Engineering + Pre-Med

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:A thread of ChemE students and grads explaining that you don’t need Ochem at all: https://www.reddit.com/r/ChemicalEngineering/comments/ji309v/is_organic_chemistry_course_important_for/. Ochem has really nothing to do with what an engineer does, at all. Thermodynamics is extremely important, however.

That’s all well and good but there are many chemE programs that are more molecular (hopkins) and it is needed. For BME as already stated by multiple people it is strongly encouraged or required even if not premed.

They were not required when I went to school and, as PP stated, maybe I am too old and narrow minded. My kid who was ChemE (BS) and BioE (Phd) didn't take those courses either.

MIT, CMU, GT and many others list Ochem as required for ChemE and materials or molecular, and either strongly encouraged or required for BME. Pretty sure DCUM can agree these are top engineering places.

Goodness the whole point is that for SOME types of engineering, specifically those that relate to medicine the most, Ochem is often required as are physics and many other premed reqs hence there is a lot of overlap and doing premed and engineering in 4 yrs is completely feasible and common.

Many of us have students at various great schools currently doing it or we did it ourselves.

Agree, part of the required degree at top schools and happens to make the overlap for a premed engineering student make sense. I do not use orgo daily in medicine yet it was required . Not sure why Ochem required for chemE materials BME degrees at MIT hopkins GT CMU etc is surprising or somehow controversial? These are well respected schools, the best in the country, as are the various unnamed ivies that PPs have mentioned that require it. So? That is not a negative on an engineering program to require or strongly encourage courses that some engineers later in their career profess are “unnecessary”. Ok. No skin in this game as mine is not premed and is in a different engineering field at one of these top schools. Gasp he is taking quantum maybe it is “not needed”? Who care I trust his top school and their challenging curriculum. He likes the challenge as do his peers. Thats why he is there

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:A thread of ChemE students and grads explaining that you don’t need Ochem at all: https://www.reddit.com/r/ChemicalEngineering/comments/ji309v/is_organic_chemistry_course_important_for/. Ochem has really nothing to do with what an engineer does, at all. Thermodynamics is extremely important, however.

That’s all well and good but there are many chemE programs that are more molecular (hopkins) and it is needed. For BME as already stated by multiple people it is strongly encouraged or required even if not premed.

They were not required when I went to school and, as PP stated, maybe I am too old and narrow minded. My kid who was ChemE (BS) and BioE (Phd) didn't take those courses either.

MIT, CMU, GT and many others list Ochem as required for ChemE and materials or molecular, and either strongly encouraged or required for BME. Pretty sure DCUM can agree these are top engineering places.

Goodness the whole point is that for SOME types of engineering, specifically those that relate to medicine the most, Ochem is often required as are physics and many other premed reqs hence there is a lot of overlap and doing premed and engineering in 4 yrs is completely feasible and common.

Many of us have students at various great schools currently doing it or we did it ourselves.

Agree, part of the required degree at top schools and happens to make the overlap for a premed engineering student make sense. I do not use orgo daily in medicine yet it was required . Not sure why Ochem required for chemE materials BME degrees at MIT hopkins GT CMU etc is surprising or somehow controversial? These are well respected schools, the best in the country, as are the various unnamed ivies that PPs have mentioned that require it. So? That is not a negative on an engineering program to require or strongly encourage courses that some engineers later in their career profess are “unnecessary”. Ok. No skin in this game as mine is not premed and is in a different engineering field at one of these top schools. Gasp he is taking quantum maybe it is “not needed”? Who care I trust his top school and their challenging curriculum. He likes the challenge as do his peers. Thats why he is there

It’s more that the other person is mostly wrong, unless you know a lot of Materials Science -> MD

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:A thread of ChemE students and grads explaining that you don’t need Ochem at all: https://www.reddit.com/r/ChemicalEngineering/comments/ji309v/is_organic_chemistry_course_important_for/. Ochem has really nothing to do with what an engineer does, at all. Thermodynamics is extremely important, however.

That’s all well and good but there are many chemE programs that are more molecular (hopkins) and it is needed. For BME as already stated by multiple people it is strongly encouraged or required even if not premed.

They were not required when I went to school and, as PP stated, maybe I am too old and narrow minded. My kid who was ChemE (BS) and BioE (Phd) didn't take those courses either.

MIT, CMU, GT and many others list Ochem as required for ChemE and materials or molecular, and either strongly encouraged or required for BME. Pretty sure DCUM can agree these are top engineering places.

Goodness the whole point is that for SOME types of engineering, specifically those that relate to medicine the most, Ochem is often required as are physics and many other premed reqs hence there is a lot of overlap and doing premed and engineering in 4 yrs is completely feasible and common.

Many of us have students at various great schools currently doing it or we did it ourselves.

Agree, part of the required degree at top schools and happens to make the overlap for a premed engineering student make sense. I do not use orgo daily in medicine yet it was required . Not sure why Ochem required for chemE materials BME degrees at MIT hopkins GT CMU etc is surprising or somehow controversial? These are well respected schools, the best in the country, as are the various unnamed ivies that PPs have mentioned that require it. So? That is not a negative on an engineering program to require or strongly encourage courses that some engineers later in their career profess are “unnecessary”. Ok. No skin in this game as mine is not premed and is in a different engineering field at one of these top schools. Gasp he is taking quantum maybe it is “not needed”? Who care I trust his top school and their challenging curriculum. He likes the challenge as do his peers. Thats why he is there

You write just like PP.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:A thread of ChemE students and grads explaining that you don’t need Ochem at all: https://www.reddit.com/r/ChemicalEngineering/comments/ji309v/is_organic_chemistry_course_important_for/. Ochem has really nothing to do with what an engineer does, at all. Thermodynamics is extremely important, however.

But most Chem E programs require it (at least in the T75 schools)

My Chem E major would agree that it's not really used. They hated it, but loved thermo (which is a good thing for a chem E major).

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:A thread of ChemE students and grads explaining that you don’t need Ochem at all: https://www.reddit.com/r/ChemicalEngineering/comments/ji309v/is_organic_chemistry_course_important_for/. Ochem has really nothing to do with what an engineer does, at all. Thermodynamics is extremely important, however.

But most Chem E programs require it (at least in the T75 schools)

My Chem E major would agree that it's not really used. They hated it, but loved thermo (which is a good thing for a chem E major).

They don’t.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:A thread of ChemE students and grads explaining that you don’t need Ochem at all: https://www.reddit.com/r/ChemicalEngineering/comments/ji309v/is_organic_chemistry_course_important_for/. Ochem has really nothing to do with what an engineer does, at all. Thermodynamics is extremely important, however.

But most Chem E programs require it (at least in the T75 schools)

My Chem E major would agree that it's not really used. They hated it, but loved thermo (which is a good thing for a chem E major).

They don’t.

Well the 8-10 programs my kid applied to required at least Orgo 1, many required Orgo 1&2

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:A thread of ChemE students and grads explaining that you don’t need Ochem at all: https://www.reddit.com/r/ChemicalEngineering/comments/ji309v/is_organic_chemistry_course_important_for/. Ochem has really nothing to do with what an engineer does, at all. Thermodynamics is extremely important, however.

But most Chem E programs require it (at least in the T75 schools)

My Chem E major would agree that it's not really used. They hated it, but loved thermo (which is a good thing for a chem E major).

They don’t.

Well the 8-10 programs my kid applied to required at least Orgo 1, many required Orgo 1&2

Sure.

[Anonymous]

I have a pre-med, not engineering, just curious, is goal to have a good backup career option or real interest in both and torn?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:A thread of ChemE students and grads explaining that you don’t need Ochem at all: https://www.reddit.com/r/ChemicalEngineering/comments/ji309v/is_organic_chemistry_course_important_for/. Ochem has really nothing to do with what an engineer does, at all. Thermodynamics is extremely important, however.

But most Chem E programs require it (at least in the T75 schools)

My Chem E major would agree that it's not really used. They hated it, but loved thermo (which is a good thing for a chem E major).

They don’t.

Well the 8-10 programs my kid applied to required at least Orgo 1, many required Orgo 1&2

Sure.

Well it's true. The school my kid ended up at originally required only Orgo 1, with Orgo 2 being optional but could be replaced with another advanced Chem course, but my kid's freshman year they switched to requiring Orgo 2 for all Chem Eng

So I'm sure some don't. but many do require it

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I have a pre-med, not engineering, just curious, is goal to have a good backup career option or real interest in both and torn?

I do believe that's what OP was thinking/asking before this thread got hijacked. The path to becoming a doctor is so difficult, OP is thinking working as an engineer if becoming a doctor is unattainable.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I have a pre-med, not engineering, just curious, is goal to have a good backup career option or real interest in both and torn?

I do believe that's what OP was thinking/asking before this thread got hijacked. The path to becoming a doctor is so difficult, OP is thinking working as an engineer if becoming a doctor is unattainable.

Yep.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I have a pre-med, not engineering, just curious, is goal to have a good backup career option or real interest in both and torn?

I do believe that's what OP was thinking/asking before this thread got hijacked. The path to becoming a doctor is so difficult, OP is thinking working as an engineer if becoming a doctor is unattainable.

Yep.

Well, to answer from my kid’s experience. It’s not a common option at my kid’s Ivy, but school also isn’t known for engineering. That being said, probably one of the easier to make it work though for that reason.

Premed is such a challenging path with so much required outside of difficult classwork. Engineering seems similar in that project teams are such a big deal it seems? It would be very difficult I’d presume and probably guarantee gap years to get required hours completed would be my guess, but I understand the thought process. It’s just difficult to go all-in as needed and choose another difficult major without a lot of overlap in classes or requirements.

[Anonymous]

[youtube]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:A thread of ChemE students and grads explaining that you don’t need Ochem at all: https://www.reddit.com/r/ChemicalEngineering/comments/ji309v/is_organic_chemistry_course_important_for/. Ochem has really nothing to do with what an engineer does, at all. Thermodynamics is extremely important, however.

But most Chem E programs require it (at least in the T75 schools)

My Chem E major would agree that it's not really used. They hated it, but loved thermo (which is a good thing for a chem E major).

They don’t.

Well the 8-10 programs my kid applied to required at least Orgo 1, many required Orgo 1&2

Same with mine, just checked all 14 programs they applied to.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I have a pre-med, not engineering, just curious, is goal to have a good backup career option or real interest in both and torn?

I do believe that's what OP was thinking/asking before this thread got hijacked. The path to becoming a doctor is so difficult, OP is thinking working as an engineer if becoming a doctor is unattainable.

Yes. It is a wise plan to have a backup. The backup should be something the student likes! If they are sure they like engineering and thinking premed too then it makes sense. It appears it is quite achievable for those that enjoy the subjects. It certainly has more overlap than an engineering student trying to get a history degree or something completely unrelated! The premed courses are not a full major. Despite the off track Ochem arguments I doubt that class is a barrier to engineering students more than non-engineer premeds. My non-premed chemE thought it was fairly easy.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I have a pre-med, not engineering, just curious, is goal to have a good backup career option or real interest in both and torn?

I do believe that's what OP was thinking/asking before this thread got hijacked. The path to becoming a doctor is so difficult, OP is thinking working as an engineer if becoming a doctor is unattainable.

Yep.

Well, to answer from my kid’s experience. It’s not a common option at my kid’s Ivy, but school also isn’t known for engineering. That being said, probably one of the easier to make it work though for that reason.

Premed is such a challenging path with so much required outside of difficult classwork. Engineering seems similar in that project teams are such a big deal it seems? It would be very difficult I’d presume and probably guarantee gap years to get required hours completed would be my guess, but I understand the thought process. It’s just difficult to go all-in as needed and choose another difficult major without a lot of overlap in classes or requirements.

However it seems, it does not require gap years any more often than non-engineers provided they are BME or some other subfield with a lot of overlap. Gap years are not more common for premed engineers at my alma mater or my kid’s (different) elite school.