Parents, I'd like your help

Parents Forum
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<p>I'm currently a rising junior in India. I am a good student, am well-involved outside school, and, basically, have a good life.</p>

<p>The Indian education system is such that grades 11 and 12 are spent studying only subjects within a certain group - the options a student has are science, commerce and humanities.</p>

<p>For quite a while now, I've been pretty set on a career in biological research. I wasn't pressurized into this decision - biology's a subject that I love. As a result, I've opted to take science for the next two years. However, I still love a whole bunch of other subjects as well - which is why I want a broad, liberal arts education in college (this is the primary reason why I want to study in the US).</p>

<p>But now I'm having second thoughts - not about taking science, but about the biological research part. I really don't think I'd like to spend the rest of my life in a lab, working overtime every day. I don't want to become a doctor either. But what I do want to do is give back to society; help people; make the world a better place to live in. My dream job would be something like working for the UN.</p>

<p>So, parents...any recommendations?</p>

<p>EDIT: I just realized that I've rambled quite a bit. Sorry if my post seems messed up!</p>

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<p>The courses you study in high school don't dictate your career, especially if followed by a broad liberal arts education. If you enjoy science now, I think you should stick with that; I think it's easier to shift from study of sciences to humanities than the other way around. I also think that if you are planning to apply to LAC's in the US, a strong science background looks good and makes you stand out. </p>

<p>I think a good understanding of life sciences are going to be particularly important in the years to come, with global political issues being impacted by issues such as climate change and food shortages. So it may be that you can combine your love of biology with your dream job at the UN -- it will give you an area of specialized knowledge that will be an advantage when it comes to finding employment. </p>

<p>So stick with the subject you love for now -- it certainly does not mean that you have to spend your life in a research lab.</p>

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<p>Thank you calmom. Environmental activism is something that I'm really into right now (as an EC), so that's definitely one possibility.</p>