engineering curriculum in general . I don't hate it, I'm just not in love with it. The general idea was that if medicine didn't work out, then I would have an engineering degree to fall back on. But now I don't really see myself in the engineering field at all. Also, I live more than a few hours away and have not managed to make many friends at school, so all I do is study and go to class pretty much. I think this is due to how much time I have to spend to keep my grades up.

Here's the potential solution: There is a private liberal arts school in my hometown, that a lot of my friends went to after high school. It has an athletic training BS program that I am interested in. This would 1. Give me a lot of clinical experience and 2. Probably boost my gpa. I'm just not sure if I should throw away the three semesters I spent in engineering and give it up just two years away from a degree.

Sorry that was so long, if anyone took the time to read it all, any advice would be appreciated.

Thanks.

 

[MaenadsDance]

How much will it cost you to switch schools and majors? That seems like the major drawback to me - engineering is a relatively secure and lucrative field, and if you are falling back on a (potentially enjoyable - you haven't tried it yet) field with a smaller expected starting salary, you don't want to switch schools only to end up with more debt and more years until you graduate.

Otherwise, do what interests you and makes you happy, and most importantly what is going to achieve your long-term goals.

 

[Series 208]

Yeah, I think that's going to be the deciding factor actually is financial aid. Going from public to private won't be very friendly, money-wise anyway.

Also, does anyone know if medical schools will look at the gpa from each school separately, or add the two together?

 

[Catalystik]

does anyone know if medical schools will look at the gpa from each school separately, or add the two together?

The grades from all college-level coursework are entered into the AMCAS transcript with grades calculated together by AMCAS rules, regardless of how individual undergrad schools did it. Here is a screen shot of what med schools receive from AMCAS: Verified Grade Point Averages summary: http://forums.studentdoctor.net/showthread.php?p=11226358

Overall undergrad cGPA and BCPM are the numbers most evaluated, but GPAs from individual years might be looked at, also, to find an explanation for a lower GPA or to see what the year-by-year grade trend looks like.

 

[ClemsonFirst]

If you really are dedicated to the healthcare field and are worried about financial aid and losing three semesters of class credit, you do not have to fall back on engineering. There are programs like PA school that you would give you ample time serving patients or DO school. But if you are dedicated to MD, then I think losing three semesters of work and gaining some loan debt is nothing compared to what you will gain through becoming an MD.

 

[Series 208]

I think that's a great point ClemsonFirst, although I'm not close minded to DO. There is also a pretty good Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN) degree at the school that I may transfer to. I feel like that might be a good route to go too in terms of job security/pay. I'm a guy by the way, I just point that out because I hear there is a decent demand for male nurses, even as compared to the relatively high demand of nurses in general..

Also, I appreciate the information Catalystik, thanks for clarifying that for me.

 

[ClemsonFirst]

I think that's a great point ClemsonFirst, although I'm not close minded to DO. There is also a pretty good Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN) degree at the school that I may transfer to. I feel like that might be a good route to go too in terms of job security/pay. I'm a guy by the way, I just point that out because I hear there is a decent demand for male nurses, even as compared to the relatively high demand of nurses in general..

Also, I appreciate the information Catalystik, thanks for clarifying that for me.

No problem. If you are interested in nursing, you can always become an NP and do almost the same job as a physician but less knowledge base and I am pretty sure you are insured under the physician.

 

[Aerus]

Do you commute at your current school? If you don't, then disregard this for now. If you do commute, how much would it cost you to live on campus as opposed to transferring to the private school by your hometown and commuting there? The idea is you want to have a very convenient way to get from your "home" to classes and back. Long commute hours is a useless time sink, in and of itself.

Now, there's also overall cost difference. How much more, approximately, will you have to pay to attend the private school? If it's a substantial amount, I would suggest staying at your State School.

Yes, Engineering is a difficult major and yes it is very time consuming. My best recommendation, if you really want to pursue medicine, is to change majors. I'm a strong advocate of engineering and pre-med at the same time, although it definitely can be done and well too, depending on the person.

While you did spend 3 semesters on it, I'm pretty sure many were introductory courses that can apply to your GE's, major reqs, and even pre-med reqs (calculus, physics, etc.).

It is very important that you enjoy what you study, so that you can not only do well in these courses, but also have some time to enjoy undergrad, as medical school (or any professional school for this matter) will be a lot more time consuming.

 

[Series 208]

First of all, I really appreciate the responses I've gotten from everybody. This is a major decision that I need to make and I value all of the insights that have been contributed.

Aerus, as for the commute, I live on campus currently. The drive home is around four hours. The school I would be transferring to is about a 5-10 min drive from my house, I used to ride bikes/play basketball around this campus before I could drive. So transportation costs would go down significantly (not that I hardly ever go home, except on breaks).

As for my first three semesters, you are right on point concerning the types of classes I took (calc III,diff eq, physics, chem, bio) I would imagine most of those would transfer. This is why I think it is important for me to make this decision now, because next semester I will be taking mostly engineering courses that would not transfer.

Also just as a side note, I agree with the notion that engineering and pre-med can be a great combination, given the right type of person (keeping in mind my limited perspective). Especially ChemE where I would only have to take and extra biology to hit all the pre reqs. But I would by no means discourage anyone from doing engineering as a pre med, I just so happens that it may not be for me. It's definitely doable, and I have decent grades so far, but it's just a matter of enjoying what you do and what you will do for years to come.

I would like to add that the more research I do on the nursing program, the more seriously I am beginning to consider it.