So I'm one of those "I've always wanted to be a doctor since I was 4 years old" people. So I did well in school, enjoyed high school biology, and promptly decided on being a biology major in college. Soon after, I realized that more often than not, biology major = pre-med, at least in my school. So I took the intro bio courses and general chemistry my first year, since it was the standard timeline for most bio majors and, coincidentally, premeds. I then went on to take organic chemistry this past semester, and did well. So I'm doing well in my pre-med requirements and I have a cumulative GPA of 3.92 at an ivy league school.
But looking back, I don't know why I simply opted into the pre-med track. I enjoyed AP biology in high school because I found all the facts really interesting, but soon found out that I don't enjoy research because it's so focused on one specific topic. I became pre-med because it seemed like the natural course of action. I've always wanted to be a doctor, but no one ever told me what the path to medical school was like. I didn't even know that doctors had to do residencies and fellowships until the summer before my freshman year of undergrad. No one in my family or circle of family friends is a doctor. My parents are Asian immigrants who did not understand the process of getting into medical school and all the things that follow (such as the debt, the training, and the residency/match program), and I feel like their encouragement was misguided, as well as my own ambitions. They've never pressured me into going to medical school, but that may have been because I had already told them of my desire to become a doctor when I was young. The more I learn about the path to medical school, the less appealing it appears. But I don't know what else I would do if not this.
I always envisioned college as a time in which I could take random courses in subjects that I was interested in, without the pressure of having to impress an admissions committee. But the pre-med track at my school is so cut throat and it seems like everyone is just trying to one-up everyone else in terms of research positions, volunteer work, clinical programs, and grades. I've though about switching majors, but I don't have the courses required to switch into another major and I am required to declare a major by the end of next semester.
So now I'm a sophomore bio major who is doing well in my pre-med courses but isn't sure about going to medical school. But if I don't go to medical school, I'm not sure what else I would pursue. I find comfort in the "certainty" of the medical school path, in which you get into medical school, complete residency, and then become a doctor, and I'm scared of the uncertainty that comes with dropping out of the pre-med track, especially when I'm not doing badly in my classes. And I still enjoy learning about biology.
What can I do? Any advice would be greatly appreciated. I've been having anxiety attacks and none of my friends (who are all pre-med, since I generally take science courses for my major) have been helpful. Instead, they were all angry at me for even talking about the possibility of dropping out of pre-med while some of them were struggling to get good grades in the pre-med classes.
I apologize if this just seems like a long-winded rant. I just needed to get this out of my system.
But looking back, I don't know why I simply opted into the pre-med track. I enjoyed AP biology in high school because I found all the facts really interesting, but soon found out that I don't enjoy research because it's so focused on one specific topic. I became pre-med because it seemed like the natural course of action. I've always wanted to be a doctor, but no one ever told me what the path to medical school was like. I didn't even know that doctors had to do residencies and fellowships until the summer before my freshman year of undergrad. No one in my family or circle of family friends is a doctor. My parents are Asian immigrants who did not understand the process of getting into medical school and all the things that follow (such as the debt, the training, and the residency/match program), and I feel like their encouragement was misguided, as well as my own ambitions. They've never pressured me into going to medical school, but that may have been because I had already told them of my desire to become a doctor when I was young. The more I learn about the path to medical school, the less appealing it appears. But I don't know what else I would do if not this.
I always envisioned college as a time in which I could take random courses in subjects that I was interested in, without the pressure of having to impress an admissions committee. But the pre-med track at my school is so cut throat and it seems like everyone is just trying to one-up everyone else in terms of research positions, volunteer work, clinical programs, and grades. I've though about switching majors, but I don't have the courses required to switch into another major and I am required to declare a major by the end of next semester.
So now I'm a sophomore bio major who is doing well in my pre-med courses but isn't sure about going to medical school. But if I don't go to medical school, I'm not sure what else I would pursue. I find comfort in the "certainty" of the medical school path, in which you get into medical school, complete residency, and then become a doctor, and I'm scared of the uncertainty that comes with dropping out of the pre-med track, especially when I'm not doing badly in my classes. And I still enjoy learning about biology.
What can I do? Any advice would be greatly appreciated. I've been having anxiety attacks and none of my friends (who are all pre-med, since I generally take science courses for my major) have been helpful. Instead, they were all angry at me for even talking about the possibility of dropping out of pre-med while some of them were struggling to get good grades in the pre-med classes.
I apologize if this just seems like a long-winded rant. I just needed to get this out of my system.
