re-thinking my major- engineering to science.

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Adrenaline21

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  1. Pre-Medical
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So I am currently a pre-engineering student, but I am just burnt out to be honest.

I am at a quarter system school, and I am taking 20 credits of pure hell.(ochem, physics, linear algebra, and an engineering class). My engineering homework and physics take me at least an average of 4 hours a day. That eats up almost all my time.

I originally planned on majoring in either Materials or Mechanical Engineering. I do enjoy my physics class and the material in my engineering course. But I am considering switching into biochemistry or neurobiology. The only thing stopping me is the fact that if I don't make it into med school, I really am not looking forward to being a lab tech or unemployed. Are there any other options at the bachelors level for science majors? I really don't think so...correct me if I am wrong.

But switching would give me some time to enjoy undergrad while I can. Or just suck it up and do engineering?


Wondering if any of you guys were in my position and have any advice?
 
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You have to ask yourself whether you're passionate or love engineering enough such that it outweighs the work and stress involved. For me, that answer was yes... the field is extremely interesting and intriguing to me so much so that I will endure the stress and work. I originally planned on being an engineer (had internships and so on...) however decided to go the medical school route for numerous reasons. I still love the field and the work, but I just realize I am more suited for the medical field.

tl;dr: suck it up if you love it
 
I switched from EE to MatSE for more overlapping courses. Why not switch to bioengineering or biomedical? If you're looking to switch to make it easier just do it although ask yourself if you'd regret it.
 
i would advise you to stay the course. having a real backup plan is invaluable.
 
Add another semester and drop down on the credits you're taking? Engineering internships pay well ($15-25/hour) so you could always work for a summer or two to pay for the increased cost of an extra semester.
 
Double A said:
i would advise you to stay the course. having a real backup plan is invaluable.
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An engineering job is actually hard to get if you aren't tailoring an application for it during undergrad. You need interships and other work experience.
 
sliceofbread136 said:
An engineering job is actually hard to get if you aren't tailoring an application for it during undergrad. You need interships and other work experience.
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You're not going to be hurting for work if you have a degree in engineering. A job won't be hard to get.. The country is more hard up for engineers than doctors, lol
 
RomanTaylor said:
You're not going to be hurting for work if you have a degree in engineering. A job won't be hard to get.. The country is more hard up for engineers than doctors, lol
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Not from what I've been hearing from recent grads.
 
I don't think going the pre-med path is any easier than engineering. Sure, from a degree standpoint the engineering requirements are harder than a biochemistry or neurobiology degree, but not by as much as you think (specifically if you choose biochemistry which is essentially a chemistry degree and requires pchem, etc.). Also, to get into medical school you have to worry about the MCAT, a high GPA, and other EC's that engineers don't really have to worry about to get employed. If your question was that you were pretty set on med school at this point and should you stick with engineering, I would say maybe consider switching out. Doing engineering and pre-med concurrently is probably the hardest combination you can take on in undergrad. In your situation I would probably finish up the engineering degree, or maybe try to switch to a less rigorous engineering major (like Civil for example). Materials Science is a good choice if you're considering medical school since you have to take the chem sequences, and can just tack on the biology prereq over a summer or during a "light" quarter during the year.
 
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cuculici1 said:
I don't think going the pre-med path is any easier than engineering. Sure, from a degree standpoint the engineering requirements are harder than a biochemistry or neurobiology degree, but not by as much as you think (specifically if you choose biochemistry which is essentially a chemistry degree and requires pchem, etc.). Also, to get into medical school you have to worry about the MCAT, a high GPA, and other EC's that engineers don't really have to worry about to get employed. If your question was that you were pretty set on med school at this point and should you stick with engineering, I would say maybe consider switching out. Doing engineering and pre-med concurrently is probably the hardest combination you can take on in undergrad. In your situation I would probably finish up the engineering degree, or maybe try to switch to a less rigorous engineering major (like Civil for example). Materials Science is a good choice if you're considering medical school since you have to take the chem sequences, and can just tack on the biology prereq over a summer or during a "light" quarter during the year.
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Dude, you're fuggin high.

One can major in cheese-wheeling or biology and still be on the pre-med path.
 
RomanTaylor said:
Dude, you're fuggin high.

One can major in cheese-wheeling or biology and still be on the pre-med path.
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The comparison I was making was between doing engineering "just to graduate" and doing pre-med to actually get into med school. If you just care about getting C's and getting an engineering degree (I know plenty of engineers that do this), then it's not harder than being a pre-med that is actually trying to be a competitive applicant. And it's not like the BCMP classes pre-meds take are a joke either. At my university intro bio and organic chemistry were harder than most of the engineering classes I sampled.
 
RomanTaylor said:
Dude, you're fuggin high.

One can major in cheese-wheeling or biology and still be on the pre-med path.
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He is comparing a successful pre-med applicant to a person graduating with an engineering degree.

I'll agree that neither is a cake walk.

OP, if you're seriously committed to medicine and find the stress unbearable, switch out.

If your love and fascination for the subject is great and you would feel saddened from the switch and wouldn't find your biochemistry or neurobiology major as interesting or engaging, stay.

If your GPA is going to suffer greatly, despite interest in the matter, consider another major in which you love (it doesn't have to be biology related).
 
Not an engineer, but I would never consider it in a million years. When I switched out of being a Biophysics major, my college experience literally did a 180.

I felt so free and happy to be studying something I actually wanted to study. I started seeing college not as a means to an end, but as an end in itself. I made connections with professors that ended in "superb" letters of recommendation, as one interviewer informed me.

Yeah, an Engineering major will have better job prospects with a Bachelor than someone who does Biology or Sociology or Art History or whatever. But if you want to go to medical school anyways, who the fuk cares?

Study what you want to now, because you only live once, and you will never get another chance to study it.
 
Apples and oranges. In my experience you can't say one is harder than the other because they require different kinds of thinking. People in my biochemistry class assume I'm a genius because I've degrees in engineering, but when I see them memorizing swaths of text in no time it amazes me. My guess is that the majority of engineers would suck at bio stuff and the majority of bio majors would suck at engineering.
 
I was an engineer and switched. I liked Engineering enough to stay in it, and though the courseload was BRUTAL, I probably would have graduated with a ton of hardwork. I switched majors mainly because I would have had absolutely no elective space with this courseload, and I would have probably needed an extra semester to fit in all my pre-reqs. I also thought it would be too tough to study for the MCAT at the same time, and do ECs.

However, I also don't see you maintaining a competitive GPA in engineering, unless you're absolutely brilliant. The courses are just too hard. Most engineers (at least at the school I went to) are pumped when they pull off a B in the harder classes, but that's not good enough for med schools. Even though engineering curriculum is probably miles and miles harder than any of the other sciences, med schools won't really care. That being said, I wouldn't recommend risking it, and I'd switch.
 
I think it depends on how well you do after 3-4 years (depending on when you apply). I'm a bioengineering major and any interviewer that has brought up my major has been impressed (this happened at 3 of 4 interviews I attended). I will say I think my GPA is lower than it could have been, but some of the experiences I had are unique and give me a something different to talk about (such as interning with various medical device companies).

I also went into engineering with the intention of having a backup plan. Medicine is absolutely where I want to be, and I don't regret going the engineering route. However, it is not for everyone (drop out of my major was close to 50% by the end of the sophomore year). If you think you can handle the curriculum and finish with a strong GPA, you will stand out. But if you are already struggling in the intro level courses, it doesn't bode well for the next three years.
 
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Switch. Now youll get better grades and have more time to drink
 
^ lol, that's what half of my friends said.

Thanks for the advice guys. I guess my largest concern is the fact that I will have zero electives, and each pre-med class(aside from physics and chemistry) are "extra" classes. I will end up with almost an extra year of courses to take, and an extra year to pay for.

I will need to think about this more.
 
Chemical engineering at my schools covers everything you need except the bio classes. A lot of my friends get Bio engineering minors though. They all graduated in 4 years. I haven't had to take any extra classes in BioE other than additional classes I wanted to take. They still counted as some of my technical electives and science electives (classes like Microbiology and Immunology).

Feel free to PM me if you have any questions about making it through an engineering degree.

Edit: some of the craziest drinkers I know are the engineers haha
 
What made you choose chemical over biomedical?
 
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