Do I have what it takes to be a biomedical engineer?

[12-6Curveball]

Right now I'm a high school student thinking about college. One of the majors I'm considering is biomedical engineering, but my dilemma is that I'm not very good at physics (averaged a B in AP Physics B and got a 2 on the exam) and I'm not outstanding in math (although I did average a B in AP Calculus AB and got a 5 in the exam).

However, I LOVE biology and I'm fascinated by chemistry as well. I also love designing and building things, as evidenced by my countless Lego inventions and creativity in my tech classes.

I've heard that I would have to be VERY good at math and physics to be a good engineer, and one of my friends even suggested that I don't go into engineering because of my lack of skills in physics.

Another question I have is: how much math and physics goes into biomedical engineering? I'm just really concerned about my struggles in physics and math, and although I believe I can improve on those skills, I might be lagging behind everyone else because of it.

 

[MarneMath]

I hate questions like these, because the answer is always almost, who knows?

From my time in the military to my time in college, there has been one consistent lesson I have learned that rings true regardless of the situtation you find yourself. Are you willing to overcome the struggles you have right now in order to achieve the objective set before yourself? If the answer is yes, then what's stopping you?

Fear and doubt is part of life, my simple advice is, get over it and go after what you want. Your friends who tell you others won't have to live with the choices that you have to make, so ignore the negativity, and prepare to focus, struggle, and work your *** off to one day succeed, it's that simple.

 

[lewdtenant]

Lots of engineers don't take AP Physics in high school, so I wouldn't worry too much about that. You are probably ahead of the curve at this point. Even if you had passed the exam, you'd still want to repeat Physics in college if you were pursuing Engineering or Physics. With that same thought, you might consider repeating Calculus 1 in college to gain that extra familiarity with the subject even though you can technically place out of it. It will serve you well if you're just "average," although I bet you're selling yourself short. Go for it. You can always switch your major if you fail at engineering

 

[jbrussell93]

At least you have some exposure to calc and physics. My high school did not offer these so I had to try much harder compared to other students (and therefore did better). I ended up liking it so much that I switched out of engineering and now I'm in physics. Good luck!

 

[ChiralWaltz]

My program requires 2 semesters of engineering physics, 2 semesters of calculus, 2 semesters of chemistry, and 1 semester of organic chemistry for my biomedical engineering plan. I personally believe that taking a multidisciplinary approach to working with science is essential.

I'm similar to you with respect to the creative side. This continues to assist me greatly in chemistry and other areas.