Finance Major with a Biology Minor with a 3.2 GPA

[Ak10]

To anyone who wants to add any input or advice,



I am a junior Undergrad (21 years old) Finance major, and picked up a Biology minor last year, as I found that I want to contribute to the Medical industry somehow. Both of my parents are Doctors at Kaiser, and through their love I have learned the importance of health and implementing that on the masses. Personally, I am at stuck between crossroads as I like the thought of becoming a Doctor, particularly a Pediatrician, but I am obviously afraid that I do not have the grades for Medical school at the moment. I also like the thought of going into Finance, because there is clearly a higher likelihood that if I did go into the Finance field, I could begin to make a living a bit quicker than going down the Med school route. Personally, it is not about the money, but more about what is more beneficial for my time and simply finding a job that I enjoy and feel like I am making a difference in the world. I also am a Division 1 soccer player, therefore playing soccer for my profession has always been a thought, but I do not know if I could make a solid living doing so, especially playing in the States as there is not much exposure comparatively to areas such as Europe.

I think my biggest issue is I never feel capable or I have this little head in my mind telling me that I am not intelligent enough to pass classes or to succeed on my path to becoming a Doctor.

Is there anyone who has gone down this route or anyone who could give me advice on what I should do? I have no plans as of now for post-grad, only a few theories on what I think I should do, and are not set in stone.

Thanks, and God Bless

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[ehwhatsupdoc]

Have you done any internships in finance yet? I suggest you do that first to see if you enjoy it.

 

[Ak10]

Have you done any internships in finance yet? I suggest you do that first to see if you enjoy it.

I have not! My summers have been pretty jam-packed as our coaches emphasize playing on a summer team in preparation for our fall season. Nonetheless, I had an internship at a strength & conditioning facility last year. The anatomy and the research base of the internship was very interesting, as well as the shadowing of strength trainers as they trained young athletes in the weight room and through conditioning practices. I really enjoyed the science behind it!

 

[Ak10]

BTW- I have only taken General Biology 1 and 2 and received B's in each of them. I am to take General Chemistry this summer. I attempted at taking it during the fall season during soccer, but had to drop after 2 weeks because I missed the lecture too many times due to our traveling schedule and got way too far behind.

 

[ehwhatsupdoc]

BTW- I have only taken General Biology 1 and 2 and received B's in each of them. I am to take General Chemistry this summer. I attempted at taking it during the fall season during soccer, but had to drop after 2 weeks because I missed the lecture too many times due to our traveling schedule and got way too far behind.

The thing with medicine is you can always go back to it after exploring something else. Say you decided to work in finance for a few years. It's not that difficult to change course to medicine. But switching from medicine to another career is definitely more difficult. Since you feel at a crossroads, you should explore finance, less time commitment and cheaper endeavor.

 

[Foot&ankleguy]

BTW- I have only taken General Biology 1 and 2 and received B's in each of them. I am to take General Chemistry this summer. I attempted at taking it during the fall season during soccer, but had to drop after 2 weeks because I missed the lecture too many times due to our traveling schedule and got way too far behind.

Hey Ak10, since you have only taken gen bio (scored B's which is okay) and already dropped gen chem 1 there is slight evidence of struggle with the field of science. Let me show you a little bit of the things you cover during premed.
Chem 1: basic metric system conversions, Limiting reagents, thermodynamics using calorimeters, quantum mechanics just to name some.
chem 2: Mostly acids and bases, freezing point depressions, boiling point depressions, titrations, etc
Physics1 : Kinematics, thermodynamics, momentum, torque, etc
Physics 2: electromagnetism, so basic composure of circuits, solenoids, particle electricity etc,
organic chemistry 1: nomenclature, Basics of subtitutions, elimination reactions, multi step synthesis etc
Organic chemistry 2: NMR spectroscopy, multi step synthesis with and without protection groups, Ortho, meta, para activators and deactivators during synthesis
These are just the basic science courses needed for premed, I know I didnt mention everything in each subject but its just to give you an idea about what we had to go through (Yes Podiatry has the same requirements as Premed just in case you were wondering). Then the MCAT tests your higher order critical thinking skills in bio, bio chem, gen chem and physics, verbal reasoning and social sciences in order to assess how successful you may or may not be in Med school (no one actually believes it does but you gotta do it) people study for 6 months to a year for this exam, I studied for 4 months. Basically 3.2 GPA is okay for maybe DO or podiatry but it is certainly on the low side for MD programs. The way I look at it, it may sound cliche but this is not a career it is a lifestyle, a way of life for us who are willing to go the distance and jump through countless hoops in order to attain the ability to heal others. If you are not 100% that this is what you want in life then DO NOT go through with it please choose a field in the degree you have chosen originally like ehwhatsupdoc said. However, if this is the only thing you want and you are dead set on committing to this then by all means pursue it. You dont have to be a genius to get in, you have be passionate, driven, responsible and capable to do whatever it takes to achieve this goal. Prior to continuing take the time to make an educated and critical evaluation of yourself. This will help you prior to making the full comittment, analyze your capabilities, what you can and cannot do, strengths and weakness. Do a full assessment, then see where you are at. My post is meant to educate you and make you think about what you really want, I do not mean to offend or discourage my wish is only to make you better. Send me a message if you have any questions. Best of luck to you my friend and may you make the right decision. Hope this helps.