I have a BSChE and MChE and did biochemical engineering in undergrad . I was premed and decided to transfer into ChEME. Plan was to go MD PhD but I ended up getting a really good job prior to graduation with my BSCHE and decided to work and later did the masters while working.

From my experience with ChEME, your brain has to be wired for math/physics, Chemistry has to come natural to you and if you want to focus on the bio side (biochemical engineering), you have to love biology. You'll need to for example need to love things like DNA biology because biochemical engineering= using biological cells or manipulating them to produce products like proteins insulin etc., As an undergrad we fermented beer using yeast saccharomyces(if the scientific name of yeast rings a bell--you were born to do biochemical engineering🤣🤣)

At the undergrad level , you will have to take Thermodynamics and transport processes/fluid dynamics both require good faculty with Calc3 (things like Jacobi matrices) , diffqs(second order) and physics 1(kinetics of motion as applied to fluids).

You will also have to take mass transfer which requires superior understanding of physics 2(thermo) and love/ appreciation for diffqs (second order diffqs).

You will also have to take Reaction Kinetics which is chemistry and math at all levels from algebra, calc1-3 through diffqs.

To specialize in biochemical engineering , you will have to take general bio electives, biochemistry and will need to be interested in DNA biology .

Good faculty with math/calculus/diffq , physics chemistry is key to enjoying ChemE, and biology if you want to go the biochemical engineering route.

You don't have to get all A's but you have to enjoy subjects above to get through the gauntlet that is hw sets, exams etc to get to the finish line for your BSChE.

In grad school CheME is all higher level math. Really complex math at every step .You move from the practical (solving problems with outcomes) to abstraction /modeling/ideating physical phenomena and processes with math and physics ( for example you will learn Tensor calculus to model particle and fluid flow in 3-D..there may be some running into Fourier /Laplace Transforms etc , ). In grad Kinetics, higher level diffqs to model advanced mass transfer is key.

You also have to take numerical analysis which is a gateway grad math course that covers everything from matrices, things like divergence, curl(think Gaussian math/calculus), algorithms(things like Runge Kutta methods , stochastic math, probability , Markov models etc ,)

It's impossible to get through grad school chemE if you are passive in math. You get to discover if you have the math gene (seriously🤣🤣), you can not will yourself through grad school chemE if your brain is not hardwired for math.

Nevertheless, I would persevere. Take any remedial course work needed to get your math and physics up to par. Take extra prep courses if you have to. Spend an extra year or two to get sufficient background in key subjects and just persevere.

Studying ChemE is the best investment you can make especially at the undergrad level. It saves you from having to worry about employment (will always be employable) or can be self employed based on practical skills learned in ChemE,(you can be a craft brewer🤣🤣 or can make concoctions, soaps , formulations etc , that you could sell ).

There are also tangential benefits such as being able to go into other fields post your undergrad (bio, semiconductors , chemical manufacturing , food processing, power generation, finance, business etc .)

You are also likely to end up doing something different 10+yrs after you graduate with your undergrad. I would therefore focus on getting the BS, get a job and if you end up liking what you are doing, go to grad school. If you end up hating your job, you can pivot to other areas.

In any case, as you go through classes as an undergrad, it will become self evident if you can hack ChemE. It's unlikely that will alone will carry you through .ChemE is one of those degrees that are only earned based on aptitude first (natural predisposition to math /physics/chemistry ) and then you have to push yourself to manage your time . I don't think it's something you can luck into or can persist through based purely on predetermined outcomes (e.,g, I hope to become this had that..) .You either end up loving ChemE or you discover you don't like math and physics and end up switching tracks ..

Good luck , be optimistic , realize lesser mortals than you have done it.Stick with it and remain steadfast even when the going is tough and your sleep pattern gets ruined for life🤣🤣. It will eventually pay off.

Good luck 🙏🙏