hi all!
i got accepted into case for bme, with a scholarship that would bring my net price down to 40k. i also got into drexel honors and star scholars with a scholarship that would bring my cost down to 50k. money isnt a huge concern in my decision, ive talked it over with my parents and theyre okay with either. it just comes down to me.
long term goals wise, i would like to move out of country to europe - switzerland or germany. drexel’s co-op and star scholars program would make it way easier to get a job immediately out of college, and star scholars was a super competitive program i got into that would get me into a lab super early into my career.
issue is, i dont know if i want to matriculate into medical school for oncology (i’m very interested in the field) or go with the cheme route to get a job immediately out of college. i know case would be good for #1, drexel’s co-op would be really good for #2. long term goals wise, i would like to move out of country to europe - switzerland or germany. another huge factor to me is which would help me be competitive to other countries. my main priorities are building a strong resume (starting internships early, co-ops, research, lab work, clinical hours) early on that would be able to help me be a strong candidate for whatever path i end up choosing later down the line (as i know the first two years are mainly grad pre-reqs).
i’m just completely torn between the two. ik case is a strong name, and has great connections with labs and hospitals nearby, but drexel’s star program would near guarantee me summer research into my freshman year that i could build on. another factor is that cwru is smaller, and i heard theres tons of good support there since its smaller and more focused. drexel is a bigger school, so i heard its not as easy getting a hold of management. drexel would put me on a high platform to start off my college career, but at case i’ll be no different from others (no priority registration like honors program in drexel, and no guaranteed summer research freshman year). please help, i’d love to hear both sides of this and do not want to regret my decision or miss anything major. im also completely fine with cwru not having a huge social scene ^
So you have mapped out a very ambitious start to college, which is fine, but I think you also need to be thinking in terms of sustainability. Like maintaining your health–physical, mental, social, emotional, and so on–is actually critical to being able to sustain high levels of effort over long periods. Just making sure you are getting enough regular sleep is a highly underrated factor in ultimately getting your best possible college outcomes.
OK, so to me it sounds like you would be more excited to start at Drexel in Honors and the STAR program, and since you said the cost difference isn’t a factor, I see no problem with that. I would not at all be concerned about choosing Drexel if med school does end up your next step. There are certainly no shortage of experience opportunities nearby and otherwise it would be mostly about your grades and MCAT.
I personally would also not be worried about size, since you would be in the Honors Program. Part of the point of such a program is to make a larger undergraduate program feel smaller for a select group of students, and you will get a special advisor, an upperclass mentor, or so on.
So what’s the catch? Really none, again I would just be careful not to burn yourself out. Like you are going to have a lot of great opportunities, either place really, but make sure to keep prioritizing health/sustainability. And if that means you don’t do everything you can all at once, trust me that will be fine.
1 Like
Guess what? No high school kid gets to decide they want to become an oncologist. IF you make it into med school, you will be trained as a physician. With the same training as every other MD in the country.
THEN you will match with a residency. And THEN you will match (hopefully) with a fellowship in oncology.
So you are lucky- you can take all of that off the table since it’s 12 or so years out.
I think you need to take baby steps here and not try to solve your entire life in the next two weeks.
3 Likes
I’d choose case.
You can co op at most any school for engineering.
Here’s why I say Case but check with Drexel and correct me. Your title says BME but want to change to ChemE.
At Case, you choose your major by your 5th semester - so you have two years - you won’t go in as one or the other. How beautiful. But you can pick the classes you want for the one you want. So I don’t think you got in for BME.
When I look at Drexel, they don’t show an internal transfer policy. You can ask up front whether you can change now or not. If it’s a yes, then both schools would be fine and choose which you prefer. Drexel’s area is a bit more gritty in my opinion although both are urban - but Drexel a higher level of urban if that’s a desire or concern.
Whether you become an engineer or go to med school isn’t a decision for today. Whether you can work in Europe may be outside your control - different countries have different rules just like the US does (short of having EU citizenship). So you’re premature in all these things.
Case works for you. Can Drexel - you have to ask.
As for an ROI and no one knows how you’ll do, but in today’s world, Chem E has higher salaries and job placement success than BME.
Good luck.
1 Like
thank you for the reality check 
i definitely oversimplified here. bottom line is, im a bit torn between two different paths. like, med school is competitive, so to be a competitive applicant id likely have to start grinding it out (clinical hours, research) very early on. i feel like if i dont, and i find out later (2nd-3rd year) its something i would want to work towards, itd then be too late and i’d be too far behind my peers. i kind of want to make it easier on future me- choosing a school that would open up paths to either if that makes sense.
Many graduate, take a gap year and then apply to med school.
Nothing has to be decided today.
To me, if you’re unsure of med school, engineering is a better choice because you got a built in great degree - but yes, it’s a grind and that could hurt via gpa, your med school app.
1 Like
i was thinking of doing something similar- i was thinking of focusing on grinding for a cheme job, and then using it to work to pay off undergrad debt. however, idk if this would make me less coompetitive for med school, since ill essentially just be working those years
You can be a premed intention at either of these schools…and you can major in anything you like. Actually, choosing a major you enjoy will likely mean your grades will be better. So…pick the college where you think you can see yourself being happy for four years.
Your decision to apply to medical school doesn’t need to be made today.
Plenty of students do their Shadowing, volunteering, and hands on work in a medically related area during summers, or a glide year after undergrad. Every town has volunteer opportunities. And probably shadowing opportunities also. Research is not required for most medical schools @WayOutWestMom can elaborate.
2 Likes
How much undergrad debt do you anticipate? Please look at the new guidelines for federally funded loans. The aggregate amount of federally funded loans, including undergrad, is now $200,000. Most medical schools are in the $100,000 a year range. Where will that funding come from…should you actually get accepted to medical school? Just keep that in mind.
1 Like
And lastly, there are plenty of medical school students who work between undergrad and applying to medical school. “Just be working” won’t make you less competitive in and of itself.
1 Like
Medical school isn’t a race. There are many very successful med students & physicians who don’t decide on medicine until later in college. Or even after they’ve graduated and worked in a completely different career. (I know several.)
BTW, for med school, research is one of these less important ECs. You don’t need an intense and publication laden research portfolio for med school. In fact, some med schools don’t give a hoot if you’ve ever done research. It’s nice to have, but it’s like the cherry on the cake of other patient-center ECs.
See this FAQ about pre-med ECs.
https://talk.collegeconfidential.com/t/faq-pre-med-extracurricular-activities/3702805/8
**
One thing to know. If you decide to follow the med school route, getting a medical license in a country where you haven’t trained can be quite difficult. Switzerland basically will never license anyone who didn’t study medicine in Switzerland. Germany requires a very high level of language fluency, plus passing high level national standardized medical exams and you may be required to redo your residency training.
If you want to be doctor in the EU, it makes much more sense to just start your medical education there. In both Germany and Switzerland, medical education starts immediately after high school.
4 Likes
If you are taking on significant debt for an engineering degree - say more than the $27k fed allowance over four years - then you are attending the wrong school.
Let’s find you a cheaper one. Don’t know your budget but they likely exist and some are still taking apps.
To be a competitive applicant, the only thing you need to do “very early on” is to focus on being the best student you can be. As everyone else has pointed out- there is no race to do clinical hours or research.
Don’t make this harder than it needs to be.
3 Likes
Just reinforcing if you don’t want to be a medical doctor specifically in the US, you should strongly consider the MD paths in other countries instead.
Also echoing that your overwhelming priority as a starting premed in the US is doing well in the required courses, and in general. And I do think you should be very cautious about just trying engineering because it is supposedly a good career, and not because you are really super into engineering.