When I first came to Caltech, I thought I knew exactly what I wanted to do.

I’d always loved biology and problem solving, and I was never really against doing math. I knew I wanted to become an engineer, partly because I enjoyed building things and partly because my parents always told me that it’s easier to move out of engineering than it is to move into it later. So when I arrived at Caltech, I declared Bioengineering.

At the time, I thought Bioengineering would naturally lead me toward biomedical devices and medical technology. Over my time here, though, I realized those weren’t quite the same thing.

Disclaimer: This is just my experience and how my interests evolved during my time at Caltech. Everyone’s path is going to be different.

During freshman year, I took Caltech’s core curriculum along with Bi 8 (molecular biology) and Bi 9 (cell biology), which are the introductory biology courses required for Bioengineering students. At the same time, I enrolled in several Pizza classes, one-unit courses that introduce us to current research across campus. I took three of them: Biology, Bioengineering, and Mechanical Engineering.

I didn’t realize it at the time, but these seminar courses pushed me toward one particular kind of research. I got excited by projects that involved designing, building, and creating. I was interested in robots, prosthetics, surgical devices, and medical technologies that directly interacted with patients in healthcare.

I especially felt this way because I was working at a biochemical engineering lab (Arnold Lab) that past summer and although it was very interesting, I wasn’t falling in love with what I was doing in the wet lab.

By the time spring term arrived, I declared Mechanical Engineering.

For me, the decision came down to the type of problems I wanted to solve. It also, for some reason, felt like the safer choice. 

I noticed that bioengineering research here tended to focus on the engineering of biological systems like cells, proteins, genetic tools, and lab techniques. And while this work is fascinating, it wasn’t what I wanted to do. I wanted my research to be even more translational and on a larger scale (I didn’t want to look through a microscope). I wanted to apply engineering principles to medicine through design and technology. Mechanical engineering gave me exactly this. 

The curriculum emphasizes math, physics, manufacturing, controls, robotics, computer science, and design. I realized I could take those skills and apply them directly to healthcare.

I just figured that the best thing for me was approaching biology from a different angle. I decided I could use biology as a supplement to my degree, and that’s how I decided I’d add a minor. 

My sophomore year, I focused all my energy on Mechanical Engineering. The summer after freshman year, I took ME 13, Caltech’s machine shop course. It was one of the most intimidating classes I’ve ever taken. Before then, the closest I had ever come to building something was making boomilevers and bridges for Science Olympiad. Suddenly I was using SolidWorks, mills, lathes, and machining equipment to manufacture my own parts.

I was definitely nervous around the machines, and I never completely got over that fear during the course. But by the end of the summer, I knew I wanted to keep designing and building things.

During sophomore year, I dove fully into the Mechanical Engineering core. I took ME 11, ME 12, ME 14, and even started exploring robotics through additional electives.

One thing that surprised me was that I didn’t take a single biology class that year.

And that was completely okay.

As I progressed through the major, I became increasingly interested in robotics. Prosthetic limbs, rehabilitation devices, surgical robots, and assistive technologies all combine mechanical engineering with biology and medicine. Robotics felt like the perfect intersection of everything I enjoyed.

The summer after sophomore year, I joined Caltech’s AMBER Lab, where I worked with humanoid robots. It was a completely different experience from my biology research, but it reinforced that I wanted to be more involved in something with robots and healthcare.

Junior year brought another major experience: ME 72 (I will have another blog about this soon, but you can also check out Diya’s blog on her experience here).

Working with my team to design and build a robot gave me exactly the kind of hands-on engineering experience I had been searching for since freshman year. It showed me that engineering could take an idea from paper to a functioning machine.

At the same time, I finally returned to biology through my Biology minor. I was initially worried that adding a minor would mean taking extra classes every term, but that wasn’t my experience at all. The Biology minor at Caltech is surprisingly flexible.

The requirements consist of:

• Bi 8 and Bi 9 (Biology Fundamentals)
• Two intermediate biology courses
• 36 units of advanced biology electives

Because I had already completed Bi 8 and Bi 9 as a freshman, I could spend junior year taking advanced electives that aligned with my interests instead of taking only traditional biology courses.

Some of the classes I chose included:

• MS/MedE 116 (Medical Materials, 9 units) – this one counted towards my mechanical degree, not the biology minor
• BE/MedE/EE 189 (Biomedical Devices, 12 units)
• Bi 163 (Biological Basis of Neural Disorders, 6 units)
• Bi 235 (Brain-Machine Interfaces, 6 units)

These classes allowed me to continue learning biology while connecting it directly to engineering applications.

I’m also studying abroad, and I plan to take courses there that will count towards my biology minor. Because of that flexibility, by senior year I’ll already be finished with my Mechanical Engineering major and will only have two intermediate biology courses left to complete.

Overall, I think the  Mechanical Engineering degree with a Biology minor has been the perfect balance. Mechanical Engineering has given me the technical skills to design and build complex systems, while the Biology minor has allowed me to keep exploring the medical and biological questions that first brought me to Caltech.

If you’re interested in biomedical devices, prosthetics, surgical robotics, or healthcare technology, don’t feel like there’s only one path. One of the best parts of Caltech is that you can combine disciplines and build an education that fits your own interests.