what do you think about electrical engineering?

[gmcsierra]

---

Members don't see this ad.

i'm going to be a freshman in college next year, and was wondering if EE would be useful at all for medical school. the college i'mi going to has a good EE program and good pharmacy program. i'm thinking about both.
thanks

 

[blingbling]

I think it's a good idea... biology premeds are a dime a dozen but EE would make your CV a little different than many other premeds'. Just make sure you get good grades, do well on the MCAT, and get some good medical research and/or volunteering experience in sometime btn now and Sr year and you should be golden. Good luck!

 

[bad_hombre]

At my university, it is incredibly difficult to get good marks in eng. However, if you're up for the challenge by all means go for it.

 

[rxfudd]

It could be useful, but it could also be tremendously difficult. Most EE courses are very physics/math heavy, so if you are REALLY good at that, go for it. If you are not brilliant in physics/math, though, you don't want to run the risk of hurting your GPA with really tough courses. You should probably talk with some EE majors at your school and see what they think of the classes, particularly in terms of difficulty.

 

[monchi]

It doesn't matter what your major is. Just choose something that you enjoy and will do very well in. Then, make sure you take all the pre-reqs, like o-chem, bio, etc. Your school should have a health careers-type office that can tell you what the required classes are. Then, take these classes and get A's. If you don't have time to fit all these classes in, you can always take a year of post-bach classes. That would not have any negative impact on your application. Also, taking a major that is a little unusual (that is, non-science or non-bio) can be a positive thing. It can make you a little different from the thousands of applicants each school looks at.
Be sure to look into the health careers office at your school, early and often. They will be an important resource, not only for practical services like a recommendations file and school information, but also for advice. The counselors there will often know people on admissions committees on a personal basis.
One last thing: Don't be afraid to drop classes you're not doing well in. Obviously, be reasonable in the amount that you drop. But it is much better to take a little longer to graduate than to have a C in an important class. I think the AMCAS application does ask you to designate courses which you have dropped, but, if it doesn't show up on your transcript, then there's no need to tell. :wink:
Good luck and enjoy your undergrad. I miss those days!

 

[Bevo]

i think its a good option. My brother is getting his masters in ee from cornell right now. But I do have two friends who both majored in EE in college (Rice and UPENN) and one is a 1st year at SouthWest here in Dallas and the other was applying for school this fall. Haven't found out where he got in yet.

I think it helps to have a major that is not biology or chemistry. If you can do EE by all means do it. I know the EE major is harder. at cornell I think if you got a 3.2 and were an EE major you made the dean's list. Not positive though.

 

[Hopkins2010]

I was an electrical/computer engineering major in college.

Its very math/physics intensive, and at times it will seem like you are taking a very long, meandering path to get to the courses that you really like. For example, at most schools you have to take intro courses in mechanical engineering even though you are working on a degree in EE.

As far as med school goes, I think it can give a unique viewpoint on certain areas. For example, I am able to make intelligent comments on how certain medical devices work.

Engineering curriculums in general tend to be very groupwork oriented, which I also think is a good asset and good preparation for working in teams as a health care professionsl. Also, the critical thinking that you will have to use in engineering will come in very handy.

EE is not easy, but its not super-difficult like a lot of people say either. The math is pretty intensive, equivalent to a minor in math at most schools. The focus is different than a math major however. I liked the engineering math focus better than the pure math focus, because we didnt have to spend hours and hours doing lots of proofsm and lots of esoteric theory. Instead we got to use it in an applied setting.

As a EE major, you should get exposed to some computer science/engineering courses which can be very practical also. You would have a step up if you want to go into medical informatics, and it also helps for fields like radiology.

 

[Original]

I think you should do electrical pharmacy or pharmaceutical engineering. That way you maximize what you get out of your school 😀 . I'm even serious.

 

[Original]

One thing Baylor21 mentioned is that in engineering, you get lots of experience working in groups. This is very true and extremely important. Engineering majors have mastered the fundamentals of team-work. This is priceless. You don't get this in any other major. In engineering, one is also taught to follow instructions. Due to the numerous labs, you also learn to DO. This will be helpful if you end up in a procedure intensive area of medicine. I think engineering kicks @ss!

 

[Tobtolip]

I'm not an ee major, but I have a lot of friends who are. I think it depends on what school you go to, but EE is definately a tough major. My friend, who is extremely smart and much better in math than I am (I'm a math major), has ~ a 3.4. I'm pretty sure getting above a 3.7 in a major like ee is rare and very impressive. (btw, he studies like ALL the time) so I agree with the above posts that you should definately talk to some people in ee and maybe also talk to some of the faculty + advisors.

 

[dr. momo]

i think you should just do what you enjoy, and not worry about how it affects your med school application. i chose to do an applied math major (math, cs, stats), and while i initially thought it would be a unique aspect to add to my application, in the end i don't think it helped me very much. although i was able to find ways to relate my major to medicine, i've never been asked about it in any of my interviews. when i've tried to talk about my research interests in the field and how it relates to my applying to medical school, i always get a blank look from my interviewers, followed by a quick change of subject. i'm definitely not saying you shouldn't do ee...i'm totally happy that i picked what i did. i just thought i'd mention that in my experience i don't feel as if it has been very helpful. good luck! =)