Honest Advice Needed With Dropping "Pre-med" Senior Year

[freneticFil]

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Hi all. It's my senior year of college at a top 20 university and I am 85% sure I will NOT be applying to medical school despite my undergrad career as a "pre-med." I have a 3.8 GPA and degrees in chemistry and business. I'm looking for people who have been in my shoes and wanting to hear what happened to them and possibly some advice:

My reasons for dropping are listed below. To some, it is a wonder why I didn't drop earlier...

- biology being one of my least favorite subjects
- not much interest in volunteering/hospital work
- a dislike for "doing the same thing each day"
- Premed's little emphasis on intellectual curiosity in all walks of life and in different subject matters.
- did super well in organic chemistry and loved the critical thinking and thought analysis going into it. Liked physics too.... but hated all the other premed pre-reqs. This has been the OPPOSITE of what my pre-med friends have told me... lol. And it seems there's only more memorization and "boring stuff" and tests in med school.
- dislike of memorizing things I don't think need to be memorized. Absolutely DRAINS my energy and most importantly, PREVENTS me from having the energy to learn about the world through keeping up with the newest innovations, reading, and EXPANDING world knowledge!
- desire to use my 20s to do meaningful, creative work. I can always go back to med school in the future if I'm more mellow and "wiser", and can sit still for longer periods of time... LOL.
- Biggest reason: perpetually feeling discontent and un-fullfilled in life from the premed courses's emphasis on "memorization and checking boxes" rather than ingenuity, creativity, and entrepreneurship. Many people and pre-med find the other aspects of the process such as the material and working with patients enough to allow them to push through, but I simply have little interest in biology and probably no interest in clinic/volunteering stuff. I want to be learning, reading, and being a part of this new era. I want to be out there experiencing the world and finding the best solutions to how we can tackle problems and creating value and solutions. I want to be a CONTINUOUS learner, builder, and creator. So this is NOT to say I dont want to help people, I just think I can do so in more meaningful and impactful ways through other work.


Why I never dropped earlier:
- Parental and close friends/family pressure (asian background)
- Coming into college from a rather "sheltered" perspective and not knowing much about the world until after the few years of college.
- Good grades and no academic reason to drop. Strong research background with multiple published papers in clinical medicine and chemistry. Even interviewed for an early admit med school program at one point...

It doesn't sound like a lot, but these few reasons above ^^ have been enough to keep me on the track. I've been split between the traditional Asian parents background and my desire for more in this crazy world for 2 years now (though more strongly the past three months). I do not like the sound of medical school and the tedious life involved, nor do I like the idea of residency and doing scut work until I'm 32. Biology is... interesting, but personally, not my favorite subject. I have interests in applied sciences (which can include biology); looking to get into technology; I have proficiency and experience in art and design. Mad love for entrepreneurship and the creation and leading process (currently have a small side gig selling the art I make, cant say it's doing too hot though with the premed time "commitments").

If anyone has been here, please present some honest advice. Pros and cons. Etc. Whatever you think is useful.

My plan after dropping pre-med is to work for a year or two (already have a job lined up at a software company), experience more of the world, and start a business where I can be fully immersed in tackling issues and creating products to change the world. Ahem...perhaps a bit arrogant and naive. But I'm driven by vision, passion, and intellectual exploration. What can I say...



Thank you for reading here and commenting in advance.

 

[caterwaiter]

Of all of the options and decision you have ahead of you, it sounds like you are very sure of one thing: you do NOT want to pursue medicine. I think you should do exactly what you have planned above (take the software job, experience the world), and if the spark for medicine happens to come back, you already have the prerequisites done. Hoping your parents appreciate the amount of work you've done to earn your excellent marks and support your future endeavors. Good luck!

 

[EdgeTrimmer]

You can always come back to medicine but not easy to go other way so go with your plan and tell your parents that you will consider medicine in future - An Asian dad

 

[Moko]

Life is too short to live by other peoples' expectations. You need to do what's right for yourself. It's good that you have done some soul-searching and learned that medicine is not right for you at this time. There are some that unfortunately reach this conclusion after they are already $100k+ in debt. Medical schools will always be around if and when you decide that becoming a physician is the right path for you.

Keep in mind that medicine (moreso than many other fields) offers many opportunities for 'continuous learning', "entrepreneurship" and "keeping up with the newest innovations, reading, and expanding world knowledge". However, like with any career, competency and success will require sacrifices and hard work; medicine arguably exists near one extreme on this spectrum. Almost all jobs will involve some degree of repetition and "doing the same thing each day". Do some exploring to figure out where to go from here. Just my thoughts. Best of luck to you.

 

[Goro]

Hi all. It's my senior year of college at a top 20 university and I am 85% sure I will NOT be applying to medical school despite my undergrad career as a "pre-med." I have a 3.8 GPA and degrees in chemistry and business. I'm looking for people who have been in my shoes and wanting to hear what happened to them and possibly some advice:

My reasons for dropping are listed below. To some, it is a wonder why I didn't drop earlier...

- biology being one of my least favorite subjects
- not much interest in volunteering/hospital work
- a dislike for "doing the same thing each day"
- Premed's little emphasis on intellectual curiosity in all walks of life and in different subject matters.
- did super well in organic chemistry and loved the critical thinking and thought analysis going into it. Liked physics too.... but hated all the other premed pre-reqs. This has been the OPPOSITE of what my pre-med friends have told me... lol. And it seems there's only more memorization and "boring stuff" and tests in med school.
- dislike of memorizing things I don't think need to be memorized. Absolutely DRAINS my energy and most importantly, PREVENTS me from having the energy to learn about the world through keeping up with the newest innovations, reading, and EXPANDING world knowledge!
- desire to use my 20s to do meaningful, creative work. I can always go back to med school in the future if I'm more mellow and "wiser", and can sit still for longer periods of time... LOL.
- Biggest reason: perpetually feeling discontent and un-fullfilled in life from the premed courses's emphasis on "memorization and checking boxes" rather than ingenuity, creativity, and entrepreneurship. Many people and pre-med find the other aspects of the process such as the material and working with patients enough to allow them to push through, but I simply have little interest in biology and probably no interest in clinic/volunteering stuff. I want to be learning, reading, and being a part of this new era. I want to be out there experiencing the world and finding the best solutions to how we can tackle problems and creating value and solutions. I want to be a CONTINUOUS learner, builder, and creator. So this is NOT to say I dont want to help people, I just think I can do so in more meaningful and impactful ways through other work.


Why I never dropped earlier:
- Parental and close friends/family pressure (asian background)
- Coming into college from a rather "sheltered" perspective and not knowing much about the world until after the few years of college.
- Good grades and no academic reason to drop. Strong research background with multiple published papers in clinical medicine and chemistry. Even interviewed for an early admit med school program at one point...

It doesn't sound like a lot, but these few reasons above ^^ have been enough to keep me on the track. I've been split between the traditional Asian parents background and my desire for more in this crazy world for 2 years now (though more strongly the past three months). I do not like the sound of medical school and the tedious life involved, nor do I like the idea of residency and doing scut work until I'm 32. Biology is... interesting, but personally, not my favorite subject. I have interests in applied sciences (which can include biology); looking to get into technology; I have proficiency and experience in art and design. Mad love for entrepreneurship and the creation and leading process (currently have a small side gig selling the art I make, cant say it's doing too hot though with the premed time "commitments").

If anyone has been here, please present some honest advice. Pros and cons. Etc. Whatever you think is useful.

My plan after dropping pre-med is to work for a year or two (already have a job lined up at a software company), experience more of the world, and start a business where I can be fully immersed in tackling issues and creating products to change the world. Ahem...perhaps a bit arrogant and naive. But I'm driven by vision, passion, and intellectual exploration. What can I say...



Thank you for reading here and commenting in advance.

Everything you've written says to move on to something more to your likling. You don't need our approval or to attempt to make you change your mind. Move on and don't look back. I was pre-med for about 10 mins, and good thing too, because med school would have killed me.

 

[Type2Fiber]

Hi all. It's my senior year of college at a top 20 university and I am 85% sure I will NOT be applying to medical school despite my undergrad career as a "pre-med." I have a 3.8 GPA and degrees in chemistry and business. I'm looking for people who have been in my shoes and wanting to hear what happened to them and possibly some advice:

My reasons for dropping are listed below. To some, it is a wonder why I didn't drop earlier...

- biology being one of my least favorite subjects
- not much interest in volunteering/hospital work
- a dislike for "doing the same thing each day"
- Premed's little emphasis on intellectual curiosity in all walks of life and in different subject matters.
- did super well in organic chemistry and loved the critical thinking and thought analysis going into it. Liked physics too.... but hated all the other premed pre-reqs. This has been the OPPOSITE of what my pre-med friends have told me... lol. And it seems there's only more memorization and "boring stuff" and tests in med school.
- dislike of memorizing things I don't think need to be memorized. Absolutely DRAINS my energy and most importantly, PREVENTS me from having the energy to learn about the world through keeping up with the newest innovations, reading, and EXPANDING world knowledge!
- desire to use my 20s to do meaningful, creative work. I can always go back to med school in the future if I'm more mellow and "wiser", and can sit still for longer periods of time... LOL.
- Biggest reason: perpetually feeling discontent and un-fullfilled in life from the premed courses's emphasis on "memorization and checking boxes" rather than ingenuity, creativity, and entrepreneurship. Many people and pre-med find the other aspects of the process such as the material and working with patients enough to allow them to push through, but I simply have little interest in biology and probably no interest in clinic/volunteering stuff. I want to be learning, reading, and being a part of this new era. I want to be out there experiencing the world and finding the best solutions to how we can tackle problems and creating value and solutions. I want to be a CONTINUOUS learner, builder, and creator. So this is NOT to say I dont want to help people, I just think I can do so in more meaningful and impactful ways through other work.


Why I never dropped earlier:
- Parental and close friends/family pressure (asian background)
- Coming into college from a rather "sheltered" perspective and not knowing much about the world until after the few years of college.
- Good grades and no academic reason to drop. Strong research background with multiple published papers in clinical medicine and chemistry. Even interviewed for an early admit med school program at one point...

It doesn't sound like a lot, but these few reasons above ^^ have been enough to keep me on the track. I've been split between the traditional Asian parents background and my desire for more in this crazy world for 2 years now (though more strongly the past three months). I do not like the sound of medical school and the tedious life involved, nor do I like the idea of residency and doing scut work until I'm 32. Biology is... interesting, but personally, not my favorite subject. I have interests in applied sciences (which can include biology); looking to get into technology; I have proficiency and experience in art and design. Mad love for entrepreneurship and the creation and leading process (currently have a small side gig selling the art I make, cant say it's doing too hot though with the premed time "commitments").

If anyone has been here, please present some honest advice. Pros and cons. Etc. Whatever you think is useful.

My plan after dropping pre-med is to work for a year or two (already have a job lined up at a software company), experience more of the world, and start a business where I can be fully immersed in tackling issues and creating products to change the world. Ahem...perhaps a bit arrogant and naive. But I'm driven by vision, passion, and intellectual exploration. What can I say...



Thank you for reading here and commenting in advance.

Job experience will be good for you. I really didn't like much about pre-med classes and feel the same about box checking - also have a similar view on business as you. I'm in my second year now and I love it, but was somewhat apprehensive about it initially

And yeah, to be honest, some of what you wrote is pretty idealistic. I enjoy the creative aspect of business and am still involved somewhat with projects from before school, but if you want to succeed at a high level in business, your work/life isn't going to be any better than a medical student. Work for at least a year and then consider medicine again. A 3.8 from a T20 and a competitive med school app is hard to build so I would make sure before you let that go

 

[OrthoTraumaMD]

Just as an FYI, all the things you said about wanting to be creative, not doing rote work, doing interesting things… You get to do all of that as an attending. Most of the things I learned in medical school, I do not use, and have never used. But you have to hustle and do the med school stuff and the scut work, and residency, before you get to that point. Can’t have your cake, and eat it too.

Regardless of the above, it sounds like you want to pursue some other path, so go pursue whatever it is that makes you happy. You don’t need SDN to tell you that.

 

[narla_hotep]

wait wait wait, Goro, are you... a PhD? for some reason I assumed the legendary Goro was an MD

 

[EdgeTrimmer]

Everything you've written says to move on to something more to your likling. You don't need our approval or to attempt to make you change your mind. Move on and don't look back. I was pre-med for about 10 mins, and good thing too, because med school would have killed me.

I thought you are a physician faculty.

 

[Goro]

I thought you are a physician faculty.

PhD...phoney doctor

 

[narla_hotep]

If anything, that makes me respect you more. PhD is freaking hard

 

[Goro]

If anything, that makes me respect you more. PhD is freaking hard

Med school is harder. This is what it would have done to me:

 

[freneticFil]

Of all of the options and decision you have ahead of you, it sounds like you are very sure of one thing: you do NOT want to pursue medicine. I think you should do exactly what you have planned above (take the software job, experience the world), and if the spark for medicine happens to come back, you already have the prerequisites done. Hoping your parents appreciate the amount of work you've done to earn your excellent marks and support your future endeavors. Good luck!

Will the prerequesites still apply even like 3-4 years out of college? I know mcat expires within 3 years

 

[Select All That Apply]

I like how out of all the profound and deep life advice offered in the thread, the follow up response was to inquire whether pre-reqs would still be valid after a three to four year period.

 

[deleted966008]

Good on you for taking the time to critically evaluate this decision, as just because you can do something doesn’t mean you should. With your GPA + knowledge in other fields I’m sure you’ll do well elsewhere, and can always reconsider medicine later on. It sounds that as of right now you wouldn’t be happy in medical school.

You are correct that the pre-clinical years do not reward creativity. To some extent it measures your discipline and capacity to handle lots of work more than raw intelligence. I’m just hoping, as an above poster said, that opportunities for critical thinking become more frequent as you get further along, as aside from research there isn’t any in M1-M2.

 

[caterwaiter]

Will the prerequesites still apply even like 3-4 years out of college? I know mcat expires within 3 years

I believe that depends on the school. In my research, some schools accepted pre-req courses up to 10 years old, others were 5 years. If you decide to come back to medicine, you may need to retake some of your courses (and you may want to, if you need to retake an expired MCAT).

 

[little_giant]

I'm Asian and I've seen more Asians go into finance, engineering, comp sci, and law than I've seen go into medicine. They seem to have good relationships with their family as well! I think the Asian parents pushing kids into medicine is getting a little outdated

 

[clinicallabguy]

OP. Sounds like you already know the answer. I would be concerned that the lack of fulfillment would only intensify if you try to force it for 7+ more years after undergrad and then the rest of your career. Medicine is a demanding path and I enjoy it, but I don't consider medical trainees trailblazers of our own careers. The path is well beaten. I think that gives comfort to those of us who embark on this journey. The road is well marked the entire way.

In comparison, some other routes require a bit more creativity and self reflection to determine how to shape one's future, as well as the risk that you might wander off into a dead end and have to reorient. I imagine that can feel daunting. But it's probably better to experience some failures on your way while doing something that is more meaningful for you, than to choose a well paved option that is not fulfilling, maybe? Ultimately up to you, though. What are you excited about? Why does that make you excited?