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- Sep 30, 2008
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I understand that this is all very stress-inducing for you, but honestly, nobody cares or has the time to delve into the nitty gritty of your transcript to wonder why you hopped around from a few different paths. As long as your stats are strong and you check the requisite boxes to convince adcoms that you know what you're getting yourself into, you will get interviews.Hi, I'm a little new to sdn and I just have a question about what I should do.
Currently, I'm a freshman ORM in Tx (T-70 non-flagship state school) majoring in biochem with a 4.0 GPA. After investing in the market this past semester, I'm realizing that I enjoy investing and want to learn more about it, so I want to change my major to finance while staying on the pre-med track. My undergraduate institution is known for having a good business school, so I also feel like I'm missing out on an opportunity to learn as much as I can from a good program by only majoring in biochem. There are several pros and cons to switching my major, but the biggest pros are that I would be studying something I enjoy with a light course load the year I plan on studying for the MCAT. The biggest con is that I would graduate in 5 years instead of the traditional 4. This is what my course load would look like
Year 1
- Fall: 16 hours
- (1): Perspectives in Biochemistry and Genetics
- (4): Engineering Mathematics 1
- (4): General Chemistry 1
- (3): Introduction to Psychology
- (4): Introductory Biology 1
- (0): Life Science Learning Community 1
- Spring: 12 hours
- (4): Introductory Biology 2
- (4): General Chemistry 2
- (4): Engineering Mathematics 2
- Summer: 6 hours
- (3): Public Speaking
- (3): State and Local Government
Year 2
- Fall: 16 hours
- (3): Introductory Accounting
- (3): Organic Chemistry 1
- (1): Organic Chemistry Laboratory
- (3): Legal and Social Environment of Business
- (3): Principles of Economics
- (3): Fundamentals of Information Systems
- Spring: 15 hours
- (3): Introductory Accounting
- (3): Organic Chemistry 2
- (1): Organic Chemistry Laboratory
- (4): College Physics 1
- (4): Beginning Spanish 1
Year 3
- Fall: 15 hours
- (3): Comprehensive Biochemistry 1
- (4): College Physics 2
- (4): Beginning Spanish 2
- (3): Business Finance
- (1): Ethics in Financial Decision-Making
- Spring: 16 hours
- (3): Molecular Cell Biology
- (3): Comprehensive Genetics
- (3): Financial Reporting 1
- (4): Intermediate Spanish 1
- (3): Technical and Business Writing
Year 4
- Fall (MCAT Prep): 12 hours
- (3): Financial Reporting 2
- (3): Biomedical Anatomy
- (3): Writing about literature
- (3): Latin American Markets
- Spring (MCAT Prep/Test): 12 hours
- (3): Managing People in Organizations
- (3): Investment Analysis
- (3): Literature and other arts
- (3): Operations Management
Year 5
Extracurriculars:
- Fall: 15 hours
- (3): Managerial Finance 1
- (3): Strategic Management
- (3): Trading Risk Management
- (3): Options and Financial Futures
- (3): Marketing
- Spring: 15 hours
- (3): Statistical Methods
- (3): Applied Investment Analysis
- (3): Active Portfolio Management
- (3): Asian Business Environment
- (3): Money and Capital Markets
- Year 1-5: currently volunteer at a student-run food pantry where we serve current students, faculty, and alumni.
- Year 1-5: currently volunteer with Be My Eyes by giving virtual visual assistance (probably won't go on my application. I just do it because I enjoy it)
- Year 1/2-5: getting EMT certified this summer, so I'm planning on being an EMT while I'm an undergraduate
- Year 1/2-5: starting shadowing and hospital volunteering this summer
-Year 2-5: joining wet-lab because although I would be a finance major, I still want to learn more about the natural sciences outside of the classroom (especially because I would only be taking prereqs)
-Year 2-5: After growing up with combat sports, I'm planning on getting into BJJ/Kickboxing in the fall. I would've started this year, but I didn't want to be exposed to COVID
I asked my bio professor what she thinks about my plan, and she basically told me that 'interviewers will look at you as someone who wasn't really serious about being a doctor because, although applicants can be any major, you have a tendency to hop around with the things you do. In other words, it looks like you're always bored with what you're doing and you're looking for something else to do.' For context, I hopped around a lot of organizations and dry labs my freshman year. I understand what she's saying because if I was an adcom, I would probably pick the applicant who found what they enjoyed early on and stuck with it for their entire undergraduate years instead of the applicant who essentially spent a full year trying to figure out what they liked/didn't like. I think my bio professor's opinion on my plan really boils down to the question of why I want to do medicine.
I was born with cataracts in both eyes, so I had very bad eyesight for the first 18 years of my life. Cataract surgery involves making an incision in your eye, removing the dirty cataract, and replacing it with a clear artificial lens. Although I got my cataracts removed, I wasn't able to get them replaced for 18 years because my eyes weren't fully developed. One thing I quickly realized was that I would go to an optometrist to get my vision checked and identify the possibility of glaucoma. In contrast, I would go to an ophthalmologist to figure out a way for better eyesight in the future. Unlike optometry, a career in medicine to me means that every day I would have the opportunity to create opportunities for others. I don't know if I'll end up in ophthalmology, emergency medicine, or some other specialty, but I'm confident that a future in medicine is for me.
If you are OK with the prospect of spending an extra year to get to where you want to go, then do it.
