My parents only care about prestige

I am a parent of 3 and it pains me to read how inflexible your parents are. CS and engineering are excellent majors and no, you don’t have to be a good talker. Many in the field are not good talkers due to the high quantity of autism in the field. Plus, you do have to speak well to be a physician because in residency, you will be constantly challenged to answer questions by the doctors on staff, alongside with having to speak with patients. You actually would speak less in CS/engineering.

My advice is to at least choose the school where you feel most comfortable with the students, campus, food, dorms.

My husband is a physician and I can tell you, it’s a torturous road so if you have no interest at all, the odds are stacked against you. He went to undergrad in the 80s and completed his MD in 1990 and it was bad back then but it’s worse now (as far as competition). You could have a stellar resume and still not be accepted to any med school. Sure, it’s a stable income, but requires a lot of years: undergrad (4), med school (4), residency (4), optional fellowship (2). Meanwhile, the CS majors have already started on their near-6-figure incomes after completing their undergrad degree. In addition, some physicians barely earn over 6 figures (internists, pediatricians, family practice). Unless you are a surgeon, anesthesiologist, radiologist (earnings in the double-digits), then being a physician, while reputable, is not the highest salary potential. He is an anesthesiologist but told our children to study CS!

You will you deal with the most competitive students (who will ruin your experiments/not share info/see everyone else as competition), and all for your parents? There are many pre-meds, but only the select actually become doctors. And believe me, they aren’t always the smartest.

Another point that is to be considered, and needs to be said, although can be harsh, is that America is a majority Caucasian country and not everyone is open to having a doctor that is not Caucasian. We live in California in a diverse area so it’s no issue, but there are other parts of America where there is racism.

A good way to ruin your chances of becoming a doctor is to select an engineering degree, where it’s most difficult to attain a high GPA. If you do want to get into med school, however, select the easiest major because your GPA needs to be very high be competitive. You will take pre-med classes along with your major, which will prove your worth. You don’t need to be a science major to be accepted into med school.

Compare the salaries and time it takes to become a doctor, argue that you have no interest in being a doctor, and maybe those are compelling reasons to convince your parents. For you to become a low paying doctor, doing something you hate is a waste of a life. Best wishes.