Switching from business to pre-med

[Jim123!]

Hi All,(this is a long one)

I currently just finished my freshman year. As of right now, I am currently an econ/comp sci major at a T20 school. Up until now, I had my eyes set on finance, but have been having a little change of heart. I have been considering pre-med and was wondering what that would entail. The only pre-med classes I have done are Calc 1 and 2. What should I do to start pre-med? Should I switch to a bio major?

The way I see pre med vs finance is this

Medicine pros:
-help people
-job stability
-good salary

Medicine cons:
-debt
-long hours
-stress of ensuring the patient is healthy
-Regulations
-Residency(this is an odd one ik. But the difference in pay btwn a pediatrician vs orthopedic surgeon is huge. You put in 8 yrs of medical school and undergrad to possibly be paid significantly less)

Finance pros:
-6 figure starting salary
-Higher ceiling on pay
-Lots of great learning opportunities

Finance cons:
-long hours
-risk of losing job during a recession
-Added stress of not wanting to lose the firm money
-possibly boring depending on what position and what division

Any advice would be much appreciated in sorting my life out!

Side note, if I have a 3.9 rn, can I get some thoughts how I would do in pre-med classes? Just wondering how the classes differ in terms of difficulty.

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[AllBleedingStops]

Perhaps you might start by shadowing. You seem to have a limited perspective, which is completely reasonable! But I think the best way to gain some insight into this would be talking to people in the professions you are considering.

 

[Blanky]

Shadow.

 

[Jim123!]

Perhaps you might start by shadowing. You seem to have a limited perspective, which is completely reasonable! But I think the best way to gain some insight into this would be talking to people in the professions you are considering.

Do you think volunteering at a hospital would serve me well in figuring out if I wanted to pursue pre-med, or is that an after thought?

 

[OneTwoThreeFour]

There are plenty of ways you can help others from the business world. You need to specifically shadow a doctor for at least a few days to decide if that's the life you want for yourself.

 

[AllBleedingStops]

Do you think volunteering at a hospital would serve me well in figuring out if I wanted to pursue pre-med, or is that an after thought?

Well it is both. You need to do that in order to figure out if medicine is right for you (or might be right for you) but you should also continue gaining experience in this manner in various specialties if you plan to apply.

 

[Dagrimsta1]

Do whatever you like better. Start with a few science courses and see if it’s you. Try to volunteer a bit too.

 

[Jim123!]

Do whatever you like better. Start with a few science courses and see if it’s you. Try to volunteer a bit too.

Do you suggestions on which science course? I was thinking of taking I want to take either chem or bio next semester.

 

[Blanky]

Start chem.

 

[Dagrimsta1]

Do you suggestions on which science course? I was thinking of taking I want to take either chem or bio next semester.

Chem and bio. For an extra challenge, take both next semester to get a taste of what it’s like to have a heavier loAd.

 

[Tigerhawk77]

I got a degree in finance, worked at Goldman, went back to medical school, now in residency.

I’m happier but it wasn’t a real pro / con situation. It was a situation where I couldn’t see myself doing anything else. I get paid worse, less upside, work same hours. But I’m happy I did it. Fits me better.

 

[westsidestoryz]

I went from business to pre-med. DM if you want some help!

 

[DZimmy16]

I'm in a MD-MBA program rn and I'm just finishing up business school. If you're interested in both business and medicine this may be something that you want to pursue in the future. I just wanted to touch on the difficulty aspect and say that science is way more time consuming and challenging in my opinion than business. I had absolutely no formal business background and I graduated business school with all A's and A-'s. Earning my MBA in a year was honestly easier than my undergrad (Biomedical Science Major). If you have any questions about the MD-MBA feel free to message me. Good luck!

 

[Jack-of-all-trades]

Hi All,(this is a long one)

I currently just finished my freshman year. As of right now, I am currently an econ/comp sci major at a T20 school. Up until now, I had my eyes set on finance, but have been having a little change of heart. I have been considering pre-med and was wondering what that would entail. The only pre-med classes I have done are Calc 1 and 2. What should I do to start pre-med? Should I switch to a bio major?

The way I see pre med vs finance is this

Medicine pros:
-help people
-job stability
-good salary

Medicine cons:
-debt
-long hours
-stress of ensuring the patient is healthy
-Regulations
-Residency(this is an odd one ik. But the difference in pay btwn a pediatrician vs orthopedic surgeon is huge. You put in 8 yrs of medical school and undergrad to possibly be paid significantly less)

Finance pros:
-6 figure starting salary
-Higher ceiling on pay
-Lots of great learning opportunities

Finance cons:
-long hours
-risk of losing job during a recession
-Added stress of not wanting to lose the firm money
-possibly boring depending on what position and what division

Any advice would be much appreciated in sorting my life out!

Side note, if I have a 3.9 rn, can I get some thoughts how I would do in pre-med classes? Just wondering how the classes differ in terms of difficulty.

I agree with everybody else. Go and shadow different specialties for a few days. You truly cannot know what medicine is like until you shadow. You might love it, you might hate it.

If you love it, great! Start out by taking your basic pre reqs like general chemistry and biology. You do not have to major in a science field though. You can major in whatever you'd like as long as you get the pre reqs done.