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Hockeydude664 – I have a family member whose interest in studying biomedical engineering and then attending medical school is identical to yours and her grades, ACT score, and ECs also are similar to yours. I also have a family member in a BFA acting program. The colleges you are interested in applying to for biomedical engineering are pretty similar to the list of colleges my family member applied to. And, from her experience, I have the notion that the admission rate for biomedical engineering programs is pretty similar to the admission rate for the BFA acting programs – they are exceedingly competitive. My family member is now a biomedical engineering major at a university that has a well-regarded program. I can tell you that I don’t think she has much room in her schedule for non-engineering related coursework, even though she also has a strong interest in the arts, or for ECs. I have the impression that biomedical engineering programs are a lot like BFA acting programs – there may be little to no opportunity to double major in engineering and drama, unless you want to take another year or so to graduate, and even a limited opportunity to take elective courses such as theater because of schedule conflicts with engineering courses. You really do need to explore the websites of the schools you are interested in attending, take a look at the course catalogue, and talk to folks at the schools to see whether it is possible to double major in biomedical engineering and acting and whether it is even possible to do so and graduate with your incoming class. Also, if you decide to go the biomedical engineering route, the college you attend may allow non-drama students to audition for productions and that way you can keep up your interest in the performing arts if you find you are unable to double major or even find room in your schedule for theater courses. Also, there is the possibility of taking theater courses during the summer or after graduation or even applying for theater apprenticeships during the summer. I am not sure about the universities that are on your list, but in some institutions, the theater and engineering programs are in separate colleges and you apply to the particular college for admission. I know that’s the way it works at the university my BFA acting family member attends. On a final note – I know a fellow who graduated from a prestigious engineering program and worked at a good-paying engineering job for a few years. At that point, he told his parents that he didn’t really want to be an engineer and that he wanted to become involved in the performing arts. And he did just that! Like many novice artists, he had to feed and house himself between jobs and in that regard his engineering background has proven to be useful in finding temporary jobs. Good luck and keep us posted!
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