I don't think there's a so-called best branch of engineering for a girl. You need to go with your interests first, and then there are other factors that may influence your decision, such as working environment and pay. I think currently computer engineers get paid the most (for a starting salary), and they can work on integrating hardware (such as circuit design and power supply to a computer) and software (such as writing programs and operating systems). Electrical and electronic engineers come in second in terms of starting salary. Electrical engineers can work on a variety of jobs from designing the power grid of a city to a microchip for a cell phone, while electronic engineers (sometimes considered to be a subgroup of electrical engineers) typically work on smaller-scale products such as computers, digital cameras, GPS system inside a car, etc. Civil engineers typically work with architects on the structures on buildings and bridges, so the engineering concepts are easier to visualize and the results easier to see. The first 3 fields of engineering generally won't require you to be outdoors (maybe with the exception of working on a power grid) whereas civil engineering may involve occasional trips to construction sites. Keep in mind that even within a single discipline, the jobs can be very different. Take advantage of chances in school where you can visit engineering companies or contact engineering alumni to find out more about the daily tasks of their job. If you are concerned with how many female classmates you'll find as you study engineering, civil engineering generally has about 30-40% girls whereas the other three have about 10-20%, but those numbers are slowly rising.

Hi Sara, Biomedical Engineering is a very broad discipline, and that's what makes it interesting. It covers many areas such as genetic engineering, molecular/cellular biology, biomechanics, biomaterials, computer simulation of biological processes, prosthetics, etc. Basically you can get into any engineering or science major in college and still find a way to apply what you learn there into biomedical engineering. The first thing is that you need to find out what interests you about the cardiovascular system. Do you want to understand the blood flow pattern in the large blood vessels? You would probably need to have a strong background in fluid mechanics (mechanical engineering) and just the basics of human anatomy. But if you want to understand how the blood cells or cells that form the vessel wall respond to the forces of the blood flow, then you may need to spend more time in molecular and cellular biology. If you are thinking of designing the control system for pacemakers or defibrillators, you may need to know more electrical engineering. And if you want to explore how pharmaceutical drugs affect the cardiovascular system, maybe a chemical engineering background would give you an advantage. All in all, I think you would need to look for chances to talk to working biomedical engineers (not someone who just has a degree in biomedical engineering), and when you're in college, shadow a graduate student or a postdoc in a lab to see if that line of work is what you truly want to pursue (like will you be working with devices, computers, animals, cell cultures, chemical agents, etc.). You don't have to have a degree in biomedical engineering to work as a biomedical engineer. It's more important that you find what you actually enjoy doing.

Hi Sravanti, I'm glad to hear that you take an interest in bioengineering. It's really a very broad field, ranging from strict engineering practices to strictly biological studies, based on your eventual job/research focus. While being weak at physics may put you at a disadvantage, particularly during your college days, you really shouldn't get discouraged. I can tell you that I was only good with the mechanics portion of physics and struggled quite a bit with the electromagnetics portion. Interesting enough, a number of my friends have greater aptitude for understanding electromagnetics than mechanics. Additionally, you may also come to realize that your teacher's teaching method may be the reason that you're good or bad at something. So don't let one semester of physics scare you and give yourself another couple of semesters to figure out your academic strengths and weaknesses. I don't really know the difference between applied biology and bioengineering (it's also commonly known as biomedical engineering). I think applied biology (likely to be in the biology department) puts you in a curriculum much more focused on biology whereas bioengineering (in the engineering department) would require you to take advanced engineering courses with only 4 or 5 basic biology courses. Most colleges allow their students to easily transfer between majors, particularly since everyone in science or engineering would need to take biology/chemistry, physics, math, and a bunch of liberal arts courses during the first year. So even after you enter college, you can continue to learn about your interests and make adjustments. And it doesn't end there. After your bachelor's degree, you can also go for a master's or doctorate degree to become more specialized in a field. Go with your heart and know that there's no wrong decision because at least you can find out what you don't enjoy. Once you find out what you really like, you'll excel at it very quickly. Good luck!

Hi Pamela! Patent is something that an inventor tries to get to have legal protection of using his own invention. It is sort of like a deed for a house. The inventor submits an application, in the "claims" section the owner/inventor would declare in great detail what the invention covers, kind of like a deed should say exactly where the edges of the property are in order to identify to whom the land belongs. Once the patent application is approved, it gives the owner legal right of the invention. When other people try to make the invention that is declared in the "claims" section, they will need to get authorization from the patent owner/inventor. So a patent examiner determines if an application can be approved. We focus on the "claims" section and compare the invention declared in the "claims" to inventions that had been described/made in the past. So we search past patents, library databases, scientific journals, etc., to find similar past inventions. If the "claims" declare an invention that is unique and novel compared to old inventions, then the inventor gets approval to receive a patent. Each patent examiner looks at one or a few types of patents, like I look at simple medical devices but other examiners may look at chemical compounds, engines, electronic devices, etc. I was qualified as a patent examiner because of the engineering classes I took. In this job, we end up doing more of legal writing than real engineering. We just need basic engineering principles so that we can understand the invention in the application (and the old inventions that we have to look through). The real work of this job is in applying the law when we approve/reject patent claims. Hopefully this paints a slightly clearer picture of this profession for you! Susan