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Question
I am a college freshman at UABirmingham majoring in Molecular biology. I am seriously thinking about stepping it up some, and do a double major in Biophysics and Molecular Biology (Which I can complete in approximately 5 years). I would very much like to go into medical research dealing with cardiovascular mechanics and biomedical engineering. Would majoring in Biophysics and Biology be a good choice to pursue such a career? What would a major in physics be like? Would this be extremely difficult, and what skills would I need to do such? I really appreciate your time, and I anticipate hearing from you.
Hi TJ,
I am taking chances with answering your question, because it is not my field. If your field of interest is "cardiovascular mechanics and biomedical engineering" then the first logical field to study is "biomedical engineering". My old school, the Illinois institute of technology, has been offering an undergraduate program in BME for ten years at least. You are already at a university studying Molecular biology, so the case is different from someone just before (!) entering a college. Let me see...
Biophysics is definitely a good direction to take with your aim in mind. Molecular biology cannot, I am afraid, teach you enough about the mechanical properties of living tissue, heart or any other. Still, a BME or Medicine would be much more suitable for your purposes - biology and biophysics teach about all living tissue, while you would like to focus on human tissue and, specifically, on the heart muscle and closely related body parts. This you must consider by yourself based on what exactly your interests are like, what your University offers, and whether it - for example - has any collaborations with engineering schools that teach BME. Having just started with Molecular biology you may have to take up a few additional courses to equalize with BME majors, but it is much better now than later. Give it a careful thought, if your interests are as firm as they seem to me, you should consider a switch to BME, even if it's at another school.
Good luck with your decision making!
Cheers!
Daniel
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Daniel Mazur
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