A confused student

[Darkbrowneyes]

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Dear All,
I am 22 years old (turning 23 this summer)and am in my second semester of law school. A little background about me is that I come from a family of lawyers, dad, brother, sister. The reason I am posting on this website is because I have regrets about not pursuing a medical career, I have always have a tremendous amount of respect for physicains, I think they are amazing. I always discouraged myself from entering a medical field or major because I was a horrible science student in highschool, and struggled in math in high school too, so I pretty much convinced myself to give up that dream. I majored in psychology in college (I graduated May 2008) I loved psych but I hated the research part, and the writing papers part.. I decided not to pursue a P.h.D or Psy.D. and instead took the LSATS did horrible on them and ended up getting into one school, i figured getting accepted was "meant to be" and so I started this past fall, I really wasnt happy firs semester and I have pretty much convinced myself to stick it out, but I don't know what to do anymore, I feel nervous about leaving law school to pursue a medical field, what if i fail? what if i cant do well in sciences? should i just let go of this medical interest? its wierd it started when i started seeing one of my doctors, he was amazing, so kind and made a very scared patient not afraid to go to the doctor, and made the doctor visit a very positive experience, it was at that point where i told myself "wow i would love to have this effect on people" and FYI-- i took no science courses in college, so i would have to go back to school finish pre=reqs and take MCATS, i feel like i would be so old by the time all that happened and it would effect my life.
My family tells me to stick out law school and that ive already invested so much time here, but why am i not satisfied?
im not very excited to work at my dads office this summer, and i just feel bored by the study of law, dont get me wrong the curriculum is very rigorous adn extremely challenging but i hate writing papers and thats what we do (write appellate briefs, motions, memos) and do a ton of research- i dont know what to think about all this- is this a sign??
HELP
-dark brown eyes

 

[AdmiralChz]

Interesting story.

Don't rush into dropping law school, you are doing the right thing by thinking this through quite a bit. I would say give it time - the fact is, you have made a pretty major investment into a career and going in another direction would be a major decision. If you really want, try shadowing a doctor or two this summer during your free time to see if that is something you are interested in. It's a long road to get into medicine, so make sure it's something you can see yourself doing (by viewing some real experiences) before you jump down the rabbit hole. Good luck!

 

[Darklord]

How could you get a degree without taking a science class or two?

Now if you want to get into the field, you will have to go back to pre-requisites.

Anyway, I will let more experienced members take it from here.

👍 Good luck.

 

[Depakote]

I'm going to move this to the pre-medical forum for more discussion.

 

[DeadliestSnatch]

If you really want, try shadowing a doctor or two this summer during your free time to see if that is something you are interested in. It's a long road to get into medicine, so make sure it's something you can see yourself doing (by viewing some real experiences) before you jump down the rabbit hole. Good luck!

This is really solid advice. Shadow some docs or volunteer at a clinic. You might even find that there's a way for you to use your law degree to make a difference in the medical field. You don't necessarily have to become a physician to be involved.

At the end of the day, the healthiest thing you can do with your life is find a job that you love. If you're miserable at work, you will never be satisfied with your life.

 

[Darkbrowneyes]

dear all- i appreciate the responses, but to be honest i know how hard being a doctor is, and how much schooling it takes, and these are reasons i discouraged myself from pursuing the career, ive told myself to go to law school, earn a "respectable degree" and be done at age 24, with my whole life ahead of me, but now that i am almost 1 yr done and having to work at my dads office im pretty much dreading it, i am not really interested in sitting behind a desk for the rest of my life reading contracts and writing memos, motions,etc. i want to be OUT there effecting lives, interacting with people, i think i am extremely compassionate and maternal and have a lot to offer, i admire my cousin who is in med school im kinda jealous of all that she will get to experience, and i was out to dinner today and happened to see my doctor with his kids at the restaurant and i waslike wow i want to be that doctor some day and i feel like ive ruined my life by never taking science classes in college- out of sheer laziness, and because i struggled in chem as a high school student,i was always taking the easy way out, and not that law school is by an means easy- but the fact that i can walk into my dads office at the end of it all makes it easy- what is wrong with me??? please help.

 

[DarknightX]

dear all- i appreciate the responses, but to be honest i know how hard being a doctor is, and how much schooling it takes, and these are reasons i discouraged myself from pursuing the career, ive told myself to go to law school, earn a "respectable degree" and be done at age 24, with my whole life ahead of me, but now that i am almost 1 yr done and having to work at my dads office im pretty much dreading it, i am not really interested in sitting behind a desk for the rest of my life reading contracts and writing memos, motions,etc. i want to be OUT there effecting lives, interacting with people, i think i am extremely compassionate and maternal and have a lot to offer, i admire my cousin who is in med school im kinda jealous of all that she will get to experience, and i was out to dinner today and happened to see my doctor with his kids at the restaurant and i waslike wow i want to be that doctor some day and i feel like ive ruined my life by never taking science classes in college- out of sheer laziness, and because i struggled in chem as a high school student,i was always taking the easy way out, and not that law school is by an means easy- but the fact that i can walk into my dads office at the end of it all makes it easy- what is wrong with me??? please help.

Nothing is wrong with you...you're interested in something else. There is no law/rule saying that you can't change your career. If I was in your position, I would finish law school...you've already invested 1 year of your life, not to mention a lot of money. You might end up finding something in law you're very passionate about or that you end up enjoying....or you might not.

If you still have that itch to pursue medicine, you can still do so after you finish medicine. There are plenty of ex-lawyers in my class, and even more people from other fields who decide they want a career change.

No door is shut unless you decide to close it.

 

[135892]

You can major in psych and not take any basic science classes? 😕

But anyway, yeah, the best thing would be to just shadow some doctors and try to volunteer in a hospital or clinic or somewhere. You need to figure out if you truly want to be a physician, or if you just like the idea of being a physician.

 

[slick27]

The MCAT will be another standarized test. If you had trouble on the LSAT you might have trouble on the MCAT. Unfortunelty you can't do poorly on the MCAT and still get in.

I would stick out your law degree. It might actually help getting into med school.

 

[dynezxice]

Having a major career change is not unheard of, so it is definitely ok to have one. But before you do, I agree with the others - make sure going into medicine is something you really want to do and it is not a temporary fling.

Law2Doc should be able to give you some sound advice, as he/she was once more or less in your shoes.

 

[Darkbrowneyes]

yeah i mean as a psych major i took basic science courses, nothing serious an d obv there was anatomy involved in small doses such as the brain, and tounge for child and developmental courses but nothing crazy.

i know every1 keeps telling me to just finish law school, but after i graduate, how will i afford to go back for more school? my family would never agree to it, my parents would say you graduated law school stick to being a lawyer..

As for standardized test, i know its a huge deal for every school, you need to be able to do well and i cant, i feel like such a loser
ehh i feel so s****y. i really really do :-(

 

[herbb]

Well, the MCAT is a knowledge based test so as long as you study for it you can do well on it.

 

[DarknightX]

i know every1 keeps telling me to just finish law school, but after i graduate, how will i afford to go back for more school? my family would never agree to it, my parents would say you graduated law school stick to being a lawyer..

They have these things called loans......a lot of people self-finance their education and don't get any help at all from their parents. Worse case scenario, you could always work for a year or two after law school, and save up enough money to go medical school.

I know you're young and all, but mom and dad won't like it? Give me a break...it's your life, not theirs.

As for standardized test, i know its a huge deal for every school, you need to be able to do well and i cant, i feel like such a loser
ehh i feel so s****y. i really really do :-(

You need to be able to put in the work....if you are willing to work hard enough, you can do well. It's just about how much work you're willing to put in.

If you really want to do something, and you are committed to it, nothing will be able to stop you. I might be mistaken here, but it seems to me that you are looking for reasons to feel sorry for yourself.

 

[slick27]

Can you get a one year defferal from law school? If you can that might be the best option for you at this time. Just get away from school for a year, and see how you feel about it at that time. If you decide law is what you want to do, than recommit yourself after your year and get it done.

 

[dynezxice]

Depends on the OP's gender. If the OP is a female, she might not want to spend more time in school while she may want to start a family.

Worse case scenario, you could always work for a year or two after law school, and save up enough money to go medical school.

I know you're young and all, but mom and dad won't like it? Give me a break...it's your life, not theirs.

 

[135892]

yeah i mean as a psych major i took basic science courses, nothing serious an d obv there was anatomy involved in small doses such as the brain, and tounge for child and developmental courses but nothing crazy.

i know every1 keeps telling me to just finish law school, but after i graduate, how will i afford to go back for more school? my family would never agree to it, my parents would say you graduated law school stick to being a lawyer..

As for standardized test, i know its a huge deal for every school, you need to be able to do well and i cant, i feel like such a loser
ehh i feel so s****y. i really really do :-(

Well, for med schools you basically only need two semesters worth of each gen chem, o-chem, bio, and physics. You've probably already taken some/most of these, so you shouldn't have to be in school for the pre-reqs for too long. And don't worry about the MCAT right now. How you will potentially do on the MCAT should have no play in your decision. Not to be repetitive, but, you really can't make this sort of decision by sitting at your desk and thinking about what you think you will like, or by getting advice on here, or even by listen to your friends/parents. You have to go out there and get some first-hand experiences, and then re-evaluate the situation. And you don't necessarily have to finish law school, but you shouldn't drop out right away either. I don't know if you guys have summers off, but if you do, take this summer to get involved in some medically related activities to see where your interests really lie. Who knows, you may realize that you actually liked law all along, or you may even realize that you dislike both law and medicine.

And there's no need to feel bad for yourself. You're just re-thinking your career choices, which I'm sure everyone does at one point or another. I wish you the best 🙂.

 

[Law2Doc]

...i want to be OUT there effecting lives, interacting with people, i think i am extremely compassionate and maternal and have a lot to offer, ...

All of these things are also useful and important in law. It's not like you have to go into a path where you are drafting documents and not interacting with people, not Affecting lives. I'd say in my prior career I interacted with people at least as much as I will in medicine, and some folks in medicine actually do as much paperwork as lawyers these days. You keep giving examples of doctors with good bedside manners and saying you want to be like them. You know what? There are lawyers out there with good client skills as well. Wanting good people skills isn't a good reason to go into medicine. They don't really teach this well -- it's something you have to come upon on your own, regardless of whether you are in law or medicine. Wanting to practice medicine is the only good reason to go into medicine. You won't be that guy you see. You won't be some patch adams type who wins over patients, and makes them feel happy with your wit and maternal instincts. You will as often be the person who has to bring bad news, or have to deal with patients who ignore your advice to stop smoking/drinking/drugs/salt. So I guess I'm saying do a lot of shadowing and volunteering to get a better flavor of what docs do. Your vantage point seems inadequate from which to make an important change in your life.

That being said, you are not too old to make a career change IF it's well thought out. You still have to do the sciences, and get "mostly A's" to give yourself a realistic shot. You need to do well on the MCAT, but that is a couple of years off. Your biggest hurdle is going to be explaining why you started law school and are now changing. The issue you hit is that adcoms only want to select students who are likely to complete their medical schooling, and some adcoms will regard a failure to finish another professional program as a red flag as to whether you are likely to stick through med school. There are plenty of people out there who try programs for a year, decide it's not for them, and then jump to another program. Adcoms watch out for these flighty "career student" types. So you need to work on your story. And can't rely on the list of characteristics above which apply equally well to law as to medicine. So you'll have to give this some thought. good luck.

 

[EulerianCircuit]

You may be able to combine law and medicine: finish law school and focus on defending physicians in malpractice cases or something like that.

 

[pietachok]

None of us can tell you whether or not medicine is the right field for you, but I think there is more than a hint in your post that LAW IS NOT the right field for you. You don't like writing, and you are daydreaming about an alternate career path--that's a huge, glaring signal!

It's not too late to change. Whether or not you think it is worth it to completely drop out of law school is something you need to figure out.

To figure out if med school is the right field, *before* you make an investment in taking post-baccalaureate premedical requirements, I would try shadowing physicians and other health care providers--nurse practitioners & nurses, physicians assistants, and dentists--to make sure these aren't more appealing paths to you.

One question, I really think you need to answer is: why do you think medicine might be the right path? if you don't particularly like science or lack confidence in science, that goal seems counterintuitive. When you are asked in a med school interview why you want to be a doctor and all you say is "to help people" and "I like the patient interaction," it doesn't usually bode well for the decision on your application, b/c there are oodles of other individuals (including the professions listed above) who can help people and get patient interaction. Indeed, if that is your strongest attraction to medicine, I would strongly encourage you to look at social work, working as a genetic counselor, or even working as a specialized nutritionist (one who works with patients with specific diagnoses to help manage their disease)...besides NP's, PA's, MD's and DO's, all of these individuals see patients and develop intimate relationships with them, but their education is very different and might be more appealing to someone who doesn't like the hard sciences.

Then again, maybe the only way for you to be sure you don't love the hard sciences is for you to slog through chemistry and realize it's just not for you...plenty of people just don't know without doing it, and it's ok.

I went from engineering to medicine. Other people on here went from wall street to medicine and law to medicine. We didn't do it because our previous field wasn't lucrative...we did it b/c it wasn't the right fit. Your parents might think it is a "waste," but how much of a waste is it to spend your entire life unhappy? It's your life. Take out loans (once you figure out what you want to do). It doesn't matter what your parents think in this case.

 

[Evergrey]

Depends on the OP's gender. If the OP is a female, she might not want to spend more time in school while she may want to start a family.

I just wanna jump in here.. don't you think that's slightly stereotypical? Sorry, I thought it needed commenting on... whether or not someone wants to start a family instead of going to school depends on the individual, not their gender.

 

[dynezxice]

It's nothing stereotypical at all. As women age, their chances of having a baby are drastically reduced as they approach menopause.

I just wanna jump in here.. don't you think that's slightly stereotypical? Sorry, I thought it needed commenting on... whether or not someone wants to start a family instead of going to school depends on the individual, not their gender.

 

[witness23]

haha, she still pretty young. but yea, didn't demetri martin almost finish law school but drop out anyway. he's a funny. his comedy central show is ok though

 

[futureboy]

now that i am almost 1 yr done and having to work at my dads office im pretty much dreading it, i am not really interested in sitting behind a desk for the rest of my life reading contracts and writing memos, motions,etc..

Have you worked in a law office before? What you see in the first year of law school isn't that much like what most lawyers do on a daily basis. Maybe working at your dad's office will give you a better idea of what lawyers do.

 

[slick27]

Well, the MCAT is a knowledge based test so as long as you study for it you can do well on it.

Heard this one before. A lot of people underestimate the MCAT. It is one hell of a exam to do really well on.

 

[beckhunter116]

Have you worked in a law office before? What you see in the first year of law school isn't that much like what most lawyers do on a daily basis. Maybe working at your dad's office will give you a better idea of what lawyers do.

I would think that Dad being a lawyer would clue the OP in to what laywers do.

As per advice, I agree that you should finish law school. You will need money to go back and do a post-bacc, pay for MCAT, and apply for schools, so you might as well work as a lawyer to pay for it. Start volunteering/shadowing now to see if medicine interests you. Look over course schedules to see if the sciences are something that interest you. If not, you really need to think over this!!!!

 

[DeadliestSnatch]

Well, the MCAT is a knowledge based test so as long as you study for it you can do well on it.

Sorry, but I have to call bullsh** on this one. That might be mostly true for the BS and PS sections, but definitely not VR. Good luck tackling that section with your "knowledge base."

 

[Handy388]

It's nothing stereotypical at all. As women age, their chances of having a baby are drastically reduced as they approach menopause.

I've met many women at the ripe age of 40 and beyond without kids and who never wanted kids.

 

[Law2Doc]

I would think that Dad being a lawyer would clue the OP in to what laywers do.
...

Disagree -- this is neither true for law or medicine. Having a relative work in a particular field doesn't give you all that much insight, and worse, it sanitizes it way too much. You might have a sense of the schedule and a few snippets of events, but you are going to be very well insulated from a lot of the negatives of the field. I'd say family members do the worst job of showing you what the career is really like because there is so much spin involved -- they want you to be proud of them, or they want you to follow their footsteps, so you are unlikely to get as good exposure as you might shadowing a non-relative. You want someone who is willing to send you in to do the dirty work, or to talk to the undesirable patient. A family member who likes you will protect you from the things that are precisely what you need to see.

 

[Darkbrowneyes]

hey all- thanks so much for all of your input, just to clarify some things, my parents are not dishing money out for law school, i am taking out loans as i did with undergrad, so its not that simple to complete law school and then decide to go back to take pre-req's and do all necessary things for med school/ health field.
I am not sure what to do at this point, I've got a month left of my first year of law school, and at am going to finish off the year, I guess I'll have to stick it out until the voice in my head gets louder and then i'll take it from there. Thanks again for all who responded, and if anybody else has advice I am always open to it.
-Dark Brown Eyes

 

[DarknightX]

its not that simple to complete law school and then decide to go back to take pre-req's and do all necessary things for med school/ health field.

Why not? Plenty of other people have done it.

 

[AdmiralChz]

Why not? Plenty of other people have done it.

Since he said he's using loans to pay for law school, it's a fair assumption he'll have to do the same for med school. That's a VERY, VERY expensive option 😱. Most people going into med school don't have a full graduate debt on their hands before starting...

 

[DarknightX]

Since he said he's using loans to pay for law school, it's a fair assumption he'll have to do the same for med school. That's a VERY, VERY expensive option 😱. Most people going into med school don't have a full graduate debt on their hands before starting...

There are plenty of people in medical school who have post-graduate training prior to matriculation. Many students have done post-bac programs, master's degrees, JD's etc and have racked up a lot of debt.

OP is trying to make it sound that if he/she finishes law school, that the door to medical school is shut. I fail to see the logic behind this line of thinking. Again, there are people in every medical school class who come from other career paths.

The point I was trying to make is that if he/she is not satisfied with law school after completion of their degree, and really wants to go to medical school, there is nothing that is really stopping him/her.

 

[serendipity12]

i understand why you would not want to "stick it out" and finish law school if you are leaning towards a career in medicine. I was one year into a graduate program (but working in a medically related job) when I decided to pursue medicine. I quit my graduate program after sticking out the second semester. I immediately enrolled in a post-bacc program and took all the pre-req sciences within one year (May to May). I took the MCATs, applied, and was accepted this cycle. Many people told me to finish my degree (it was in counseling) but the truth is, any graduate degree takes time and dedication and it would be incredibly difficult to finish your degree with no intention of using it. Just my two cents and I hope my story is somewhat helpful to the OP.

 

[Darkbrowneyes]

exactly, law school is not a day at the beach, it involves a lot of work, studying, dedication, commitment and of course money, thats why i feel so very torn. since on the one hand ive invested so much time in getting into law school (Kaplan LSAT course, studying for the LSAT, being in law school for a year) and of course the fact that I was a psych major undergraduate and have no science courses ready, it would basically be starting over, and i am not trying to feel sorry for myself here by an means, but its hard when you dont have much support around you to encourage you to make these changes, my parents want me to be a lawyer, to my mom a lawyer is the only job out there, my dad is a lawyer himself so he wants me to take over his practice, so to get up and walk away and start new is a very scary thought, i know im only 22 but sometimes i feel like im too late for the medical field, but i wasnt that kid who always knew what she wanted, in fact i was a slacker in high school, and when i got to college i developed a new thirst for studying and learning, and this is where i am at this point...

 

[dynezxice]

I've met many women at the ripe age of 40 and beyond without kids and who never wanted kids.

Well then, that just goes to show you nothing's absolute in life.

 

[DarknightX]

exactly, law school is not a day at the beach, it involves a lot of work, studying, dedication, commitment and of course money, thats why i feel so very torn. since on the one hand ive invested so much time in getting into law school (Kaplan LSAT course, studying for the LSAT, being in law school for a year) and of course the fact that I was a psych major undergraduate and have no science courses ready, it would basically be starting over, and i am not trying to feel sorry for myself here by an means, but its hard when you dont have much support around you to encourage you to make these changes, my parents want me to be a lawyer, to my mom a lawyer is the only job out there, my dad is a lawyer himself so he wants me to take over his practice, so to get up and walk away and start new is a very scary thought, i know im only 22 but sometimes i feel like im too late for the medical field, but i wasnt that kid who always knew what she wanted, in fact i was a slacker in high school, and when i got to college i developed a new thirst for studying and learning, and this is where i am at this point...

I get your point about not having support. I was a non-trad student who came from a different career myself. If you want to know details, PM me and I'll tell you how the process went for me.

At this point, I would strongly advise you to finish law school. You're already a year into it, you only have 2 years left, and you don't know if you're going to change your mind. Not only that, I'm positive that having a law degree will help your medical school application.

It's definitely not too late....let's say you finish law school in 2 years...you graduate at 24...maybe you work for a year and take some classes part time. You could probably wrap up all your pre-reqs and take the MCAT in 3 years....that means worst case scenario you could start medical school at 28...best case 26 if you really committed to it.

Either way, you finish medical school at 30-32....I know at 22 this seems old, or a long time away, but at 32, you still have your whole life ahead of you.

 

[Evergrey]

It's nothing stereotypical at all. As women age, their chances of having a baby are drastically reduced as they approach menopause.

I don't mean to disagree that in terms of propagation it's bad to have a baby/trying having a baby later in life. Obviously, conception is more difficult (and eventually impossible) as a woman ages. Genetic disorders are more likely as well. However, women aren't the only ones that start a family.. men do too, and men should need to consider taking time off to start a family just as much as women.

Pregnancy is another matter, since only women can do that, but pregnancy is much better accommodated by schools and jobs than is child-rearing.

I guess the greater point I was trying to make was there's a difference between pregnancy and child-rearing. Obviously females play a more involved role in the former, but gender (to be egalitarian in the ways that my liberal arts education has taught me) is not necessarily connected to taking time off to raise a family. For instance there are stay-at-home dads too. Women aren't innately predisposed to parenting, and ultimately the burden of raising children is not something that I believe should be expected based on gender.

So.. to summarize: The OP's gender shouldn't factor into the question of whether or not they would need to take time off from school to raise children. What should instead be considered is the question of whether they as an individual want to take time off to raise children. Gender has nothing to do with this.

 

[biomed1010]

Finsh the Law degree. If you are not happy then, then take the pre-reqs and the MCAT.

Go all out on the pre-reqs, and study hard for an MCAT prep class.
I am not afraid about your Verbal Reasoning score, or your writing portion. I know you will kill that section.

Just focus on the sciences, and you will be set.

Oh, and as someone already mentioned, saying that you have a Law Degree also helps a lot in getting in!!!

And who knows, you may very well find Law as your thing in the very end !!

Good luck bud

 

[Law2Doc]

There are plenty of people in medical school who have post-graduate training prior to matriculation. Many students have done post-bac programs, master's degrees, JD's etc and have racked up a lot of debt.
...

Racking up a lot of premed debt is common, but not necessarily wise. There are a few folks on here who have so much debt beyond the norm that I think it's going to impact their future lifestyles for many years to come. I think your subsequent post about working a few years in law while doing prereqs etc might assist in paying down this debt, but it's tough to find a lucrative part-time gig, and full time entry level law jobs tend not to be flexible enough to take prereqs. Of course if OP can work for his/her family, that solves a lot.

 

[135892]

I don't understand why the OP should finish the law degree knowing full well that she doesn't want to be a lawyer. I mean sure, having a law degree can help in certain ways, but would it be worth the costs (including opportunity, personal, and of course monetary, among others)? Better to just cut your losses and move on if you ask me. Of course, you better be damn sure that you don't want to be a lawyer before you do this.

 

[ThinkTooMuch]

i sorta can relate. i graduated 05, and plan was to go to law school. bought all books on lsat, 50 prep tests , but never could bring myself to apply because deep down i guess i TOTALY hated the idea of going to law school and now im finally accepting this fact. Im 26 and im basically starting over with my pre-reqs, just like you no sciences in my degree. So if i can accept this and move on at 26..ill be 35 when im done with residency. Why cant you do it at 22 or 23?

 

[ThinkTooMuch]

They have these things called loans......a lot of people self-finance their education and don't get any help at all from their parents. Worse case scenario, you could always work for a year or two after law school, and save up enough money to go medical school.

I know you're young and all, but mom and dad won't like it? Give me a break...it's your life, not theirs.



You need to be able to put in the work....if you are willing to work hard enough, you can do well. It's just about how much work you're willing to put in.

If you really want to do something, and you are committed to it, nothing will be able to stop you. I might be mistaken here, but it seems to me that you are looking for reasons to feel sorry for yourself.

depends if OP is of a different culture. pleasing ones parents is more or less important depending on culture. you cant just dismiss this so easily.

 

[dragonfly99]

OP...definitely finish the semester.

Do you have a summer break? I assume so. If you are planning on working with your parents, you need to have a heart to heart with them, get them to agree to let you volunteer in a hospital and/or shadow some physicians. Picking up a single science class or something this summer would not be a bad idea either...I would start by taking a biology class for biology majors and premeds - don't take any watered down non science major course. You could consider trying to get a leave of 1 year from law school, if your school allows that. You would need some kind of job to support yourself, and then could do volunteer work and take some science classes on the side. I am concerned that you need to figure out if medicine is what you really want to do, or if you just want to get away from law...there is a difference. Perhaps you'd be happy as a clinical psychologist, physical therapist, etc. There are lots of medically related jobs besides being a physician.

I share your concerns about your debt, but at the same time if you don't finish law school you still have the debt you have now, and how will you pay it back?

You might want to start by doing a lateral move...try to intern with a medically-related group this summer instead of working with your parents. I know the American Medical Association used to have law students in its office in Washington, DC, and I'm sure there are other medical groups that do as well. Attorneys also work as lobbyists for such groups. I have a friend whose dad is a doc, and he is an attorney for a dental society.