Hi guys,
I just finished my first year of college as a Biology Major at UCI. Overall, the introductory classes were not too difficult for me. I currently have a 3.8 GPA with a near Junior standing. I have accumulated a lot of credits that can allow me to have priority in enrolling courses. I am not here to talk about how smart I am because I am not. I really do want to figure out what I want to do in the future. I have been thinking about my future for a long time now, ever since the start of Spring quarter; I’ve been thinking about it for several months now.
Ever since I was little, I have always enjoyed math and science more than other subjects. I do not like art, history, English, and other subjects relating to social sciences. Therefore, I know I am not passionate about working in an environment relating those subjects and would rather stay in the STEM field.
Why did I choose the Bio major? I’m not completely sure. I majored in Bio because I thought that it wouldn’t be a bad option because it is very flexible in terms of being in different healthcare fields. However, I realized that I am truly not passionate about assisting other people, or have the ambition to become a doctor. I’ve volunteered in a hospital and accumulated hundreds of hours in a hospital. I did somewhat enjoy that experience-- It felt good when patients appreciated me for what I did and how I was able to assist the nurses. However, I am not to fond of the patient interactions. It was somewhat awkward in a sense I couldn’t express my true character, as if I was trying to act genuine. I truly believe that I am a genuine person, but I’m not a big fan of acting nice to patients every single day, even though many people do because it is part of their jobs.
I’ve spoken with numerous alumni and upperclassmen about this and I have gained more knowledge about what “helping other people” means. I like and want to help others, but I realized that it doesn’t necessarily mean that I have to become a doctor to do so. For that reason, I believe that I can help others in another approach.
The Bio and Chem courses I’ve taken did not intrigue me. I did not experience a moment where I was happy to wake up in the morning to attend the lectures just to learn new materials. I am not sure if it is because they were more of a review from AP biology and chemistry that I took in high school, or it is because I don’t enjoy learning about them. Furthermore, I was accepted into an Ophthalmology research that is affiliated with the UCI Med school. Throughout these several months, I have learn several research techniques like immunohistochemistry (IHC) and Western blotting. I like new things, but I think research is not something that I truly enjoy. I cannot see myself working with cell/tissues every single day. It’s just not interesting enough to me. I do not believe that I can work as a researcher in the future.
I don’t even know what to do at this point. I did enjoy some courses in my first year, such as Calculus II. I took AP Calculus in my senior year of high school and scored a 3 on my AP exam. For that reason, I had to retake Calc I going into my first year. I thought I wasn’t good at math because I got A- in all of my math classes in high school. Moreover, I did not care about my classes during senior year. But at UCI, I enjoyed attending to Calc classes. Integrals and series were not difficult; they were somewhat fun I am not sure why. I ended up getting A+ for both Calc courses at UCI. Maybe I’m not that bad at math overall? I do enjoy doing math a little more than biology that’s for sure. I would rather do hundreds of practice problems rather than memorizing bunch of facts from Bio textbooks.
I am thinking of switching majors. I thought of applying for nurses school at UCI because I heard nurse anesthetists make a lot of money. With my current GPA, I’m confident that I’m qualified for the competitive nursing program at UCI. But then I’m thinking, “I’m not even passionate about helping patients, why am I even going into nursing?” I am also thinking about switching into engineering or comp sci because they are the most lucrative majors in college. I am a strong believer of majoring in something rewarding, which is something in the STEM field. But what is holding me back is that I’ve put in so much effort into my first year, being accepted in a research opportunity and achieved an above-average GPA. I am afraid to let go of all the efforts I have put in.
As you guys can see, I really do care about my career and wants stability in the future. I really want to make a lot of money and hope to have the ability to support my family. My parents sacrificed so much for me and I really do love them a lot. My dad has been working 7 days a week, from 9 am to 7 pm every single day. The least I can do is make enough to support them when they’re older; I want my dad to retire without having to worry about financial problems. I know that they are already proud of what I’ve done, but I just want to do a little more for myself and for them.
I hope you guys can leave some comments and not something meaningless that can guide me into the right career path. Thank you.