Pre-Med Engineers

[NKChemEng]

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I feel like there are definitely a number of undergrad engineers going into medicine, and I thought I'd create this thread so that we could share our experiences and pros/cons of our choice of major of study.

 

[Whatyousay]

Pros: Unjustified sense of superiority over other students for choosing a major that has real world job opportunities, builds character

Cons: Dearth of women, work, strange grading schemes, professors who don't speak English (Engrish?)

 

[Iso4ane]

Pros: Unjustified sense of superiority over other students for choosing a major that has real world job opportunities, builds character

Cons: Dearth of women, work, strange grading schemes, professors who don't speak English (Engrish?)

Funny thing is, at my school, of the few women who are in engineering, math, or physics, most the I knew were actually pretty good looking, so better get on that.

 

[Whatyousay]

Funny thing is, at my school, of the few women who are in engineering, math, or physics, most the I knew were actually pretty good looking, so better get on that.

The good looking ones are always already taken. I mean, it makes sense, right?

Unless you're suggesting something a bit more devious

 

[Iso4ane]

The good looking ones are always already taken. I mean, it makes sense, right?

Unless you're suggesting something a bit more devious

Well fact of life, a lot of college relationships don't last, so wait, if you got your eye on someone.

 

[therunner12]

Present.

My girlfriend/personal statement and secondary essay editor is also in biomedical engineering.

 

[pkwraith]

Women isn't really a problem if you're BME. Half the class is premed, and I'd say 30-40% of the class are female. Probably the best male-female ratio of Engineering (except maybe Imaginary Engineering)

 

[therunner12]

I'm going to rag on Industrial Engineering for a bit. I remember being in the computer lab last semester, (we share with industrial) working on matlab or something. I hear the industrial engineers yelling in the other room about how many parking spaces they needed for their imaginary building for senior design. Ridiculous.

 

[BMEN]

I'm going to rag on Industrial Engineering for a bit. I remember being in the computer lab last semester, (we share with industrial) working on matlab or something. I hear the industrial engineers yelling in the other room about how many parking spaces they needed for their imaginary building for senior design. Ridiculous.

They do so much stats and business they might as well be stats majors

 

[JK47]

I should not be surprised that this thread has immediately gone to discussing the dire dating prospects of engineering students. Reminds me of my undergrad in ME.

 

[NKChemEng]

They do so much stats and business they might as well be stats majors

👍

 

[MrLahey]

Us Chemical Engineers are in the same boat....maybe one woman with any promise....But lucky me, I get cross over and see all the much finer women in the MCB major

 

[therunner12]

I took an art history class last semester. There wasn't anything special there either.

WHERE THE WHITE WOMEN AT?

 

[MrLahey]

I took an art history class last semester. There wasn't anything special there either.

WHERE THE WHITE WOMEN AT?

http://edge.studentdoctor.net/icons/icon14.png

 

[Iso4ane]

I took an art history class last semester. There wasn't anything special there either.

WHERE THE WHITE WOMEN AT?

Psych and communications...JK

 

[MrLahey]

I took an art history class last semester. There wasn't anything special there either.

WHERE THE WHITE WOMEN AT?

It's simple "guys"

......Nursing......

 

[Whatyousay]

It's simple "guys"

......Nursing......

Yes.

There was a nursing class that went on right before my PChem class, and when class let out, it would literally be a stream of reasonably attractive women leaving the room.

 

[frutiaspice]

I'm a BE major and I think (?) I'm the first girl in this thread XD

I think we have more girls in our BE department than guys actually haha

 

[therunner12]

I'm a BE major and I think (?) I'm the first girl in this thread XD

I think we have more girls in our BE department than guys actually haha

Pics or shens.

 

[Whatyousay]

BME / BE is basically pseudo-engineering anyways.

The curriculum is too general compared to the other engineering majors.

 

[therunner12]

BME / BE is basically pseudo-engineering anyways.

The curriculum is too general compared to the other engineering majors.

We go as in depth in either mechanical or electrical as the courses in that major. I know people that went to mechanical because they didn't make the grades for BME and the electrical kids hate having BMEs in the class because it ruins the curve.

 

[mauberley]

BME / BE is basically pseudo-engineering anyways.

+1

 

[NKChemEng]

BME / BE is basically pseudo-engineering anyways.

The curriculum is too general compared to the other engineering majors.

Much harder to get into that major at my school though 😕

 

[Whatyousay]

We go as in depth in either mechanical or electrical as the courses in that major. I know people that went to mechanical because they didn't make the grades for BME and the electrical kids hate having BMEs in the class because it ruins the curve.

I just don't feel like BME really prepares you to be an engineer as well as other engineering majors do. I'm not saying BMEs don't do well in engineering courses - I remember my year wrecked the EE courses we were in.

Much harder to get into that major at my school though 😕

It's one of the hardest majors to get into at my school as well (basically if you're not top 1-2% of your class, good luck). It just seems like BME/BE is stuck somewhere in between science and engineering, and you just end up getting a little bit of everything, but not enough to really be competent in anything.

 

[therunner12]

I just don't feel like BME really prepares you to be an engineer as well as other engineering majors do. I'm not saying BMEs don't do well in engineering courses - I remember my year wrecked the EE courses we were in.

When it comes down to it, I don't feel like any of the engineerings really prepare you that well for the job market. I agree with BME being stuck though.

 

[kcin]

We go as in depth in either mechanical or electrical as the courses in that major.

Yeah, I bet. You have time for all of that and the bio portion of BME. You keep telling that to yourself, bro.

 

[therunner12]

Yeah, I bet. You have time for all of that and the bio portion of BME. You keep telling that to yourself, bro.

We take two physiology classes. They rest are standard engineering courses with biological examples. We don't even have to take the intro biology courses.

Bro.

 

[kcin]

We take two physiology classes. They rest are standard engineering courses with biological examples. We don't even have to take the intro biology courses.

Bro.

Dear Bro,

What fourth year electives did you take?

Love,
Bro

 

[therunner12]

Dear Bro,

What fourth year electives did you take?

Love,
Bro

Brochacho,

I will be taking Tissue Engineering, Medical Imaging, Polymeric Biomaterials, and Nanotechnology. They are all bio based but the concepts we learn in them are the same as ME or EE.

<3

 

[Whatyousay]

I'm still confused that AMCAS would include Math under sGPA but not engineering.

Makes no sense at all.

 

[NKChemEng]

I'm still confused that AMCAS would include Math under sGPA but not engineering.

Makes no sense at all.

That's so true. Confuses me as well. I guess engineering is not science based

 

[therunner12]

Engineering is counted as science on TMDSAS. My two sGPAs are considerably different.

 

[mauberley]

Maybe it's the applied nature of engineering? *shrug* Oddly enough, including my engineering classes would not have changed my BCPM GPA at all. I'd also remind everyone that technically it's not "sGPA" even though we may use that term colloquially.

 

[NKChemEng]

Engineering is counted as science on TMDSAS. My two sGPAs are considerably different.

With engineering helping you out, or the opposite?

 

[Whatyousay]

Engineering is counted as science on TMDSAS. My two sGPAs are considerably different.

With engineering helping you out, or the opposite?

Since TMDSAS doesn't count +/-, it helps me out

 

[Whatyousay]

Maybe it's the applied nature of engineering? *shrug* Oddly enough, including my engineering classes would not have changed my BCPM GPA at all. I'd also remind everyone that technically it's not "sGPA" even though we may use that term colloquially.

Bah, semantics.

 

[mauberley]

Bah, semantics.

Well, if you're gonna complain, make sure it's about the right thing. 🙂

 

[therunner12]

With engineering helping you out, or the opposite?

Opposite.

 

[NKChemEng]

Whatyousay, I like your avatar. Cracks me up every time.

 

[NKChemEng]

I guess because dentistry seems more like MechE than MD does. Probably hence the difference between the categories. Just a thought

 

[BMEN]

Yeah, I bet. You have time for all of that and the bio portion of BME. You keep telling that to yourself, bro.

Whatyousay
BME / BE is basically pseudo-engineering anyways.

The curriculum is too general compared to the other engineering majors.

It depends on the program. A BioE Program at like University of Texas is much more biology and chemistry driven than a progrma at lets say UCSD or Texas A&M. At A&M BioE arent required to take biology or biochemistry(at UT you do), but instead take mechanical engineering and electrical engineering like courses . Hell we cover stuff in fluid mechanics The Mech E's wont cover until grad school. Again depends on the program. Our program lets us choose which type of track we want to follow and allow us to choose which courses to take.
It also depends a lot on how the program is set up. Our program pushes Industry and Graduate school equally. Others push towards grad school more so they wont cover many of the industry type topics.

Dear Bro,

What fourth year electives did you take?

Love,
Bro

It varies by program. At UT i think they take less engineering technical electives. And if you want to do biomechanics you do it through their mechanical engineering department. At A&M you begin your electives second semester junior year and have to take 18 hours of "technical electives" for an area you are specialized in(Tissue/Biomaterial Engineering, Biomechanics,Instrumentation/Device Design,Imaging, Clinical Enigneering, Biooptics)



tl;dr
BioE curriculum varies by program. I do certainly think that most BioE(at least the ones i've met at my program and others) are prepared to work as engineers. I know some BioEs working at Schlumberger,BP, Shell etc.

 

[Whatyousay]

Well, if you're gonna complain, make sure it's about the right thing. 🙂

Fair enough. Bustin' my chops

Whatyousay, I like your avatar. Cracks me up every time.

👍

 

[Ugen]

Majoring in engineering will net you a lower GPA than something like biology because engineering is more conceptually difficult whereas biology is more memorization heavy. Engineering at top schools is also graded a lot harder than basic science classes. Med school has classes that are more problem solving based such as neuro and engineering students will ace those since they are used to that kind of stuff, but most of the classes are memorization heavy. You'll have to get used to pneumonics and rote memory techniques that bio majors have mastered but for the most part you'll be in better shape once you get in since you will study for understanding more than just memorization.

I don't think adcoms give a lot of weight to how hard your engineering major is even though for example an M.I.T. electrical engineering grad with a 3.6+ is a freaking genius.

 

[BionicMan]

I'm going to rag on Industrial Engineering for a bit. I remember being in the computer lab last semester, (we share with industrial) working on matlab or something. I hear the industrial engineers yelling in the other room about how many parking spaces they needed for their imaginary building for senior design. Ridiculous.

You don't happen to be an Aggie, do you?

 

[pkwraith]

What is with the random hate for BME in this thread? Please direct it to IE where it belongs.

 

[therunner12]

You don't happen to be an Aggie, do you?

I am.

 

[Whatyousay]

You don't happen to be an Aggie, do you?

Wow, there seem to be a lot of Aggies in this thread.

Aggies suck.

 

[BionicMan]

I am.

Well hot tamale, so am I. I read your story about the Imaginary Engineers that haunt the lab and I felt a spark of kinship.

 

[Ansar]

physics > engineering

just putting that out there
*puts flame suit on*

 

[therunner12]

Well hot tamale, so am I. I read your story about the Imaginary Engineers that haunt the lab and I felt a spark of kinship.

Well technically it is their lab, which is dumb. I'm glad we are getting a new building.