I absolutely hate being premed

[biglad32]

I'm at the end of the line pretty much, some days I don't think about it and I'm fine, other days I am genuinely depressed about my situation.

I'm a sophomore in college and I've been premed from the start. Over the past few months I've realized I completely made the wrong choice when I picked premed bio as my major. I have stuck with it due to encouragement from my parents, friends, and advisors, but I do not enjoy what I'm doing, there is very little of it I find rewarding. I've maintained a 4.0 GPA since freshman year, which is one big reason I've stuck with premed as well.

I have never wanted to be a physician, I had a number of careers I wanted to go into before college but I chose premed due to fear, I was afraid of graduating college and being unemployed or losing my job in some sort of future recession if I chose a career choice that wasn't the creme de la creme. I very easily could have gone into engineering or something and it would have infinitely suited me better than premed biology.

I especially hate the aspect of premed that has to do with impressing med school interviewers. I have joined two clubs, been in the honors college since freshman year, and I have a shadowing position lined up, but I hate all these extra curriculars because they mean nothing to a person who isn't passionate about medicine, it's just extra work and extra social anxiety for me.

I don't really know what to do, drop the major and lose a massive amount of progress, respect from everyone around me, and potential (because I genuinely think I can get into med school)? Or do I wait it out until I learn to enjoy what I'm doing?

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[EmilKraepelin55]

Well with that kind of attitude, part of me doubts that you will even get in anywhere. Your personal statement and interviews will suffer as a result of your passionless college experience. I would cut your losses now and just switch to something you would actually enjoy and that you can excel at. Why not go into engineering? I did two years of music before I switched to science, and I am not complaining about that loss. In your case, two years of feeling this way is nothing compared to a lifetime. Just make the transition.

 

[mimelim]

I have never wanted to be a physician

So don't be a pre-med, this isn't exactly complicated.

 

[Lifeblood_20]

Hey, medicine isn’t not for everyone. If you think other careers suit you better explore those other options. Sophomore in college is still very early on the path.

 

[DPTinthemaking15]

I agree with @Flying Penguin. To you, it may seem like you are in a bad situation, but you are still young. I have a friend who is a 7th year engineering major and he won't finish until 1-2 years from now. PLEASE don't choose a career that you hate... BUT make sure this is something you truly hate, because you don't want to be 30-40 asking yourself "what if." My wife (who is 30) done the same thing, but she went back to school and realized it isn't for her.

Also, forget about what everyone else thinks! Think about it this way... They will likely talk about you for a few minutes and begin to worry about their own problems. Good luck, OP.

Edit: This comes from a person who changed their major at the LAST possible second. It was worth it.

 

[willow84]

So you're going to consider a career that sounds like it will make you miserable for the rest of your life because you've spent two years on prereqs?...

 

[DBC03]

I realized I didn’t like engineering by my second semester in school. I stuck it out, did an internship, really didn’t like it (okay, I hated it), then kept going at it for 11 years. It was miserable, but I had to stick with it to pay off loans. Definitely reconsider your major and future if you don’t like what you are doing now. It will suck the life out of you if you force yourself to stick with it (and med school loans will pretty much require you to be a physician to pay them off). I do have a friend, however, who switched out and regrets it over 10 years later. BUT - like me, you can always choose to go back to med school at a much later date (when you know it’s the right choice).


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[HomeSkool]

I don't really know what to do, drop the major and lose a massive amount of progress, respect from everyone around me, and potential (because I genuinely think I can get into med school)? Or do I wait it out until I learn to enjoy what I'm doing?

If you don't want to be a doctor/premed, then don't. You haven't done a "massive amount" of work, you've done 1.5 years of undergrad. That doesn't mean you need to pour in 9.5+ more years of training and then forty years of work doing something you don't enjoy. In business school one of the first things I learned was to not throw good money after bad. The same principle applies here.

I especially hate the aspect of premed that has to do with impressing med school interviewers.

I've got news for you, bud: if you plan to do any kind of graduate school, you're gonna have to play the same game. Maybe not as intensely, but you still gotta play it a bit.

I chose premed due to fear, I was afraid of graduating college and being unemployed or losing my job in some sort of future recession if I chose a career choice that wasn't the creme de la creme.

Two lessons here:
1. Don't base major life decisions on fear.
2. If you're afraid for your professional future, it's best not to choose a profession that most applicants don't get into.


EDIT: I just noticed this:

I don't really know what to do, drop the major and lose a massive amount of progress, respect from everyone around me, and potential (because I genuinely think I can get into med school)? Or do I wait it out until I learn to enjoy what I'm doing?

First, who the eff cares what others think? If people lose respect because you decided not to be miserable for the rest of your life, they didn't respect you in the first place (which now introduces a paradox, since you can't lose their respect if you never had it). Your career is for you. Anyone who tells you differently can shove it.

And potential. Is medicine the only way you can reach your full potential? That question is rhetorical. Don't answer it.

 

[LizzyM]

Go to the career counseling office at your school. Ask if the school offers testing for career aptitude or can otherwise help you identify your strengths and interests and help you translate that into a plan for life after college whether that is the job market or graduate studies.

 

[libertyyne]

drop your major, Choose a different major. Become what you want to be. Simple. 1.5 year of "waste" is not really waste because 1. you took other gen ed classes that will translate to another major. 2. its not a long time in the grand scheme of things.

 

[@Hazel-rah]

Those prereqs you have already done would be the same for MANY other careers. I second LizzyM, go to the career office, counseling, do personality tests, and call every adult you know who is in a career you are even remotely interested in. Take them to coffee and interview them. Those things worked for me when I decided to quit my HS teaching job after the first year (hated it).

 

[biglad32]

I appreciate the responses, I really needed somewhere to vent about this crap. Main issue with switching to something like engineering is the fact that I still don't know if I'll even like that. I'm thinking about going for some sort of engineering minor to take a few classes before I finalize my decision.

 

[willow84]

Take a few classes in areas of interest and see what you like. There is no shame in taking more than four years to figure this out.

 

[narla_hotep]

Sophomore year? Lots of premeds at my school switched to another major, or another career path with the same major (bio research, pharmacy, nursing, etc) during sophomore year, and they were totally fine. Probably had something to do with the extremely hard orgo class we took as sophomores

 

[3toedsloth]

So maybe you took gen chem, 3-4 bio classes, physics, math, one semester of organic.

That's hardly applicable only to biology majors or premeds. You can (and probably should) just do something else.

 

[BBBallIsLife]

check out biomedical engineering if you want to keep (most) of your class credits. but I agree with everyone above, go talk to advisors and people first: you got a long life ahead of you bud

 

[Forever Geebs]

If you’re this miserable now, you’re in for a rude awakening as you progress. This is not a path worth traveling unless you’re all-in. Otherwise, it will crush you and what happens next is not good for anyone.

Please pursue a major and career that’s of interest to you. You may need to discover your passion(s) by trying different things, and THAT’S OKAY. That’s what undergrad (and life) is about, and as part of the process, you’ve discovered that medicine is not for you. It’s best you recognize that before you commit another ~10 years of your life, potentially 6-figure debt incurred, and more.

If you don’t know what to do next, do as others have suggested and seek help from your school.

Best of luck to you.


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[pugsessed]

As others have said, DO NOT continue to do this if you hate it. It will never be worth it. Have you considered bioinformatics as an alternative? This might be an avenue to look into without your premed experience going into waste if you think engineering would suit you better. LOTS OF JOBS for bioinformatics and statisticians out there. Also maybe look into genetic counseling. This might be up your alley if you want to continue to use science and adds a programing side.

 

[LizzyM]

As others have said, DO NOT continue to do this if you hate it. It will never be worth it. Have you considered bioinformatics as an alternative? This might be an avenue to look into without your premed experience going into waste if you think engineering would suit you better. LOTS OF JOBS for bioinformatics and statisticians out there. Also maybe look into genetic counseling. This might be up your alley if you want to continue to use science and adds a programing side.

Agree. If the OP likes math, biostatistics, bioinformatics, statistics, and actuary science are all good choices with strong job markets.

Genetic counseling is good if the OP likes talking to people and laying out options without being directive (telling people what to do). It does require some math skill and the ability to describe things verbally in ways that are easy for the general public to understand.

 

[Durty-Trixxx]

If you already hate medicine and you're barely 1.5 years into undergrad --- how miserable you gonna be when you're actually in med school with super expensive loans hanging over your head? This is why some med students have committed suicide.

Have some deep, honest discussions with yourself and find a major/career you will be happy with. Life is too short to worry about what your parents expect from you. You and only you can make yourself happy --- always remember that.

 

[nomdeplume1234]

any way you can pivot into something else before it's too late, while keeping the option open for you just incase? The sciences are cool and everything but I have seen too many horror stories of someone with a PhD in this or that working for a low wage because their skills are not in demand. What are your options with a Bio degree vs something like engineering? Also, I'm not sure how much weight to give the whole "do something you love" philosophy because it seems those people who know what they love and how to pursue it are an outlier. If you don't know what you love and how to go after it then Id say the next best thing is to choose something that gives you the best options to accumulate the resources necessary to accumulate free time.

 

[Terry Toma]

If you're not sure what you want to do, a master's degree could be a good way to change directions once you figure it out. Rather than committing yourself to a different major while you're still not sure what you really want, it might be best to just finish the bio degree and then use an advanced degree to launch your new career once you actually know what you want that career to be.

That would give you some time to figure things out, and you could take some time to work and see what you're really interested in before committing.

 

[cloudcomputingunicorn]

GET OUT NOW. You’re only a sophomore, it’s not too late. Life is too short to be enslaved to others’ wishes. If you realise Medicine isn’t your calling and you’d be miserable in the profession, you should stop pursuing it just because of pressure from family/friends. Otherwise, you may end up regretting it for the rest of your life. Switch to engineering if that’s where your interest lies. Go chase your dreams!

 

[SLU Student]

If you can switch into something that can land you a solid job, and the only thing impacted is perhaps 1-2 more years of undergraduate studies, definitely switch.

I'd like to point out a few things, however.

Many people tell you to pursue your dreams, and do what makes you happy. Sometimes this simply isn't viable. My dad is an engineer, and he tells us that he hates every single thing about his job. He finds his happiness elsewhere, and that's being able to provide for his family. Being able to give his wife and kids an upper-middle class life outweighs his misery at work. I, with all my heart, wish for him to be happy with his job, but he's told me over and over that being able to provide for his family with a solid salary and a stable job gives him much more happiness than any job can.

Also, if you're from a strict family, switching may also be an issue. I have a very close friend that dropped pre-med, and his parents stopped paying for his tuition, cost of living, and cut off all ties with him. He had to drop school, figure out how to adult, work full time, and so far, he has not returned to school.

There are so many things to consider.

 

[AnatomyGrey12]

I have never wanted to be a physician

Then get out. Now. Find something you enjoy and do that, don’t give two craps what others think.

 

[BTC0821]

If people only respect you for what they want you to become they don't really respect you all that much in the first place OP.

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[longhaul3]

The problem is that it's hard to know whether you like or dislike medicine at this point. Nothing you do in college is anything like learning or practicing clinical medicine. Everyone hates the shadowing, volunteering, etc., and for good reason: you don't get to do anything important and it's much more a chore than any kind of illuminating or transformational experience.

Unfortunately the same goes for many of the people on this thread (and the pre-MD forum at large) who are absolutely positive that they have an unbridled passion for medicine—some of them will change their minds when they find out what it is really like to learn medicine and be a clinician. There's nothing wrong with that, but there is a TON of "advice" thrown about on SDN about having to have that passion, dedication to medicine, blah blah blah...from fellow pre-meds who don't know which end of the stethoscope goes in your ears (sorry if that was harsh). In reality it is a job and has its own pros and cons. It sets you up for a very secure financial future and you can tailor your practice as you see fit. But few are the physicians who just can't wait to go to work every day and have the hippocratic oath written on the ceiling above their beds for inspiration.

 

[LnSin]

Everyone hates the shadowing, volunteering, etc., and for good reason: you don't get to do anything important and it's much more a chore

Speak for yourself. If you can’t stand patient interaction, don’t be a doctor. I think it’s that simple.


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[Goro]

Speak for yourself. If you can’t stand patient interaction, don’t be a doctor. I think it’s that simple.


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Indeed. In fact, the passion that flows from people at interview when they speak about their patient contact experiences is often a driving force for us very much wanting to accept these candidates and they get very high scores (like 10/10) from interviewers.

 

[longhaul3]

Speak for yourself. If you can’t stand patient interaction, don’t be a doctor. I think it’s that simple.

Not disputing that. I think you are fortunate if you have a great time volunteering in your local hospital or doing the typical pre-med dance because those positions are usually miserable and, importantly, not representative of patient-physician relationships.

My point is that it's hard for any pre-med to know what he/she is getting into, and I would argue that that holds true to an extent until the start of the clinical year in medical school. The best prepared students are the ones who have a realistic view of, or at least a willingness to think about, the pros and cons of the profession. You do not have to be a martyr for medicine as a pre-med to become a good doctor.

 

[DokterMom]

I appreciate the responses, I really needed somewhere to vent about this crap. Main issue with switching to something like engineering is the fact that I still don't know if I'll even like that. I'm thinking about going for some sort of engineering minor to take a few classes before I finalize my decision.

You're in a great place to explore various career options. Why not just sit in on a few classes in areas of possible interest to see what the classes are like? You've got friends and acquaintances who are engineering majors, right? Ask to go to a few of their (large) classes with them to see what they're like.

Then plan to spend the summer doing intensive research into various professions. Make that your 'job'.

Absolute WORST case, at this point in your life, you lose one year to irrelevant coursework. Compare one more year in college to 40 years of career misery --

 

[neoexile]

I'm at the end of the line pretty much, some days I don't think about it and I'm fine, other days I am genuinely depressed about my situation.

I'm a sophomore in college and I've been premed from the start. Over the past few months I've realized I completely made the wrong choice when I picked premed bio as my major. I have stuck with it due to encouragement from my parents, friends, and advisors, but I do not enjoy what I'm doing, there is very little of it I find rewarding. I've maintained a 4.0 GPA since freshman year, which is one big reason I've stuck with premed as well.

I have never wanted to be a physician, I had a number of careers I wanted to go into before college but I chose premed due to fear, I was afraid of graduating college and being unemployed or losing my job in some sort of future recession if I chose a career choice that wasn't the creme de la creme. I very easily could have gone into engineering or something and it would have infinitely suited me better than premed biology.

I especially hate the aspect of premed that has to do with impressing med school interviewers. I have joined two clubs, been in the honors college since freshman year, and I have a shadowing position lined up, but I hate all these extra curriculars because they mean nothing to a person who isn't passionate about medicine, it's just extra work and extra social anxiety for me.

I don't really know what to do, drop the major and lose a massive amount of progress, respect from everyone around me, and potential (because I genuinely think I can get into med school)? Or do I wait it out until I learn to enjoy what I'm doing?

You shouldn't go on this path. Medicine is very much a 24/7 field where you are either seeing patients, or doing some work related to medicine. And if you can imagine doing anything else other than medicine, you should do that instead.

If you continue to do this path, you will damn yourself to a life of misery and pain. Choose to do business or law or some other field and find your calling. Only then will you get to where you want to be in life.

 

[ThinkMaize]

There are a lot of different career paths in medicine (both clinical and non-clinical), but there's a lot of great careers outside medicine too and it definitely isn't for everyone.

 

[utahman14]

I decided to pursue medicine during my final semester of undergrad. I always wanted to be a doctor but felt that the pre med life was too intense so I just ignored the fact that I was pursuing another field that I wasn't passionate about. I finally realized that an extra year or two of college is infinitely better than a 30-40 career of being unsatisfied. It has been a long process to make up the time I lost not preparing for medical school during undergrad but it has been totally worth it. I was accepted to a program two weeks ago and I'm stoked. I'm 25 and will be 26 when I start this fall. I would have been 24 when I started if I hadn't taken so long to man up and follow my dreams. You're probably 19/20. You could switch your major to English or music or some other completely unrelated field and still probably graduate by 24/25. It's much easier to switch now when your young and have no real responsibilities like 200k+ in loans or a family to take care of.
I have no regrets about the path I took to medicine. I learned who I was as I took my path. If you aren't interested in medicine, FIND ANOTHER CAREER PATH. I promise doing something you love is 10000x times better, no matter how much money you make or what others think about you.