University of Denver (Bioengineering) vs School of Mines (credit, organic)

[emm74]

Originally Posted by BarryK123

What you should do is talk to someone in admissions in both schools. Find out the number of students who apply to med school and their acceptance rates. Your intended path is exactly what I did (BS Biomedical Engineering, then med school), though when I did it, there were only a handful of schools in the country offering Biomedical Engineering as an undergrad degree (mid 70s).

Best advice on the thread. Mines is an excellent school but I'm not clear if it's a good pre-med school. You need to do further investigation.

[davebarnes]

Originally Posted by emm74

Mines is an excellent school but I'm not clear if it's a good pre-med school..

Mines - rigorous program similar to med school
Mines - lots a smart, over achievers as classmates and semi-competitors
Mines - you leave with lots of science and math

[history nerd]

Originally Posted by sammy87

Ah the life of a millennial...not committed to anything.

As an educator who has seen too many students lives ruined under the burden of debt I feel that your flippant comment is unwarranted. These are serious concerns that should be given the weight they deserve.

[Wheatridger]

I was familiar with Mines in the mid-'80s. Certainly it's changed, and broadened, but its historic mission has had nothing to do with pre-med. It's so closely linked with the natural resources industries that it's something closer to a service academy than a general-interest university. I've heard a current Physics major at CSM tell me that his department is a neglected backwater, overshadowed by predominant interest in Chemical and mechanical and petroleum Engineering- so it not even a well-rounded engineering school.

[sammy87]

Originally Posted by history nerd

As an educator who has seen too many students lives ruined under the burden of debt I feel that your flippant comment is unwarranted. These are serious concerns that should be given the weight they deserve.

Its the attitude of many today. 5+ yrs for an undergrad because they want to play the field of majors. Walking into a Univ w/o a plan is not a good idea.

[emm74]

Originally Posted by davebarnes

Mines - rigorous program similar to med school
Mines - lots a smart, over achievers as classmates and semi-competitors
Mines - you leave with lots of science and math

I wasn't commenting on the rigor or quality of the school in general, I was saying that I didn't know if they had a strong pre-med program in place, where it's easy to meet all the med school pre-requisites. Maybe they do, I just don't know. That's why it is worth talking to them about it. It would not be worth it to go there if the OP still had to do a post bac afterwards to be able to apply to med school.

[davebarnes]

Originally Posted by emm74

where it's easy to meet all the med school pre-requisites

Pretty sure that https://hms.harvard.edu/departments/...ents-admission can be met by attending Mines.

[history nerd]

Originally Posted by sammy87

Its the attitude of many today. 5+ yrs for an undergrad because they want to play the field of majors. Walking into a Univ w/o a plan is not a good idea.

I agree. If a student has no idea what they want to do I usually encourage them to go to a CC or enter the work force. But I also don't think there is anything wrong with a backup plan. Engineering is tough and many attempt to enter the feild who aren't cut out for it or are not actually interested only to burn out.

Originally Posted by Wheatridger

I was familiar with Mines in the mid-'80s. Certainly it's changed, and broadened, but its historic mission has had nothing to do with pre-med. It's so closely linked with the natural resources industries that it's something closer to a service academy than a general-interest university. I've heard a current Physics major at CSM tell me that his department is a neglected backwater, overshadowed by predominant interest in Chemical and mechanical and petroleum Engineering- so it not even a well-rounded engineering school.

I have heard this as well. My brother went to mines only to transfer when he realized he didn't actually want to work in extraction.

[mundele]

Originally Posted by sammy87

Ah the life of a millennial...not committed to anything.

dude is making a solid push for the jazzlover's vacant throne.

[wong21fr]

Originally Posted by Wheatridger

I was familiar with Mines in the mid-'80s. Certainly it's changed, and broadened, but its historic mission has had nothing to do with pre-med. It's so closely linked with the natural resources industries that it's something closer to a service academy than a general-interest university. I've heard a current Physics major at CSM tell me that his department is a neglected backwater, overshadowed by predominant interest in Chemical and mechanical and petroleum Engineering- so it not even a well-rounded engineering school.

Physcis is getting new, fancy digs in the $50M building for the College of Applied Science and Engineering- that might help with the backwater feeling. It's also worth nothing the Mines is one of the top schools for physic undergraduates with one of the largest programs in the nation. Which either implies that physics is a universally neglected backwater, or this student's experiences are abnormal.

Mines is certainly focused more on the applied sciences then a pre-med track. If the OP wanted to focus on a career in research and applications in bioengineering or biomechanics Mines would certainly be the 1st choice. But as a conduit to medical school? I don't know.

Though the average starting salary of undergraduate's at Mines at $69K/yr should give pause. CU-Denver's graduates make nowhere near that right out of school.