Lehigh looks like an amazing school… I was looking on their websites and other places which say that is is mainly Finance/Engineering based. Was wondering if it is still a good option for pre-med. Will medical schools be impressed if you come from Lehigh, or is its reputation as a pre-med school not prestigious enough compared to other universities?
“In 2013, 75% of the Lehigh candidates who applied to allopathic (M.D.) medical schools with grade point averages (GPAs) of 3.69 or better and MCAT scores of 30 or above were accepted. (3.69 GPA/30 MCAT were the national averages of students accepted into medical schools.)”
Source: http://www4.lehigh.edu/admissions/undergrad/success/placement.aspx
As you said Lehigh is a largely Engineering based school. Thus, if you’re leaning towards being premed I would suggest applying as a Bio or Chemical Engineering major.
if you want to be pre med at Lehigh, or most other schools for that matter, DO NOT be an engineering major. You will struggle to get the same gpa that most bio majors will get easily.
I strongly disagree. If you are serious about pursuing an M.D. you are (or should) be ready to handle a difficult course load. Furthermore, majoring in Biology cuts out upper division Calculus, CS, and some Physics courses but it’s still no cake walk. All I am saying is that if you decide to attend a school that is known for Engineering, like Lehigh, it would be a wiser choice to major in an Engineering field related to pre-med studies. On the other hand, if you decide to attend a liberal arts school or a University without Engineering, Biology would be a great choice. That doesn’t mean majoring in Biology would be a bad choice at Lehigh. It is just that Lehigh is much more well known for Engineering and the individuals who I know got into Med school were majoring in either Bio or Chem E.
I would not recommend getting an engineering degree to prepare for medical school. Even though medical school do not require a degree in Biology it is the best major, in my opinion, to prepare you for medical school. If you want to practice medicine as a science you should study the science of life.
Biochemistry is the best major for med school, but it’s a real bitch to deal with those kind of courses.