Is doing nothing over a summer really that bad? This is gonna be my second summer and I just completed my second year of university.
The problem that I have is that I am an international student with English as a third language. I also have social anxiety, OCD and depression. I dint do anything last summer either, because of the social anxiety. And I dont feel like doing anything this summer. I am extremely anxious and depressed.
I want to be a neuroscientist and I dont know if it would look bad if someone did nothing during the first two summers of university. Though, Im surely gonna get a job next summer because I think I would be more mentally stable by next year since Im doing meditation everyday. But I dont know what should i do now?
Please help me, give me some advice or something. I dont wanna ruin my career.
Since english is your 3rd language it’s probably a language barrier thing but let’s clarify:
Medical Doctor (MD) who surgically treats issues in the brain: neurosurgeon
Medical Doctor (MD) who medically treats issues in the brain: neurologist
Research Scientist (PhD) who studies the brain: neuroscientist
Which one are you interested in?
Regardless of which one you’re pursuing, frankly, yes, spending both summers not doing anything productive is going to hurt you. Thankfully none of those pathways require that you go straight from undergraduate education so wasting two summers doesn’t ruin your career, it just delays it. You may need to spend a year or two after college building up your application for medical or graduate school and having two wasted summers freshman and sophomore year won’t matter at that point.
See a therapist to help you with soical anxiety.