Being a doctor has been something I’ve always aspired to be as I was growing up. I came into college as a biology major but found myself much more interested in problem solving based and math heavy classes instead of rote memorization so I switched over to a chemistry major and also have been taking extra math classes for the fun of it. I just took differential equations and physical chemistry last semester and really enjoyed them because it involved so much critical thinking, logic, and math. And I’m not too fond of the biology classes I’ve taken so far due to the amount of memorization.
I’ve heard that medical school is a majority memorization and I’ve recently been looking into chemical engineering masters programs and it looks like a really good fit at the moment. If I were to do a chemical engineering MS i would have to take a couple remedial classes. Any suggestions or advice??
mod note: merged two very similar threads together..
I’ll repeat this bit of advice that I’ve seen be given to people who were also debating on whether or not to go to medical school: if they could see themselves doing something else that wasn’t medicine (that they’d enjoy of course), do that instead.
I’d advise you to try to get some first hand experience in the chemical engineering field. Perhaps volunteer at a research lab at your school or talk to your professors of classes you’ve taken and/or will take and see what they say about it.
Were you intending to go to medical school since you started college? Do you have all prerequisite classes done, taken the MCAT, and done some volunteer work/medical extracurriculars? Or where you leaning more towards industry/engineering, with an internship or project maybe?
Your best bet is to shadow a doctor and an engineer, as well as talk to your professors.
Often, we dream of doing something as a child because growing up, we’re only exposed to so many careers. A doctor is one of the few careers that most kids (of all socioeconomic groups) are relatively familiar with; they’re portrayed glamorously on television, and most people know that they make lots of money, get to help people, and are generally well-respected and prestigious in society. But most folks also don’t know anything about the day to day work involved, nor do they have a really good idea of what their adult personality will be like and whether that’s even well-suited for medicine.
On the flip side, very few of us are familiar with the very wide range of other careers that are out there, many of which might be a better fit than whatever their childhood dream was. I’d never heard of mine until about three or four years ago.
You had a childhood dream to be a doctor - and that’s pretty normal - but now, as a young adult, your heart and mind are telling you that your interests lie elsewhere. Follow your adult mind! That’s going to be a way more accurate barometer of the kinds of things you’ll enjoy in a career than your childhood imaginings about being a doctor. It’s okay to change your mind and decide that something else suits you better.
Go ahead and take the few remedial classes. I agree with the advice to try to set up a short chat with some chemical engineers in your area. You might find some through your alumni association or just by connecting on LinkedIn. You’d be surprised how people are willing to chat with curious college students for 30 minutes, especially if you offer to buy them a coffee.
Being a doctor has been something I’ve always aspired to be as I was growing up. I came into college as a biology major but found myself much more interested in problem solving based and math heavy classes instead of rote memorization so I switched over to a chemistry major and also have been taking extra math classes for the fun of it. I just took differential equations and physical chemistry last semester and really enjoyed them because it involved so much critical thinking, logic, and math. And I’m not too fond of the biology classes I’ve taken so far due to the amount of memorization.
I’ve heard that medical school is a majority memorization and I’ve recently been looking into chemical engineering masters programs and it looks like a really good fit at the moment. If I were to do a chemical engineering MS i would have to take a couple remedial classes. Any suggestions or advice??
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