<p>For the longest time, actually since I was 10, I have wanted to be a cardiologist. I used to run around with a play microscope and take down my observations in notebooks. I have been a total nerd all of my life and I was so set on medical school. Now that I'm in college, I had the opportunity to work in a hospital ER, I absolutely hated the hospital environment and decided to change my career path. So I changed my career path to a PhD in Biotech for medical research. Needless to say, these chem and science classes are kicking my butt. I'm getting horrible grades despite busting my butt. I have to work part time and I just don't have the drive for medicine anymore. So I've been evaluating everything and now I just feel lost. I'm a sophomore and I need to be in classes for my major. Now I switched to Psych/Pre-law but I don't know what to do. I'm reading the horror stories about law school and I'm not even sure I want to be a lawyer. I have to decide this summer so I can take classes to get caught up but I have no idea what to even think anymore. I used to be such a hard working, motivated and driven person. Now I just am unhappy with everything. I used to love school, now I loathe it. I feel like time is running out and I don't know what to do. Law also interests me but i hear all the time about people who went to law school and now hate their careers.</p>
<p>Please do not condemn me for being lazy, etc. I am a disciplined person when I am passionate, but I have just lost the flame for medicine. While it fascinates me, I don't have the drive anymore. I feel stuck and lost and I was just looking for some advice or input.</p>
<p>My parents aren't putting pressure on me or anything, but I feel like I'm disappointing them. I was in IB in high school and I worked so hard. I have always been a good student. Now I'm a C student. :[ It's sad and disheartening.</p>
<p>Your parents would rather see you do well in something you enjoy than fail at something you don’t even like, especially if that something happens to be one of the most demanding careers possible with long work hours and years of difficult training…and no offense, but if you’re not doing well in basic science courses, chances of getting into any med school are slim to none. It’s best to change your major to something you prefer. You can study anything and go to Law school. </p>
<p>You decided not to go into medicine because you worked in a hospital. The logical thing to do would be work at a law firm; then you can figure out if you like that environment, right?</p>
<p>Wow I have 99 posts, I should really log off this site! : )</p>
<p>This is a thread on another forum that, if you can deal with a little language, everyone should read before even considering law school. Read the whole thing.</p>
<p>I’m having the same conflict. My grades are alright but not what I would need at the moment for med school. I was considering law school… I’m into bio right now too; know for sure research is not for me lol.</p>
<p>that lawyer and lawschool megathread thread actually seems pretty useful…</p>
<p>anyways, first you gotta gauge why you hated the hospital environment. Also, if you GPA is not good, you won’t be accepted to the best law schools, and in reality there’s no point in applying to lower than a T1 (some might even say no point in applying to lower than T14) law school unless you truly have a passion for law and will be satisfied with a low paying law job in the region of where you graduated. There’s no way you’ll be able to work in a law firm and do the stuff that attorney’s do (what pinkstrawberry is suggesting) until you get into a law school btw, by which time you are sure to have wasted 3+ years on choosing your career path. It’s really important that you’re set on law before going to law school, because well… once you go to law school, there’s not many alternatives to having a job in law and you would have wasted 3 years where you could have been doing something else.</p>
<p>I don’t really get the impression that you would like law tbh since lawyers in general are academic and book smart and I can’t see someone who ‘‘loathes’’ school as someone who loves being a lawyer. I’m telling you all this to put things in perspective, and help you come up with the right decision, not because I don’t believe you don’t have what it takes or because I think I know what’s right for you etc.</p>
<p>Both the medicine and law careers require lots of discipline and hard work btw, do you think something is causing you to not work as hard as before? I think the main thing to sort out right now is your work ethic, not what job you want to get.</p>
<p>There’s a very big difference betwen law school and the practice of law. You probably can’t make it through the former if you hate school, but you’ll probably be great at the latter if you were mediocre in law school. </p>
<p>Such is the paradox of law school. I’m a strong believer in the idea that law school should teach you how to be lawyers (draft motions, pleadings, fill out regulatory forms, negotiate mergers, present arguments before a judge, etc), not just think like lawyers, so I may be biased.</p>
<p>Thanks for the input pinkstrawberry. I was trying to look into that but there’s not that many positions open at a law firm for interns because they fill up so fast. I was thinking about just asking to shadow a lawyer for a day or something and then trying to get my foot in the door to an internship.</p>
<p>And guys, I’m NOT FAILING. I have like 3 Cs total. My GPA is decent enough to have a full scholarship to a state university. It’s just this past semester that was bad. Sorry I think you all are misunderstanding what I am saying. I loathe school because I HATE MY CURRENT MAJOR. If you were to talk to my parents or any of my friends, they will tell you that I do work hard and have a good work ethic. Like said I graduated from IB in high school with awesome marks. I already have 60+ credits from AP/IB alone. I just have become disenchanted with my current classes in chem/bio. I’ve had a super rough semester both personally and academically. That is why I am unmotivated. I mean I sit here and stare at chem and math books for hours. I find no joy in it whatsoever. But I can read dense material for hours and I do study hard when I am passionate about something. I also love to read, write and argue. And I don’t take simple answers at face value. I want to know why the answer is the answer and not just that it is the answer, if that makes sense.</p>
<p>Thanks 1 sky pilot, at least I know I’m not alone. Ray 192 is right though, there are easier paths for a stable income. I just hate accounting and statistics in general. That’s so dull and boring to me. Business also doesn’t interest me and I suck at music and art.</p>
<p>I can empathize with you about chemistry…I’m just not interested in it lol. I haven’t declared my official major yet because I just don’t see myself as a “biologist”…</p>
<p>Plus, it’s not so much a stable income…I’d like to make a high-ish stable income lol. Financial security and all that :p.</p>
<p>biologynerd, if what you said is true, then you’re prolly going to make a great lawyer and do great in law school so long as you enjoy a good challenge, critical thinking, and have a passion for the law. But yeah, I’d probably do some more research and see how interesting law is first, read a few books on the subject of law & law schools. Find out how firm life is etc… But yeah, as pinkstrawberry said, if you hate your major, change it and then you can pick whether or not you want to be a lawyer or not later.</p>
<p>1skypilot… If you want to become a lawyer to have a stable income, and support your family, pick another job. You’ll have to work 60+ hours a week, and you probably won’t be seeing your family nearly as much as you’d want to. Don’t go to law school if your primary reason is one these 4: 1. because I couldn’t find a job, and don’t want one in the recession, so I’m just going to go to law school. 2. because I dunno what else to do. 3. because I want a prestigious title. 4. because I want to make money</p>
<p>Yeah I’ve heard patent law is a good field. It could get kinda dull though. Definitely look into it. Maybe you should also take some business classes if you want to start your own company, too.</p>
<p>The job market for law right now kinda sucks a lot. Plus, your GPA isn’t that great so you won’t get into a great law school (sorry, just a fact). You’ll end up with a LOT of debt from law school and not so good job prospects coming out from a lower tier school. Plus, most lawyers are just paper pushers.</p>