<p>This is my dilemma:
I can see myself in two, very different, positions. I would either be at an i-bank, or I would be in medicine. I know that most of you are now assuming I'm in it for the money, but it's strange to describe how both of these fields appeal to me. I like how econ is a funky science in itself, and it invokes my curiosity. Medicine does the same, just applies it to different sciences.</p>
<p>If I can't pick one over the other by application time next year, would majoring in Econ (to later land jobs in i-banking/similar) while pursuing pre-med be manageable? Is it that uncommon?</p>
<p>1) take chemistry (or orgo chem) frosh year. if you still want to be a doctor, most kids weed out after chem. worst comes to worse, you get your sci requirement out of the way.</p>
<p>2) medicine and premed in general is a commitment, maybe upwards of 12 years of your life starting next year. so though it is okay to be curious, usually you need to feel it more than a hunch. i am one of the many failed premeds, i liked it, but realized students liked it a lot more than i did.</p>
<p>3) if on the merits your question can you manage both…yes. i knew 4 kids who double majored in econ and bio. i know some kids who did just premed requirements, but majored in econ. students do it all the time. but most kids i know that do premed and major in something like econ or history or philosophy, they major in this other field with pretty certain they wont go into that field, it becomes an intellectual exercise, expansion, etc. so i think medicine, is more of your constraint.</p>
<p>and this leads to 4) to get a job in ibanking you don’t need to have majored in econ. they want to know you understand basics, that you can speak the language, have taken some classes. you can at any point in your time in college start thinking about banking. certainly majoring in econ and getting internships makes it easier, but a lot of what they like are people that have initiative, people that are coachable, so they don’t only look for econ kids. make sure regardless, that you have a full resume, and that is what you need. so you could of course take 2-3 classes in econ, maybe take a class in acct&finance, and major in whatever and do premed. you could be sure of med school, and hit senior year and have a crisis and still try your hand. </p>
<p>-so moral, i think it is doable, but i think you should leave yourself open to being changed. i think you’ll figure out if you’re really someone who wants to do medicine, or if the allures of applying knowledge in the financial world makes sense - or maybe some mixture of the two? who knows. you have a lot of time though.</p>
<p>Wow! That was a truly insightful response! Thanks. You’re answers are very helpful on my posts and others’ posts as well.</p>