How did you deal with the uncertainty?

[ShaunB]

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Lately I've been trying to get back in to school, my dream is to practice medicine, but I've had a hard time choosing to major in something like Biology because I don't like the uncertainty of getting in to medical school. What made you decide to just go for it?

 

[drizzt3117]

How is biology an uncertain major? It's not like you don't have other careers that you could do if medicine didn't work out.

 

[ShaunB]

How is biology an uncertain major? It's not like you don't have other careers that you could do if medicine didn't work out.

What other careers would be available to me? The only ones that i can think of would be working in a lab, or teaching. Both of which I'm not interested in. I want to be in a career that I enjoy.

 

[anonymousername]

What made you decide to just go for it?

because without professional school...

 

[drizzt3117]

What other careers would be available to me? The only ones that i can think of would be working in a lab, or teaching. Both of which I'm not interested in. I want to be in a career that I enjoy.

There are a lot of careers in pharma for bio majors, never mind that what your major was isn't all that important in the job market... it's all about work experience and skill set. US universities aren't vocational schools.

 

[Drrrrrr. Celty]

Major in what you like. I know personally I choose to major in psychology with a bit of neuroscience concentration because the brain interests me. What interest you in this big ol'world of ours?
Figure that out and major in it.

 

[zeppelinpage4]

Major in what you like. I know personally I choose to major in psychology with a bit of neuroscience concentration because the brain interests me. What interest you in this big ol'world of ours?
Figure that out and major in it.

Agreed, you don't need to major in bio for medical school so why put yourself through it? 🙂

 

[Hifey]

Agreed, you don't need to major in bio for medical school so why put yourself through it? 🙂

LOL. its not like bio is horrible. I personally chose Bio because I've always been interested in genetics. I've taken a few Psych classes and most of the time they bore me to tears. Some stuff is really interesting but not interesting enough to major in it. Just pick what what makes you happy/interested and just do the pre reqs. It's really not that bad. Plus, I know several people who are bio majors and going into pharma, genetic counseling, working in pathology labs etc. Some also go on to get experience and work in healthcare administration. You can do ANYTHING with ANY major. It's your skill set and experiences that matter.

 

[SusGob711]

I am frequently intimidated by the numbers of applicants and actual maltriculants to medical school as I too am a biology major. Don't read into this but I have actually made a pretty big list of plan B's for myself mainly because a) you can never know exactly where you'll be & b) it's better to be overly prepared. Not to be a Debbie Downer but I will actually apply to law school, P.A. school, and MD & DO medical schools during my cycle. If you have any sliver of doubt always have a plan B. My list:

-go to graduate school (i.e. law, podiatry, dentistry)
-physician's assistant
-work for the government (i.e. EPA, FBI, etc.)
-go into management

Remember there are many paths up the same mountain. If don't feel you are competitive enough for allo schools then look into D.O. medical schools. Just don't talk yourself out of it before you get started, lol... I know I have a tendency to do that. 🙂

 

[zeppelinpage4]

LOL. its not like bio is horrible. I personally chose Bio because I've always been interested in genetics. I've taken a few Psych classes and most of the time they bore me to tears. Some stuff is really interesting but not interesting enough to major in it. Just pick what what makes you happy/interested and just do the pre reqs. It's really not that bad. Plus, I know several people who are bio majors and going into pharma, genetic counseling, working in pathology labs etc. Some also go on to get experience and work in healthcare administration. You can do ANYTHING with ANY major. It's your skill set and experiences that matter.

Haha I never said it was.

I took a lot of it in high school and i'm loving the material they cover in college. However I have some friends who really are just in it because they think they need it for medical school or they don't know what else to major in. Most of them are doing ok but I know there are other majors and fields they show more interest and passion for.

Either way you make a great point and I agree with the post.

 

[lazercats]

Even if medical school didn't work out, you could still go for physician assistant, physical therapy, etc. with a biology degree.

 

[Morsetlis]

Note that PA schools usually require somewhat different prereqs than med school. For example, one PA school I looked into requires Psychology.

Anyway, a basic science BA/BS is really useless. You'd probably want to keep PA school, MS programs, PhD programs, or a BSN-conversion program in mind if you fail to get into medical school. One really interesting option I haven't explored is Pathologist's Assistant (only 8 programs in the US, Master's level)--they do all procedures that Pathologists can do, except interpretation, and starting salary is $75,000 with high demand and most graduates get a job offer before finishing school.

Don't forget PharmD, DPM, and Dental school.

 

[SusGob711]

Note that PA schools usually require somewhat different prereqs than med school. For example, one PA school I looked into requires Psychology.

Great point Morsetlis. That is the exact reason is it important to have a plan B. Some schools don't care what you take/major in, i.e. law, but PA schools do. Luckily for me I've taken most of them by coincidence of circumstance: anatomy, physiology, lifespan psychology, etc. According to the research I gathered on my school's PA program the only course I'm missing is Microbiology which I can easily take as one of my bio electives. I also need medical terminology but squeezing in one or two extra courses is better than the alternative: "That'll be $7.50 at the first window."

 

[FloatOn]

Set personal goals, no matter how big or small, and don't accept defeat.

 

[Morsetlis]

For every defeat there's a Caribbean school for you.

 

[circulus vitios]

My plan B is the Caribbean.

 

[morning]

You might want to consider kinesiology or nutrition, then. Or if your school offers forensic biology or chemistry, that's a decent bachelor's for future career prospects.

Not going to professional school is not an option for me, so I care zilch about my actual degree's applicability and I'm studying something I truly enjoy.