Freshman Students Major??

[patriot_missile]

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Hi
I am going to be undergrad freshman next fall. And need help in choosing a major and a career. It's a canadian school and i must choose between biochemstry and a chemistry with geochemistry minor. And my parents tell me they want me to be a doctor (after all they pay for my education so they have a lot of say) and they also dont want me to take too many classes during the first year, so that i'd get all A's. So whatever classes i take, if i make my schedule now, I better stick to it for the whole year.

These are the choices:
If in biochemistry i should take 1st year:
Physics-8 credits of regular 1st yr
Chemistry-10 credits of reg 1st yr
Biology- 3 credits in the winter
Calculus-i took 1 yr in high school, so i take 3cr of calc 3.
And any other courses, though my parents tell me not to take writing 1st yr, so as not to screw my average.

If in chemistry with conc in geo then:
aside from those above, i would have to take understanding planet earth and introduction to minerology, and a 2 week field school at the end of the year for a total of 8cr.

My parents tell me that if I major i biochem, then i definitely should not take any geo courses (because they're not required and additional courses may jeopardize my avg). So i must make the choice now.


In Chem i would try to follow this program
http://ww2.mcgill.ca/chemistry/advising/inside/programs/enviro.htm and also take some geology electives...

If in biochem, it would be
http://www.medicine.mcgill.ca/biochem/undergraduate/honours.html also U-1 =year 2 for me.

So if i now tell my parents to compare, they'll tell me "well you want to be a doctor, so both of these programs meet the prereqs, so just choose 1, but don't take any geo courses, as they're not necessary".

But I don't know if i want to be a doctor now. Considering how many years it is to study and that the doctor then has to work until his retirement, i am not that attracted. And i dont know any other careers. Please just tell me something interesting on whether i should take the "into to minerology" course this fall or not.


Some other things about my character:
I like to learn new things, but hate working on something for a very long time (i.e. research for years at a time). I like to take looong vacations. I like to travel a lot, and the enviroment (thats why im interested in things such as structure of rocks and buildings, etc). I don't like to be around people. My favourite subject is math or physics (at least on the high school, nontheoretical level).

Oh please develop this topic, because i just don't have any ideas at all.

 

[Polar girl]

I can't help you with choosing what you want to be or take. But you should take what you want--what you think sounds interesting. It doesn't matter that your parents are paying--that does not give them the right to decide your future career for you. They can insist that you do well in whatever you go into, but do not let them choose your career for you. If you try to go into medicine without really wanting to, you will be miserable. And admission committees might see that you don't really want to do it, and not accept you.

 

[VienneseWaltz]

What you need to worry about now is learning to make decisions for yourself. Your parents have no right to decide what you do for the rest of your life, and if that means you have to pay for your education, so be it, but hopefully you can talk some reason into them.

Also, why not take what YOU want to take and make sure to get in the pre-reqs? I don't know how it works in Canada, but you can go to med school in the US with any major as long as you've done the pre-reqs. You could promise your parents to keep the med school option open as long as you can major in what you want.

 

[Ramoray]

Ok i dont want you to take what i say or what any others say the wrong way but college is a time, defeintly a time to make your own choices, not just cause you " should " be doing it but rahter cause it is a crucial step in becoming an independant person capable of taking a stand on things and making their own decisoins. You cannot learn accountability or responsibility if you do not take stands and make your own cohices. Especially for someone wanting to be a doctor, it is in this next few years you have to learn the skills to be assertive and such that you will NEED to be a doctor. Forget what your parents say, if your parents are only willing to pay for college if u od exactly what they say then ****em, take loans, experience for yourself what YOU want to do. Its really not a big deal, to be honest noboyd or very few are going to read a post like yours asking such complete silly questions.. its like we all here have been on our own, made our own cohices, paid for thigns on our own. its time to stop being babied a bit and just try things out. Its really not a big deal. take hte classes u want to take.. graduate in 5 years if u want 3 years whatever. and be premed. there are like 1001 ways to get into med, do something you enjoy. Your 18 i assume.. mom and dad dont control u anymore!!

 

[Trix]

Wow, Holy parental pressure!!

You really need to start making your own decisions. If you don't think/know if you want to become a doctor, you should tell your parents...now!!! They may or may not accept this, but if you don't tell them how are they going to know?

And, I am not sure how Canadian med schools work, but you can major in anything and it is ok with US med schools as long as you fulfill the basic pre-reqs-check with an advisor about this.

Major in something you are really interested, and participate in some EC's during your 4 years of undergrad to see if medicine interests you. I can imagine nothing worse than going to work everyday for the rest of my life and doing something that didn't interest me.

 

[bella_dottoressa]

I totally agree with what the other posters have already said. You need to calmly explain to your parents that you are an adult now and must be allowed to make your own decisions in order to secure your ultimate happiness. College is the time to explore yourself and make your own decisions. Major in and take classes in what interests you. Maybe being a doctor IS right for you, but then again maybe it's not. Explain that to your parents. If you have to pay for college entirely on your own with loans (trust me, it can be done, it's what I'm doing) then so be it. You can't put a price on your happiness and that is what is ultimately at stake here. Good luck and PM me if you need anything! 🙂

 

[CUskibum]

first stop doing anything that your parents want you to do and do what you want to do. It doesn't sound like you are too interested in medicine.
As far as a major goes it sounds like you like earth/physical sciences, you like traveling and the outdoors. Have you considered Geophysics. My uncle is a Volcanologist who got a PhD in geophysics and gets paid vacations to hawaii and other exotic places to study volcanoes.