Decided against Med School, now I am lost

Started by jman128
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First of all thank you riverjib for the kind and inspiring words. They mean a lot to me.

I guess I was set on medicine because I didn't seem to mind science compared to everyone else in high school and I always excelled in school. In my science courses in college, once again I don't find them mind blowing, but tolerable. I absolutely HATE anything chemistry related though. Biochem is going to kill me this semester.

I signed up for all science courses this semester which after much thinking is probably a huge mistake considering what Ive stated so far.

Ill happily answer more questions or respond to suggestions.
 
I'm not sure if you are interested in perhaps video games and such but I have a lot of friends who work for EB games, Konomi, and other large video game companies.

My friends are not all just computer science majors and actually have wide variety of majors not always related to CS. So how did some of them get into the field? They do internships and spend a lot of their EC on learning software and other computer/video game things.

I strongly suggest you seek an internship, they will understand if you tell them your situation, see if you like it. If you do well in your internship you will make connections and such and could be your way into the field.

Don't change your major now, stick with what you are doing and finish it. I find that more people actually don't stick to their undergrad major when it comes to finding a career. I was a molecular cell bio major and a lot of my friends (who weren't pre-meds or pre-health) ended up in consulting, business, and marketing.

So in a nut shell, get your foot into whatever you have been thinking about. Do some internships, volunteer, and surround yourself with others in that field to make good connections. 👍👍👍
 
promed said:
You obviously are into becoming a doctor because of the consistent salary you could earn. What doctors make today will be more than a doctor makes in just five years. You should expect a good 25% in reduction for the amount doctors make. The only way doctors will be able to increase their salary is be seeing more patients. Therefore, since I love to think for myself and build businesses, I am already in the process of making a business that will provide the web program needed so patients can find the right doctor. Instead of bashing people for the choices they make, you should spend the time learning why they are making a change. Learning from those who have been through the system is the best way to learn about the realities of life.
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actually no...
mommy and dad are very very very wealthy... dads company will more or less be able to sustain me for a long time..
i could get by going into my other career choice, i.e psychology and teaching which are more or less very fun jobs which i could go into.. and hey.. if what your saying is true.. i'll go teaching and psychology or w.e
i just enjoy the social setting

i mean more or less business is a dangerous field.. i could sure go into it.. and i could go into it very nicely with a social science like psych under my belt..
so who knows
i doubt business is much safer then medicine
so w.e lol
 
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jman128 said:
I am a junior majoring in biomedical sciences and was on my way to med school. I did tons of research and med school is just not for me. Its not that I don't find medicine interesting, its that being a doctor entails much more than liking science. Going through all that BS for years and years is just not my cup of tea.

With that, no other health care careers interest me like dentistry, etc. Plus, I am not really interested in research either.

I was always interested in the computer/gaming/entertainment/electronic… business. What can I do now? I can't just give up on my bachelors degree, I already worked so hard. Id have to do college all over again wouldn't I?
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You can still finish your degree and get a job. And oh my goodness gracious you majored in biomedical sciences? (no sarcasm intended) Why not go into a master's program that is for biomedical sciences as well? (the first thing that popped into my head:idea:). You can get a job in a pharmaceutical company since you said you like science but now you are saying you are interested in another field. Science is such a broad field if you are still interested in it but I agree with the others if you still have a chance to take on another major. (My school does not let me take on another major past junior year because it takes up seats that are "greatly needed" for freshman). Internships also opens doors for you.
 
promed said:
The major problem life science graduates have is that they have no marketable skills. Thus, they end up working as a tech for some company (nothing wrong with that) or move onto a graduate program. If you are good at sales you could make well over six figures working for a pharma or med tech company. I know one person that made $206k in 2008 working for a med tech company and she had a degree in history.
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its sad.. but most people will get jobs with no relevance to there major lol..
college is about stimulation of the mind..
psychologists prove college grads mental capacity and aptitude is much higher then a high school drop outs..
theres a certain growth which is stimulated by learning
 
anonymousername said:
The%20Call%20to%20Duty-Join%20the%20Army.jpg
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1-2-3-4 OOORAH MARINE CORPS! ERRR!
(hehe)
Doc G<3
 
promed said:
The major problem life science graduates have is that they have no marketable skills. Thus, they end up working as a tech for some company (nothing wrong with that) or move onto a graduate program. If you are good at sales you could make well over six figures working for a pharma or med tech company. I know one person that made $206k in 2008 working for a med tech company and she had a degree in history.
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🙄 Maybe I should have majored in art/history/business then. I was just trying to save money by majoring in Biology. Decisions, decisions.
 
Were/are you interested in the service aspect of medicine? If so, maybe consider working for non-profits or in education. perhaps look into programs like Teach For America. Though very difficult, especially in the first year, teaching is a very rewarding job. You can make a decent amount of money if you stay with it. There's also a very high demand for excellent science and math teachers, so even with budget crises in some states and teachers getting laid off, math and science teachers are usually safe because they are so needed. (feel free to PM me about it)

I also agree with alot of what other ppl have said:
- you should definitely finish your degree, especially since it gives you unique perspectives on other related and seemingly non-related fields.
- you don't have to major in something related to your career. for example, i had tons of friends from undergrad that majored in chemical engineering and now work in finance - it baffled me haha. also have another friend that was bioeng major and now is working in gov't consulting after having found a summer internship with that company.

you've got lots of opportunities to explore. who knows, maybe after doing a few other things in the real world, you'll discover how much you actually do enjoy medicine and come back to it
 
pugli32 said:
Were/are you interested in the service aspect of medicine? If so, maybe consider working for non-profits or in education. perhaps look into programs like Teach For America. Though very difficult, especially in the first year, teaching is a very rewarding job. You can make a decent amount of money if you stay with it. There's also a very high demand for excellent science and math teachers, so even with budget crises in some states and teachers getting laid off, math and science teachers are usually safe because they are so needed. (feel free to PM me about it)
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I really have no interest in teaching. I mean I appreciate service, but its not for me. As I said before, money isnt everything, but if I really want to go into a field, I want to be sure I have the potential to make decent money

Anyway, I had my adviser appointment today. She said I am in a good position and that she was glad that I took a lot of time to consider things. She said many pre-meds have no idea what they are getting into and that its terrible when a med student too far into it decides its not for them.

She said that If I am interested in business, I should go to talk to the school of management because its really hard to get into business classes if you arent a business major. Also, she recommended to go to career services and take those career tests.
 
jman128 said:
I really have no interest in teaching. I mean I appreciate service, but its not for me. As I said before, money isnt everything, but if I really want to go into a field, I want to be sure I have the potential to make decent money

Anyway, I had my adviser appointment today. She said I am in a good position and that she was glad that I took a lot of time to consider things. She said many pre-meds have no idea what they are getting into and that its terrible when a med student too far into it decides its not for them.

She said that If I am interested in business, I should go to talk to the school of management because its really hard to get into business classes if you arent a business major. Also, she recommended to go to career services and take those career tests.
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teaching = big pension and 50k a year working.. 9 months a year..
i mean honestly no much money is that easy to get..
if you have a degree in a science and dont particularly like medicine..
well like i said before forensics pays 70k a year + pension..

and no offense to the business majors.. but you can live without a business major and go into business..
with a degree in bio-med you could more or less go into sales of bio-medical supplies..
but that more or less will be a difficult field to get started in. and its a investment from the start..
which is why i avoid business personally..
 
Okay, well I talked to the career services adviser and she said that she understands my dilema and that if I am interested in something else that its a good time to explore other things to make sure that I am not making a massive commitment.

I am signed up to take this Strong Interest Inventory test whenever I get around to it. Apparently this is a popular test. I know it wont determine anything but it may help me find things about myself that I neglected.
 
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All due respect to the above posters, MBAs are very very distinguished degrees. And I hold them with the same regard as MDs, because you not only need academia but also distinction in the work field.
 
Teaching is actually very financially rewarding. In addition, it can also be very... rewarding intrinsically...

I would love to teach sometime, since I always loved peer tutoring, but that will be after becoming a doctor.

Probably guest lecture or something.


Teaching job is very stable, has super lots of benefits!
 
bannie22 said:
Teaching is actually very financially rewarding. In addition, it can also be very... rewarding intrinsically...

I would love to teach sometime, since I always loved peer tutoring, but that will be after becoming a doctor.

Probably guest lecture or something.


Teaching job is very stable, has super lots of benefits!
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I agree, teaching is a very very stable job. Its one of the reasons why i am considering the PHD in Psych route. However i do have to admit that teaching is hard for the first 10 years a lot of work + research but then when you become a full professor your making about the same as a IM doctor working a lot less hours then the IM.

however this dude is looking for a job with quick satisfaction...
 
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Jman, you don't need to get another major. None of the professional schools care what major you did during college, they only care how well you did. So don't burn yourself out doing 2 unrelated majors and blow a hole through your GPA. And hiring is all about connections, so I would do some summer internships if I were you this year if you don't plan on going straight to grad school.

I have two old friends who were premeds and later changed their minds pretty much last minute (not because of bad grades). Five years later, one is working in retail at a clothing chain, the other is a freelance computer programmer living on food stamps. Both still seem very lost, trying to figure what they really want to do (knowing that what they are doing right now isn't it). So my point is, be careful and be absolutely certain of your decisions, otherwise keep your options open (finish your prereqs and maintain your grades). When you have a goal for long time and all of a sudden you quit it, it can be very disorienting and you may lapse out of your current routine and discipline. Whatever you do, don't have the attitude of "my GPA doesn't matter anymore, I'm going to take it easy now." The programmer friend did just that and only later realized that with his GPA he couldn't get into any decent grad school.
 
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ok there are a lot of replies and i didn't read them all. but your story sounds familiar to me. my junior year of college, i realized that i didn't think i wanted to go into my original career plan (illustration) either. the more i learned about it, it turned me off, and i began to wonder whether i made the wrong choice, etc.

i finished my degree anyway because i was so far into it. i felt really devastated too, because my entire identity throughout my life had revolved around me being the artist girl. i thought that i wasn't cut out for anything else. medicine was just this crazy-ass dream for me. once i graduated though, i had this little epiphany and realized i was still young and could still do whatever i wanted. and i did, and here i am 7 months from starting med school. its actually startling when i reflect on how i felt 5 years ago. its amazing.

if i were you i'd finish your degree, with the best gpa possible. once you've graduated, you can re-evaluate and do whatever you want. but this way if you spend a few years doing your other career path and suddenly feel pulled towards medicine after all, you will be able to pick up where you left off. if you never decide to to medicine thats ok too. but at least if you get a degree first, then your next step could be grad school and not another bachelors degree. granted, you may not be able to get into a grad program immediately but i bet if you spent like a semester or two taking classes as a nontrad student in your field of choice, a grad program would probably be willing to take you. especially if you kill the GRE . . . honestly it was astounding that my grad program took me, but they liked my test scores and overlooked the fact that i was wildly underqualified for the program. but thats a whole other story 🙂
 
great, my adviser is out of the office for a week and i cant get an appointment with her until 2-3 weeks from now to get these results

i know i dont want to put my fate in a test, but im hoping it might help me or bring out things about myself

You guys have to understand that I am not the type of person who just "does it". I am not a risk taker and I hate new situations. Usually if I try something new I just get myself deeper into something I didn't ask for. I have to be reassured because I hate making commitments or being falsely excited about things.
 
jman128 said:
great, my adviser is out of the office for a week and i cant get an appointment with her until 2-3 weeks from now to get these results

i know i dont want to put my fate in a test, but im hoping it might help me or bring out things about myself

You guys have to understand that I am not the type of person who just "does it". I am not a risk taker and I hate new situations. Usually if I try something new I just get myself deeper into something I didn't ask for. I have to be reassured because I hate making commitments or being falsely excited about things.
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all i can say is ya should have chosen a major that serves as a back up incase of this..
try pharmacy.. ?
 
Alright so I got the results back from the interest test. Didn't really show anything different in terms of straight up interest that I didn't already know.

Basically, I'm split down the middle between being an investigative person and an artistic person. It suggested I be a college professor or a musician lol. The only instrument I ever actually knew how to play was the sax, and in order to be a college professor id have to be interested in a certain subject lol.

Also, for pretty much every occupation, I didn't put down that I had interest in the job, just that I was indifferent and my adviser said she has never seen anyone be indifferent to every job suggested lol.

I mean, honestly, I guess I do have interest in science/health, but I'm pretty sure I do not have the drive or passion for med school. I feel like the main character from Office Space who if he had tons of money, would just do nothing. Sad but true.
 
Realistically if your investigative then you'd probably like research or forensics.
But yah, you have a bio degree you can basically go into a lot of possible careers such as molecular bio or neuroscience.
Just because medical school isn't calling for you doesnt mean ya gotta give up haha.

Personally everytime i panic about pre-med I tend to look up PhD programs, specifically psychology related ones. Ones i've found to be quite interesting to me are cognitive/behavioral neuroscience.
So more or less try looking up new things online and looking for new programs which might interest you.
 
The thing is, I am not interested in research either even though I am described as an investigative person. I honestly don't care about proteins and stuff.

I feel like I find things interesting and then I do some homework and find out it doesn't excite me. My dilema is that I cant find something that gets me saying "this is what i want to do."
 
jman128 said:
The thing is, I am not interested in research either even though I am described as an investigative person. I honestly don't care about proteins and stuff.

I feel like I find things interesting and then I do some homework and find out it doesn't excite me. My dilema is that I cant find something that gets me saying "this is what i want to do."
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Well I dont how you could be against all research. I mean theres not a single topic in the world that interests you? I mean like i've said before behavioral cognition is really interesting for me.
If your seriously against all forms of research. Then really you'd best go into comp science or engineering.
 
anonymousername said:
The%20Call%20to%20Duty-Join%20the%20Army.jpg
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:laugh::laugh::laugh:

But on a serious note you guys ALL have to at least have thought of a plan B at some point. What happens to the ~50% of us who don't get in every year? To the OP, biological science majors have a little more trouble finding jobs outside the medical field but I would follow the suggestion of finding internships. My plan B (I'm a biology major) is to apply for jobs with the FBI, although they would most likely be health-related, lol.
 
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jman128 said:
I mean, honestly, I guess I do have interest in science/health, but I'm pretty sure I do not have the drive or passion for med school. I feel like the main character from Office Space who if he had tons of money, would just do nothing. Sad but true.
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Jman128, I think it shows a lot that you can admit you don't have the drive for medical school. I think a lot more pre-meds share your sentiment than would care to admit.

You might want to just consider an alternate healthcare career. There are plenty of other occupations that require less schooling such as respiratory therapy, medical technologist (the course requirements for the MT major are nearly identical to our biology major requirements), microbiologist, etc.

My only caveat is to REALLY think about your decision before you jump ship. This is a marathon and the shiny beemer trailed by grateful, healthy patients is a long way off for nearly all of us. We all have thought about quitting at some point and if someone told you they haven't they are lying. I've always thought that the journey to becomming a doctor requires some of us to be dragged through at certain points so I can symbolically drag your ***** through with us if necessary, haha! :laugh:
 
SusGob711 said:
Jman128, I think it shows a lot that you can admit you don't have the drive for medical school. I think a lot more pre-meds share your sentiment than would care to admit.

You might want to just consider an alternate healthcare career. There are plenty of other occupations that require less schooling such as respiratory therapy, medical technologist (the course requirements for the MT major are nearly identical to our biology major requirements), microbiologist, etc.

My only caveat is to REALLY think about your decision before you jump ship. This is a marathon and the shiny beemer trailed by grateful, healthy patients is a long way off for nearly all of us. We all have thought about quitting at some point and if someone told you they haven't they are lying. I've always thought that the journey to becomming a doctor requires some of us to be dragged through at certain points so I can symbolically drag your ***** through with us if necessary, haha! :laugh:
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If your a pre-med and havent doubted medicine then you've failed. Personally I jump from medicine(neurology) to cognitive neuroscience all the time.
If you cant doubt your self sometimes then your a dangerous individual who shouldn't be in medicine.
I think that this guy just doesnt want to work 50+ hours a week. Its a long road 4 years of hellish medical school then 3- 6 years of residency.
 
I'd be happier if doctor salaries were slashed by a factor of 4 and tuition were comparable to college (or even free, like PhD's). I want to practice medicine (in America), not compete against people trying to finance their 4th beach house and Porsche.

Hey, I should probably join the military, right? Oh wait, in the military MSC Nurses with higher rank can overwrite your doctor's orders. And I was seriously considering it too -_-
 
To serenade, its not really about quick satisfaction, its about worth and interest.

I want to be interested in something enough that it is worth all of that money and time.
 
jman128 said:
To serenade, its not really about quick satisfaction, its about worth and interest.

I want to be interested in something enough that it is worth all of that money and time.
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Well im going to say this. There is no career which pays as well as medicine that a average human being can get into. I mean sure you can invent some sort of program or device which humanity will revolve around in 10 years. But thats something that doesnt happen very often.
PhD programs are free, and usually pay you stripends so you can live in that area. Timewise well 4-5 years bye bye but you get the title of doctor, I know if i decided to go into behavioral neuroscience PhD I'd love it because that mind is the most interesting thing in the world for me.

I mean honestly what topics in this world interest you a lot? Cars? Computers? The mind? Crime fighitng?
Give me something to springboard off of.
 
I think I am kind of interested in media but still not sure, but I really cant do anything about it now. I dont have time because I have to worry about my current classes. Then the summer will come and I feel like thats the time when I would go forth and work on what I want to do so I have to decide soon.

The thing is though, I dont want to abandon my efforts. I know a lot about science and health and already took organic chem etc. I still like science and health, I am not completely against it.

The other problem is, I want a well paying career also, and I feel like something like media isnt going to do it for me.

Its like, I either go be a doctor and dentist and be indifferent or not too excited about it and get paid extremely well, or do something slightly more interesting and for the most part get paid complete ****. I'm having trouble finding something that fits both my criteria.
 
jman128 said:
I think I am kind of interested in media but still not sure, but I really cant do anything about it now. I dont have time because I have to worry about my current classes. Then the summer will come and I feel like thats the time when I would go forth and work on what I want to do so I have to decide soon.

The thing is though, I dont want to abandon my efforts. I know a lot about science and health and already took organic chem etc. I still like science and health, I am not completely against it.

The other problem is, I want a well paying career also, and I feel like something like media isnt going to do it for me.

Its like, I either go be a doctor and dentist and be indifferent or not too excited about it and get paid extremely well, or do something slightly more interesting and for the most part get paid complete ****. I'm having trouble finding something that fits both my criteria.
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Sigh let me tell you something, there are 2 ways you can go around with this. Get a career in something you love sincerely and get paid relatively little maybe 60k starting and 100k after a while of working.
Or
Go into medicine, hate yourself for a prolonged amount of time. But you'll make a lot of money.

Realistically if your 100% sure that you dont like medicine. Then you'll need to realize that in life there are very few careers which will give you as much monetary compensation liked medicine.
For me I can see myself in medicine and in neuroscience research. So for me its all the same because im enjoying myself.
While sure im tempted by medicine because it pays amazingly... But the end result it all depends on which is more interesting for you.

If you like media.. Intern you could very easily with a biological background be involved in scientific media. You'll get paid better then the average biology ba( 40k a year) at least.

I'll be real here. Money is important but if your doing something you love. Then its worth it to make a smaller amount. Why? Because if your doing something you'll hate every day.. You'll die earlier lol. Well not really but eventually you'll say that it and quit.
So do something you'll love for your whole life and be happy with. Realize that if you've got a wife/partner who's making enough cash. You'll get by perfectly fine. A Doctor in the end result makes a lot but thats if you require a porshe or other luxuries.

Go with your gut... End of story.
 
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