Guest swedeboy Posted May 27, 2003 Report Share Posted May 27, 2003 Hey there, I'm just looking for some feedback from the present and future U of A med students on this forum who have any experiences with people who hold outside-of-the-norm undergrad degrees (i.e., engineering, education, etc.). Here's the thing! I just finished an engineering degree that broke my back (6-7 classes per term) and pulled my overall GPA down to a little above an 8. I know that'll slightly hurt me compared to the guys with the high 8's but I'm hoping that somewhere down the road the uniqueness of the degree will benefit me. What are your thoughts? Rhett Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest ikaj Posted May 30, 2003 Report Share Posted May 30, 2003 Hi, I don't know the answer to your question...but I was just wondering why you chose engineering if what you are really interested in is the health sciences. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Sil Posted May 30, 2003 Report Share Posted May 30, 2003 there is one engeneer in our class. I think she does quite well. Don't worry about what undergrad degree you did Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest summervirus Posted May 31, 2003 Report Share Posted May 31, 2003 A number of people in my class don't have backgrounds in biological sciences. Some specialized in chemistry, math, philosophy, (and yes) engineering! I think they had to work a little harder for the first month or two but afterwards, everyone is pretty much on equal ground. They do really well too... in fact, one of the chem majors helps me out when I have questions... and I have a bio background. There have been others that have taken the road you're on. I can't specifically comment on how their degrees benifited them because I don't know... but, from a third person point of view, I don't see how it hurt them in any way... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest mirrille Posted May 31, 2003 Report Share Posted May 31, 2003 You aren't going to be disadvantaged by having a non-standard degree. However, I doubt that the uniqueness of your degree is by itself going to help you. Now, if you can play up how that degree or your reasons for taking it show the uniqueness of you, if you can talk passionately about what you've learned by doing it and use it to make yourself stand out, then it might be a help. Strictly speaking however, your major should not affect your admission for good or bad as long as you've done all your prereques. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest swedeboy Posted May 31, 2003 Report Share Posted May 31, 2003 Thanks summervirus and mirrille! Good practical advice. Hey ikaj, I chose engineering out of high school because I love the art of solving problems, but it was a still a tough choice over immediately going into the sciences. I majored in Engineering Physics because it allowed me to pursue my interests in biomedical engineering, I was still able to finish my med pre-reqs (except English), and it was an amazing intellectual challenge with a phenomenal group of peers. My field of study also allowed me to do a couple research stints at the Gimble Eye Centre in Calgary which I wouldn't have received had I not been in Engineering Physics (Dr. Gimble had a physics undergrad which led him to the love of optics). I loved the patient interaction that I found there and it made me realize I couldn't work in an isolated lab for the rest of my life. At the present time, I'm working on a Masters in Biomedical Engineering with a focus on blood vessel imaging using MRI technology. I'll end up being a little older than some of my peers in medicine once it finally does happen, but I don't regret taking that longer path for the wealth of experiences I've already gleaned from it. (Plus it's a good backup in case I don't make it in after applying 20 times ) I think that's it. Rhett Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest 66mario Posted June 2, 2003 Report Share Posted June 2, 2003 swedeboy i just found out today i got accepted. i graduated from engineering at U of C last year and spent this past year completing the pre-requisites. i have very modest GPA (8.3 - 8.4) and MCAT (30S) scores. it does seem like a long way to go from engineering to medicine, but i know everything will work out for you in the end. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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