Recommended Majors for me.

[NaCksm]

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Hi,
Right now I cannot decide on a major. Junior in High school going to community college first. I know that majors do not really matter. I also know I can major in whatever I like and is good at. I would like to be either a general doctor or a nurse. My dream career is something the medical field. I want to help people and travel to places to help. But, I just do not know what. I can't decide, I also don't really have a current thing I really am interested in, except medical things. I have a huge interest in things that has to do with the body. Like, why this disease happens, what causes it, what effect does it do to the body, etc. I suck at math and chemistry. I do like writing stories and English. I probably will suck at physics too. I am really interested in why someone does something, what caused it, and effects on body and people. I like to see things from different points of view. I am a very curious person. For example, when I am in history class I always wonder why someone like Hitler would do that, what was going on in his mind? May anyone recommend any majors for me except biology or chemistry? Also, do you have to be pretty strong to be a occupational or physical therapist?
Oh yea, I only will go to colleges in California. I do not want to exit California.
Thank you!

 

[JacksonInTheBox]

This is what your first few semesters of college is for. Take different classes and find out what you want to do for yourself. That is the best way succeed. You know you want to go into medicine so sprinkle the med school pre-reqs you need along the way. Do not take a recommended major from others. That is what I did and ended up hating alot of the courses for my major.

You need to figure this out for yourself.

 

[NaCksm]

Thank you! Hm...that kind of clears up my worries, but I would still prefer some suggestions.
Also what is being a doctor really like? I read on what it takes to be a doctor and it sounds like doctors have no time for their own family. It also sounds like they have no life expect for being a doctor. It also sounds like they get no vacations or days off, since they are on-call all the time. It also sounds like they get disrespected by so many people and get low earnings due to malpractice insurance and having to pay medical schools bills. I am a woman and would like to find a husband, have children, and raise a nice family when I am a doctor. This sounds almost impossible while in medical school or when someone is a doctor.

 

[Double A]

The previous poster is right. Throwing majors at you isn't going to help you decide. Go to your school's site and read through the different majors they offer, find out which you think you would enjoy. You also might want to decide if you want to pursue a nursing career or go to medical school. If you want to be a nurse, then you major in nursing... if you want to go to medical school you can major in whatever you like as long as you take your pre-reqs. I had no idea what I wanted to major in when I started college. I took a few intro classes in a couple of fields I was interested in and was able to decide on a major. I suggest you do the same.

 

[Aladdin]

I recommend that you major in whatever interests you. There is no way we can provide recommendations without knowing what you enjoy/like.

 

[ChemEngMD]

I am going to make an assesment strictly upon your username and your three posts that you should major in:

Anthopology w/ a Aero-Space Engineering Minor


I have spoken...

 

[ChemEngMD]

For real tho: definitely major in something you GENUINELY enjoy

I regret being a Chemical Engineering major all the time...despite having a full scholarship to do it...

 

[gonj]

Yeah, shop around, explore your interests, then major in something you like. Based on what you've posted so far, your 1st semester might be something like: psych, soc, history, literature, bio. Just don't major in psych, soc, or literature though. I kid (sort of).

 

[durty]

sounds to me like you are scientifically minded so you should major in that if you want. Psychology is obviously (somewhat) about why people do what they do, that's why people take psych to figure out why they are who they are. if you're going into nursing take nursing classes, if you are undecided between the two maybe take premed courses so you can take the MCAT and then major in nursing. If you decide you'd like to take your chances at being a doctor apply for medical school (usually you need 90 credit hours at least to apply) and then you'll have a very unique perspective on the health care education system because you've seen a few years of nursing school and then medical school (hopefully).
-durty

 

[LizzyM]

If you think you would be interested in nursing, you need to shadow some nurses, find out what they do and apply to a community college that prepares you to sit for the RN exam. You can then go to school for a longer period of time to get a Bachelor's degree (needed if you want to continue your education at the graduate level) or just go to work as a nurse.

Otherwise, consider behavioral psychology as it is the study of people and why they do what they do. To get ahead in this field you will need an advanced degree (PhD) Start with your general education requirements in jr college along with some psychology and sociology classes.

Medical anthropology is a similar choice and it may give you the opportunity to travel. Some incidental "helping" of people goes on in the field as you build relationships with the people with whom you interact (those who inform you as you go about your fieldwork).

Epidemiology is another field. It is the study of the causes of disease. Some epidemiologists study infectious diseases and they tend to have strong backgrounds in the biological sciences, particularly microbiology and the study of critters and the diseases that they carry. Others specialize in diseases that are chronic (cancers, heart disease, mental illness) and their background might be in genetics, physiology, nutrition, psychology, or sociology, (or something entirely different). Again, a PhD is generally the norm for people working in this area and the schools of public health (there are several in California) are where you go for this training after you finish a bachelors degree (in some cases you will earn an Master of Public Health or a similar master's level degree on the way to earning the PhD). Many epidemiologists collaborate with others around the world and so travel is possible.

With any of these majors, you could add the pre-med prerequisites later if you decide that medicine rather than graduate school is a better fit for you. However, if you want to understand the underlying mechanisms of human behavior and why things are the way they are, you might be better suited for research with human beings rather than in patient care.

 

[LSU Gladiator]

I have a couple of suggestions that I wish someone had given me a few years back:

1. Pick your favorite subject and major in it. If it's a science, then good job! If it's not, then just make sure you take the med school pre-reqs. If it is NOT a science, then it might be helpful to pick a science as your minor (it shouldn't be too far off if you're already working to fulfill the med school requirements).

2. If you like a particular science and major in it, it wouldn't hurt to get a minor in your favorite non-science area to round you out.

Rock on.

 

[LizzyM]

Thank you! Hm...that kind of clears up my worries, but I would still prefer some suggestions.
Also what is being a doctor really like? I read on what it takes to be a doctor and it sounds like doctors have no time for their own family. It also sounds like they have no life expect for being a doctor. It also sounds like they get no vacations or days off, since they are on-call all the time. It also sounds like they get disrespected by so many people and get low earnings due to malpractice insurance and having to pay medical schools bills. I am a woman and would like to find a husband, have children, and raise a nice family when I am a doctor. This sounds almost impossible while in medical school or when someone is a doctor.

Plenty of women who are physicians find a husband, have children and raise nice families. Some of them choose to work part-time while their children are young, or they have someone who works in their home to care for the chidren and handle some of the household tasks. Many postpone marriage and children until they are in their late-20s or early 30s.

Physicians do work very hard and they work very long hours. They do have some time off. Sometimes emergencies happen and a doctor has to stay later than planned or go in when they'd otherwise enjoy an evening (or night) at home. Doctors do have some weekends off and some doctors who work together in a group will take turns covering while the others have time off. The same thing happens during vacations and maternity leave. If you work in a rural area and are the only doctor, you can hire a doctor who is like a substitute teacher; the doctor comes in and takes over your practice for a month (or more) while you get some time away from work.

In America, most physicians are well paid for what they do. On the other hand, many borrow hundreds of thousands of dollars to pay for medical school. This is on top of what they might borrow for undergrad. Having to pay back student loans can take a big chunck of a physician's income. Malpractice insurance is another expense that physicians pay out of their own pocket unless they work for a salary and have the insurance proivided by the employer. You might think you can make more money being your own boss (private practice) but some people prefer to work for a set annual salary (employee model) knowing that the malpractice bill is being paid by someone else.

If you are still in HS, then you have a lot of time to explore careers. If your school has a guidance counselor, you may be able to get some help there in learning about your options and even getting a change to visit people in their workplaces. Colleges will offer similar opportunities.

 

[NaCksm]

Yeah, shop around, explore your interests, then major in something you like. Based on what you've posted so far, your 1st semester might be something like: psych, soc, history, literature, bio. Just don't major in psych, soc, or literature though. I kid (sort of).

Hey thanks everyone! My dream job would be a doctor and would be able to travel to Africa in the future to help kids there. Nurse is just in case I don't get in medical schools, due to being REALLY BAD at math, chemistry, and physics. Which most med students have to know. I studied for chem tests and the highest grade I manged to get on a chem test was 64.
Also, what do you mean kidding by sort of for psych 😵? Lol. One of the choices I was considering was to major in psychology. : )