I need guidance!!

[dr_juvi]

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I need some guidance!! As u can all see from my title lol. Here's a little bit of background info: I'm an undergraduate student looking to major in Biology. I must say though that my freshman year (1st semester only) was a difficult transition and I basically did really bad. I picked myself up 2nd semster and managed to get A's and B's. Now that I'm a sophomore I've been working really hard to really raise my GPA but the thing is that I've realized I've started to wonder whether or not I want to continue as a Biology major. Some of the reasons are 1. b/c I'm insecure about being able to get A's and B's ( i know i am capable of it but b/c the insecurity is there i'm certain it is likely to interfere) 2. b/c the subject of Biology (as in the cell and all the other things that do not deal with Anatomy & Physiology in depth) is SUPER BORING to me and honestly i do not enjoy it. I kno that med school does include some type of study about the cell, it's the foundation that makes all of us!! but anatomy and physiology is less focused on studying the exact phases of each and every action and reaction a cell goes under. (trust me if I could major in Anatomy & Physiology i def. would but my school doesn't offer it.) Medicine is not the only dream and passion I have. I'm a big lover of cultures and languages. I would love to know so many of them and everyone around me (except my dean advisor, my family and my best friend) is reluctant to believe that i can go to med-school.
My point is that having these two passions (medicine and language&culture) can lead to an immensely successful career, being able to do both would be incredible. Does anyone know whether there are such things as doctors that work in different countries and travel constantly and still receive income? Don't get me wrong i am a big advocate of pro-bono work and volunteering for those countries and people that don't have the proper means to provide proper healthcare, but I would b lying if i said that i would go through so much schooling to not get paid for what i do. anyhow please help. and sorry for the long post, i know that there are so many helpful people out there b/c i've read all the other posts. any comments are very well appreciated. thanks again!! 😕

 

[jlee9531]

1. why don't you major in something that deals with language and culture while just taking the premed core requirements.
2. i dont know of anything where docs travel and earn an income. usually those things are relegated to free/volunteer work.

 

[Medikit]

I was pretty bored in biology and it's why I also became a chem major.

 

[jhrugger]

OP, jlee brings up a good point. your best bet may be to just take the premed reqs while actually majoring in an other area that interests you more than molecular biology. however, molecules and cells will be your primary focus during first year med school (biochem, immuno, etc..), so don't think you can completely avoid them! 👍

 

[Dr. Starostik]

I need some guidance!! As u can all see from my title lol. Here's a little bit of background info: I'm an undergraduate student looking to major in Biology. I must say though that my freshman year (1st semester only) was a difficult transition and I basically did really bad. I picked myself up 2nd semster and managed to get A's and B's. Now that I'm a sophomore I've been working really hard to really raise my GPA but the thing is that I've realized I've started to wonder whether or not I want to continue as a Biology major. Some of the reasons are 1. b/c I'm insecure about being able to get A's and B's ( i know i am capable of it but b/c the insecurity is there i'm certain it is likely to interfere) 2. b/c the subject of Biology (as in the cell and all the other things that do not deal with Anatomy & Physiology in depth) is SUPER BORING to me and honestly i do not enjoy it. I kno that med school does include some type of study about the cell, it's the foundation that makes all of us!! but anatomy and physiology is less focused on studying the exact phases of each and every action and reaction a cell goes under. (trust me if I could major in Anatomy & Physiology i def. would but my school doesn't offer it.) Medicine is not the only dream and passion I have. I'm a big lover of cultures and languages. I would love to know so many of them and everyone around me (except my dean advisor, my family and my best friend) is reluctant to believe that i can go to med-school.
My point is that having these two passions (medicine and language&culture) can lead to an immensely successful career, being able to do both would be incredible. Does anyone know whether there are such things as doctors that work in different countries and travel constantly and still receive income? Don't get me wrong i am a big advocate of pro-bono work and volunteering for those countries and people that don't have the proper means to provide proper healthcare, but I would b lying if i said that i would go through so much schooling to not get paid for what i do. anyhow please help. and sorry for the long post, i know that there are so many helpful people out there b/c i've read all the other posts. any comments are very well appreciated. thanks again!! 😕

I was in the same situation, but now I know that I'm going to double-degree in premed (my school has this major) and German. Why don't you double-degree, double major, or get a minor in the languages/culture? 🙂

 

[Fermata]

I was pretty bored in biology and it's why I also became a chem major.

I'll second this idea.

Also, if you should decide that you no longer want to pursue med school, then you'll actually be able to get a job with your degree.

 

[FlushingNemo]

Why don't you major in a foreign language or linguistics (if your school has this major) and do your pre-reqs in the meantime? Don't major in biology just because every other pre-med is doing it. Do it because you LOVE it, and I mean love it because you'll have to live with the major for four years. Majoring in something else might even help you stand out in the applicant pool, and your grades will most likely be higher because you like what you're studying. If A&P is really your thing, then take it in addition to Gen. Bio. It'll be a big help on the MCAT.

As for working in other countries, much of that is restricted to volunteer work. One option would be to set up a practice in the US from which you get your income, and every few months or so travel and work abroad through something like Doctors without Borders. In the meantime, there's this great program called Amigos de las Americas where groups of students can work in Central/South American countries over the summer. They go live with a host family in a rural town and teach the people about hygiene, help build latrines, etc. I think you get paired with a buddy, and you two stick together throughout the whole thing so you don't get too homesick. However, you have to pay your way because the host family can't really afford to put you up for 6-8 weeks, but I think the program helps you raise your funds. Some of my classmates in high school did this, and they said it was a great experience. Another catch is you have to know Spanish pretty well or else you won't be able to communicate with the townspeople!

If medicine is what you really want to do with your life, then go for it. Who cares if other people don't believe you can make it? Do your own thing and do it well, and you'll be set.

 

[dr_juvi]

Why don't you major in a foreign language or linguistics (if your school has this major) and do your pre-reqs in the meantime? Don't major in biology just because every other pre-med is doing it. Do it because you LOVE it, and I mean love it because you'll have to live with the major for four years. Majoring in something else might even help you stand out in the applicant pool, and your grades will most likely be higher because you like what you're studying. If A&P is really your thing, then take it in addition to Gen. Bio. It'll be a big help on the MCAT.

As for working in other countries, much of that is restricted to volunteer work. One option would be to set up a practice in the US from which you get your income, and every few months or so travel and work abroad through something like Doctors without Borders. In the meantime, there's this great program called Amigos de las Americas where groups of students can work in Central/South American countries over the summer. They go live with a host family in a rural town and teach the people about hygiene, help build latrines, etc. I think you get paired with a buddy, and you two stick together throughout the whole thing so you don't get too homesick. However, you have to pay your way because the host family can't really afford to put you up for 6-8 weeks, but I think the program helps you raise your funds. Some of my classmates in high school did this, and they said it was a great experience. Another catch is you have to know Spanish pretty well or else you won't be able to communicate with the townspeople!

If medicine is what you really want to do with your life, then go for it. Who cares if other people don't believe you can make it? Do your own thing and do it well, and you'll be set.

Thank you for your inspiring words..that program you described sonds like something I would absolutely love to do, I am looking into it and hopefully will end up doing it, especially since I speak Spanish already (grew up in a spanish speaking home)
As for my major, I've decided in majoring in International Studies with a minor in a language (most likely French or Italian because I will be taking Spanish as part of the requirement to be an International Studies Major.) I will be taking just the required classes for med-school as well. Thanks so much guys, its cool to know that there are people out there like you willing to help in such important choices. Good luck to all of you too! 🙂

Flushing Nemo are u considering/ are pre-med??

 

[FlushingNemo]

Flushing Nemo are u considering/ are pre-med??

I'm pre-med, but I'm just taking the required classes plus two extra biology classes. I'm a philosophy major, probably with an emphasis in bioethics. I had always thought I would be a biology major, but in high school I took a philosophy class and a religion class with an emphasis in phil, and I just fell in love with the subject, so I decided to major in it in college. I figured I'd be spending the rest of my life in the sciences. College is my opportunity to expose myself to something different. Plus, my brother and sister were both molecular biology majors, and I was getting sick of being asked if I was going to be "just like them".

 

[acl3623]

juvi, i would major in languages if i were you. because let me just tell you that biology's fun courses are the ones on the cell structure and function, etc. as a bio major youll also have to take some extraordinarily boring classes on plant bio, zoology, as well as go up to calc I/II. and thats where it gets tough to keep up the A's and B's. if i could do it again i would major in exercise science or something that i had a genuine interest in. because not only is biology one of the hardest majors in college (which most premeds fall into) it is one of the most useless if you dont manage to get into med school. i am deathly afraid of this, because if i dont get in, ill probably be measuring the amount of poop contamination in the water for some government agency earning 35K. better you spend these four years studying something you like and have a backup plan you can live with if it doesnt work out...good luck!

 

[dr_juvi]

i am deathly afraid of this, because if i dont get in, ill probably be measuring the amount of poop contamination in the water for some government agency earning 35K. better you spend these four years studying something you like and have a backup plan you can live with if it doesnt work out...good luck!

LMAO..well look at it this way, at least you would get paid an ok amount for just measuring poop contamination. lol, i'm sure you'll do fine just do well all around (GPA,mcat and activities) and i'm sure u'll be ok. and thanks for the advice! 😀