<p>I have been pushed since elementary school to become a doctor and always obliged. I've always been very interested in science and the medical field. But I'm a freshman now and beginning to doubt whether I truly want to become that, or if I have just been told to do so and I think it's what I want. I've been pondering this for a while now and feel rather lost. Have found some majors such as forensic science and genetics that I think I'd be interested in and could stay on the pre-med route, currently just a chemistry major. Need some advice, haven't talked to anyone about this.</p>
<p>Do what you want to do!!! If you don’t want to do pre-med there are other option. Do what ever interests you, not what will bring in bank. It is simple, if you don’t like something, you will not do it with all your effort. Hope that helps! Message me if you want more advice!:)</p>
<p>Going into medicine because someone else thinks you ought to is a really, really bad idea. Medicine is a very long haul. (Undergrad, med school, residency, and fellowship training. You’re easily talking about the next decade and a half of your life–and that’s all before you even start your career.)</p>
<p>There are so many careers out in the world. Most of them you’ve never even heard of. Undergrad is the time to have doubts, look at alternatives and seriously think about how you want to spend the rest of your life.</p>
<p>You’re not a failure if you decide NOT to continue as a pre-med. (Though your family may try to pressure you into thinking you are.) They are plenty of other options that both provide a good living and help the world.</p>
<p>I would strongly advise you to take some time to think about this, take courses outside your major & pursue other interests—and see where it leads. If it leads you back to medicine–great; if it leads you elsewhere–that’s also great. The world needs all sorts of professions/jobs to function.</p>
<p>(Also remember that at your age there are very, very few truly irreversible decisions. It’s Ok to change your mind.)</p>
<p>"Need some advice, haven’t talked to anyone about this. "
-The best is to talk to pre-med advisor at your school. They know specifics of your UG and will see more details about you, your background, personally discuss your interests and the the reasons behind them.</p>
<p>This would be where the shadowing of a doc comes into play. You would have the opportunity to see what goes on in the day to day acticities and get some first hand experiences into the lifestyle.</p>
<p>Kat</p>
<p>Most medical schools want to see that you have explored the profession: shadow different types of doctors; volunteer in a hospital, a senior’s home; find health related internships- at a homeless shelter, for the school sports team, whatever you can find that helps you observe and learn the real life of different doctors. Perhaps you have been encouraged because it would be a great fit for you, in that case, before you embark on the long difficult path, check it out for yourself. Maybe your family just thinks it is a smart job, don;t do it for that reason, way too much time and effort and money, you need to live your life. But still do some serious investigation.</p>
<p>^ All the above advices are very good.</p>
<p>Another suggestion: Give yourself plenty of time to decide whether you really want to go into this career. If a gap year is not enough for you to decide, give yourself 2 or even 3 gap years to make this decision. (An analogy is that, I heard that the parents of Jeremy Lin gave him 2 (or 3?) years after college, before he would know whether he could get into the professional basketball career or not.)</p>
<p>Also, some CCers here said in the past that if you are extremely passionate about sciences, medicine (other than academic medicine) is likely not for you. I also heard (but not sure about this though) that the way the med school makes you learn science is not something whoever is really into sciences would feel that it is the right way. (or put it in another way: a step down from the UG science which is to prepare you for the academic career path. This is because it is an applied science mixed with many other disciplines.)</p>
<p>I agree with mcat2. I am an MD but I am by no stretch of the imagination a scientist. An MD or DO is a professional degree, not an academic degree. Coverage of real science topics in medical school is very superficial and it is non-existant in residency. If you are truly looking for an opportunity to learn and practice science you should go the PhD route in the science discipline you are most interested in. Clinical medicine will bore you to tears.</p>