I need help deciding between Law or Medicine

[HipHopPoetry]

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Hello,

I do not know which to choose for my future career. I am a freshman in undergrad, and I want to make sure I know what my aim is. I am stuck between Law and Medical, mainly Psychiatry. Law I would want to try Business law, reading contracts and the such. I want to do Psychiatric Medicine because I have relatives and friends that suffer from mental illness, so that is why I am currently siding with Medicine. But I also have a great appeal in Law. I just don't know if I am mature enough to decide now. I am going to a very easy school for my first two years, so I could probably do my medical prerequisites starting next semester. I also have a sibling who applied and went to Medical School, but for very different reasons. So, what sort of classes should I take? Advanced ones or just the prerequisites? I am still undecided of my undergraduate degree. Currently I am deciding between English w/ Honors or Finance w/ Honors. I don't want to take Psychology because from my understanding it isn't that rooted in science. Once again, it could be my immaturity speaking. Heck, I don't even know all the differences between a DO and MD. For top medical programs, what GPA/MCAT should I aim for? I've gone through most of High School thinking about Law, but Medical has been there the whole time.

What classes should I take for medical pre reqs?
What should be my target MCAT/GPA for Medical Programs?
In Wisconsin, where should I aim to go for shadowing or internships? I know my sister shadowed the family doctor, so I might ask if I can shadow him.

With that, thanks for any replies!

 

[Goro]

Pre reqs
Sociology
Biology
Basic chem
Organic chem
Physics
Biochem
Cell Bio
Molecular biology
Mathematics

GPA SHOULD be >3.4

 

[HipHopPoetry]

Oh, also I'm the sort of student that aims for a 4.0 regardless, haha. My sibling got in the mid 30's for her MCAT, and her and I are somewhat competitive. We each tied for our ACT scores, which was in the mid 30's. OFF TOPIC, but I just googled the average MCAT, and it states that it is 37. Out of 45? That sounds really difficult, but naturally, I wonder what the chances of being accepted into a top Medical program is if you got a score such as 40 or above. I have always been called empathetic and whatnot, and mental health is one issue that I do take very seriously and want to know more about. Does initial Medican institution that you go to matter, or is residency more important? For example, can you go to the 50th ranked Medical School and still get into a top ten residency for psychiatry? Just shooting it out there.

 

[deleted103644]

Do you want to be the shark or the food?

 

[Disciple of Sattar]

Medicine is a fulfilling career for those who like caring for the sick and dying, while also having an interest in/aptitude for biological science. As a physician, your daily role will revolve around sick people and the science of physiology. If you don't like, or like but can't handle one of these two things, medicine is probably not a suitable career choice.

Your most important steps are to put yourself in a position where you are spending time with/helping sick people in some way, and start taking medical school science prerequisites. Try to find something where you are working directly with these people instead of just being somewhat nearby. Providing support and companionship to hospice or cancer inpatients will be far more revealing than folding blankets in the hospital closet, for example.

 

[deleted804295]

Hello,

I do not know which to choose for my future career. I am a freshman in undergrad, and I want to make sure I know what my aim is. I am stuck between Law and Medical, mainly Psychiatry. Law I would want to try Business law, reading contracts and the such. I want to do Psychiatric Medicine because I have relatives and friends that suffer from mental illness, so that is why I am currently siding with Medicine. But I also have a great appeal in Law. I just don't know if I am mature enough to decide now. I am going to a very easy school for my first two years, so I could probably do my medical prerequisites starting next semester. I also have a sibling who applied and went to Medical School, but for very different reasons. So, what sort of classes should I take? Advanced ones or just the prerequisites? I am still undecided of my undergraduate degree. Currently I am deciding between English w/ Honors or Finance w/ Honors. I don't want to take Psychology because from my understanding it isn't that rooted in science. Once again, it could be my immaturity speaking. Heck, I don't even know all the differences between a DO and MD. For top medical programs, what GPA/MCAT should I aim for? I've gone through most of High School thinking about Law, but Medical has been there the whole time.

What classes should I take for medical pre reqs?
What should be my target MCAT/GPA for Medical Programs?
In Wisconsin, where should I aim to go for shadowing or internships? I know my sister shadowed the family doctor, so I might ask if I can shadow him.

With that, thanks for any replies!

Honestly I'm in the same boat and choosing medicine due to some of the things I've experienced in my life. Tough decision but law school reqs are easy to fulfill so why not double major to fulfill both paths and decide later?

 

[Forever Geebs]

You’re young. Try different courses, find mentors, volunteer, and as you do so, you’ll likely gravitate toward one field or in a completely different direction. This is the time to gain exposure to as much as you can versus putting all your eggs in one basket.

Have fun and enjoy undergrad.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[HipHopPoetry]

Do you want to be the shark or the food?

Haha, if I do go into Law, it will not be on the side where I aggressively hunt and sue. I love reading, and have won national writing and poetry competitions, and one of my favorite things is proofreading. I will probably write and check contracts, and close at the most.

 

[Goro]

Oh, also I'm the sort of student that aims for a 4.0 regardless, haha. My sibling got in the mid 30's for her MCAT, and her and I are somewhat competitive. We each tied for our ACT scores, which was in the mid 30's. OFF TOPIC, but I just googled the average MCAT, and it states that it is 37. Out of 45? That sounds really difficult, but naturally, I wonder what the chances of being accepted into a top Medical program is if you got a score such as 40 or above. I have always been called empathetic and whatnot, and mental health is one issue that I do take very seriously and want to know more about. Does initial Medican institution that you go to matter, or is residency more important? For example, can you go to the 50th ranked Medical School and still get into a top ten residency for psychiatry? Just shooting it out there.

The median MCAT score for MD acceptees on the old exam was 31. 37 was the median for WashU..one of the tippy top of the top schools.

The next exam's medians for MD acceptees is ~510.

For DO, the old median was ~26, I don't know what the new one is.
GPA median for DO schools is around 3.3-3.5

 

[Goro]

Hello,

I do not know which to choose for my future career. I am a freshman in undergrad, and I want to make sure I know what my aim is. I am stuck between Law and Medical, mainly Psychiatry. Law I would want to try Business law, reading contracts and the such. I want to do Psychiatric Medicine because I have relatives and friends that suffer from mental illness, so that is why I am currently siding with Medicine. But I also have a great appeal in Law. I just don't know if I am mature enough to decide now. I am going to a very easy school for my first two years, so I could probably do my medical prerequisites starting next semester. I also have a sibling who applied and went to Medical School, but for very different reasons. So, what sort of classes should I take? Advanced ones or just the prerequisites? I am still undecided of my undergraduate degree. Currently I am deciding between English w/ Honors or Finance w/ Honors. I don't want to take Psychology because from my understanding it isn't that rooted in science. Once again, it could be my immaturity speaking. Heck, I don't even know all the differences between a DO and MD. For top medical programs, what GPA/MCAT should I aim for? I've gone through most of High School thinking about Law, but Medical has been there the whole time.

What classes should I take for medical pre reqs?
What should be my target MCAT/GPA for Medical Programs?
In Wisconsin, where should I aim to go for shadowing or internships? I know my sister shadowed the family doctor, so I might ask if I can shadow him.

With that, thanks for any replies!

Read this book:
Med School Rx: Getting In, Getting Through, and Getting On with Doctoring Original Edition

by Walter Hartwig

ISBN-13: 978-1607140627

ISBN-10: 1607140624

 

[deleted804295]

Read this book:
Med School Rx: Getting In, Getting Through, and Getting On with Doctoring Original Edition

by Walter Hartwig

ISBN-13: 978-1607140627

ISBN-10: 1607140624

I know this wasn't meant for me but I'll take a look and read this book. Thanks for recommending it!

 

[rabbott1971]

One way to choose is look at how many lawyers switch to medicine (lots), and how many docs switch to law (none). Ask yourself why.

Law is over-saturated with job seekers, and getting some "I just write contracts" type of job is exceedingly difficult. Physicians are in demand, and the "worst" jobs are still pretty damn good.

Maybe you think pay isn't important. You'll learn as you get older that it is, but okay. But there is a substantial pay difference between law and medicine. Many lawyers are starting off at $33,000 a year in some markets, because there are too many damn lawyers for too few good jobs. Ask around if you don't think so, or go search for jobs on the web. You'll see.

Medicine is far more demanding intellectually. I would even go so far as to say that every medical school matriculant could pass law school easily, but only a fraction of law students could even become admitted to medical school, much less pass and become a licensed physician.

Good news is that there are no prerequisites for law school, so you can take the science classes listed above by Goro and then decide which way to go as graduation approaches. Good luck! p.s. I am a 19-year lawyer trying to switch to medicine.

 

[dr_kateb]

Would you rather sue or be sued?

 

[OrthoTraumaMD]

@Goro quick question about prereqs out of curiosity. Is biochem a regular thing now? It wasn't when I applied, so I never took it til med school, but that was years ago.


Sent from my iPhone using SDN mobile

 

[begoood95]

@Goro quick question about prereqs out of curiosity. Is biochem a regular thing now? It wasn't when I applied, so I never took it til med school, but that was years ago.


Sent from my iPhone using SDN mobile

Well, afaik, it is now becoming more of a "regular thing." Many schools have started to explicitly state that they're wanting "competency" in biochemistry in addition to the regular genchem and ochem requirements. However, the small caveat is that some medical schools are now moving towards "competency based" requirements, the completion of which does not necessarily mean you've taken the aforementioned pre-reqs. It usually works out to people having to take those pre-reqs though anyways, because genchem is a pre-req for ochem, which (at least at my institution) is a pre-req for biochem.

In other words, yes, it is a regular thing now.

 

[CoffeeintheMorning]

MD/JD Joint programs!

 

[LizzyM]

Psychiatry is the opposite of reading all day... it is talking and listening all day.

If you have an interest in law and a soft spot for the mentally ill, there are jobs for public defenders and advocates for the disabled (including those with severe psychiatric disabilities) in civil proceedings. Law could serve both your interest in that intellectual pursuit and service to a vulnerable population.

Work hard, keep your GPA up, major in anything and cover the coursework Goro has outlined. BTW, the MCAT changed a couple years ago and the "average" test score for all takers is ~500. Most matriculants have a score of 510 or higher. The test is in 4 sections where the mean score in each section is 125 and the maximum is, I think, 132.

 

[deleted480308]

Hello,

I do not know which to choose for my future career. I am a freshman in undergrad, and I want to make sure I know what my aim is. I am stuck between Law and Medical, mainly Psychiatry. Law I would want to try Business law, reading contracts and the such. I want to do Psychiatric Medicine because I have relatives and friends that suffer from mental illness, so that is why I am currently siding with Medicine. But I also have a great appeal in Law. I just don't know if I am mature enough to decide now. I am going to a very easy school for my first two years, so I could probably do my medical prerequisites starting next semester. I also have a sibling who applied and went to Medical School, but for very different reasons. So, what sort of classes should I take? Advanced ones or just the prerequisites? I am still undecided of my undergraduate degree. Currently I am deciding between English w/ Honors or Finance w/ Honors. I don't want to take Psychology because from my understanding it isn't that rooted in science. Once again, it could be my immaturity speaking. Heck, I don't even know all the differences between a DO and MD. For top medical programs, what GPA/MCAT should I aim for? I've gone through most of High School thinking about Law, but Medical has been there the whole time.

What classes should I take for medical pre reqs?
What should be my target MCAT/GPA for Medical Programs?
In Wisconsin, where should I aim to go for shadowing or internships? I know my sister shadowed the family doctor, so I might ask if I can shadow him.

With that, thanks for any replies!

It depends on your caliber as a student and you need to be brutally honest with yourself about this....

A top 20 law school grad who is upper and can make some silly money. A lower end lawyer with amazing business skills can start their own thing and do well. A lower end law school grad as an employee starts at ~40k if they can even find a job at all. Google lawyer saturation

Every single US med school graduate that passes their exams and doesn’t get a felony can match if they aren’t a crazy person at an interview. Every single residency graduate that can pass boards can make >$200k/ yr

 

[Goro]

@Goro quick question about prereqs out of curiosity. Is biochem a regular thing now? It wasn't when I applied, so I never took it til med school, but that was years ago.


Sent from my iPhone using SDN mobile

School dependent, but definitely needed for MCAT, and I firmly believe that it will help for med school.

 

[OrthoTraumaMD]

School dependent, but definitely needed for MCAT, and I firmly believe that it will help for med school.

Thanks!


Sent from my iPhone using SDN mobile

 

[Princeton Medical Student]

Don't bother going to law school outside t-14 or at least t-25, unless you enjoy unemployment.

 

[sumtimesuwonder]

Hello,

I do not know which to choose for my future career. I am a freshman in undergrad, and I want to make sure I know what my aim is. I am stuck between Law and Medical, mainly Psychiatry. Law I would want to try Business law, reading contracts and the such. I want to do Psychiatric Medicine because I have relatives and friends that suffer from mental illness, so that is why I am currently siding with Medicine. But I also have a great appeal in Law. I just don't know if I am mature enough to decide now. I am going to a very easy school for my first two years, so I could probably do my medical prerequisites starting next semester. I also have a sibling who applied and went to Medical School, but for very different reasons. So, what sort of classes should I take? Advanced ones or just the prerequisites? I am still undecided of my undergraduate degree. Currently I am deciding between English w/ Honors or Finance w/ Honors. I don't want to take Psychology because from my understanding it isn't that rooted in science. Once again, it could be my immaturity speaking. Heck, I don't even know all the differences between a DO and MD. For top medical programs, what GPA/MCAT should I aim for? I've gone through most of High School thinking about Law, but Medical has been there the whole time.

What classes should I take for medical pre reqs?
What should be my target MCAT/GPA for Medical Programs?
In Wisconsin, where should I aim to go for shadowing or internships? I know my sister shadowed the family doctor, so I might ask if I can shadow him.

With that, thanks for any replies!

I also faced this same dilemma back in undergrad. My solution ended up being majoring in political science, which had a lot of flexibility for scheduling purposes and taking all of my pre-med requirements as electives (I also ended up minoring in Biology), and made the decision as a Junior to go to law school. I ended up going to law school for one year and dropping out, it wasn't what I thought it was and I just didn't like it. I spent the next 3-4 years getting healthcare experience and studying for the MCAT. Now I'm a first year at a DO school.

If I had one piece of advice for you it is this: Get real life experience in both fields before deciding which way to go. Whether it is taking a gap year and working after you graduate, or working during the summer, or whatever, but actually getting out there and experiencing it is the best way to go.

Also: I echo what previous posters have said about T-14/T-25 law schools. The legal job market is awful right now. If you get into a top end school, you'll be in good shape. If not, be prepared to gun to be toward the top of your class or else finding a job will be difficult

 

[jazzmetal]

One way to choose is look at how many lawyers switch to medicine (lots), and how many docs switch to law (none). Ask yourself why.

Law is over-saturated with job seekers, and getting some "I just write contracts" type of job is exceedingly difficult. Physicians are in demand, and the "worst" jobs are still pretty damn good.

Maybe you think pay isn't important. You'll learn as you get older that it is, but okay. But there is a substantial pay difference between law and medicine. Many lawyers are starting off at $33,000 a year in some markets, because there are too many damn lawyers for too few good jobs. Ask around if you don't think so, or go search for jobs on the web. You'll see.

Medicine is far more demanding intellectually. I would even go so far as to say that every medical school matriculant could pass law school easily, but only a fraction of law students could even become admitted to medical school, much less pass and become a licensed physician.

Good news is that there are no prerequisites for law school, so you can take the science classes listed above by Goro and then decide which way to go as graduation approaches. Good luck! p.s. I am a 19-year lawyer trying to switch to medicine.

I'm also a lawyer (much older) trying to switch to medicine. I agree with many of these points, but disagree with some.

OP, one important question is - where do you live? "I just write contracts" jobs abound in Silicon Valley and other tech centers... but I will also share, from experience, that commercial contracts jobs get old really fast. I generally found the practice of law to be nowhere near as interesting as law school itself. On the plus side, there are many metro areas with on-demand in-house counsel firms that make it easy to find in-house/contracts work. Also, if you see yourself in business eventually, then commercial contracts/deal negotiation is not a bad path. It's pretty different from working with sick and dying patients though. I love my clients, but I crave a larger purpose in my work. I find an afternoon of volunteering at the hospital so much more satisfying than closing even the most high-stakes deals I've worked on.

Re: income - I cannot imagine I'd make more as a physician than I make now as a lawyer, although that's largely because I'd be starting over at the bottom of the totem pole. Again, it depends on location, and specialty. Don't let salary be your primary motivation though - or if it is, then go into business or real estate, not a service profession where your income will be tied to how many hours you work.

I agree that medicine is more demanding intellectually - that is another reason I'm looking to switch.

My general advice after many years in the working world is to take advantage of the freedom you have in college to explore anything and everything you're interested in. Do internships, shadowing, research. Work in the summers. Meet people, get to know your professors, ask lots and lots of questions. Really think about how you want to spend your waking hours: working in an office in front of a computer, or making rounds to see patients? Try both and see which you like more. You have plenty of time to decide, so - gather some evidence! If you're nearing graduation and you still have no strong preference, try for medicine first. It's definitely easier to switch from med to law than the other way around. Good luck!

 

[863168]

@HipHopPoetry Talk to your sibling/sister.

 

[HipHopPoetry]

Thanks all for the advice! Sorry about stating that I want to shoot for the best school, I am just naturally inclined to try my hardest at anything I do. If I shoot for the top, I make it around where I want to be at the least. Anyways, I also took into consideration how I have a few years before I actually decide on a specialty in medicine, so I plan on keeping an open mind as well.

While it does sound like I try for prestige, it is really me trying to find a place that will make me happy, and my current institution does not have that many resources as I would like. I want to go to a place that will have that security, and a place for me to do clinical hours or research. If I can manage that, all is well. Thank you again for taking your time replying!