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Hi there...
I know this isn't quite a "health" question per se, but as it has a lot to do with my mental health at the moment, I'm hoping you can give me some advice or at least point me in the right direction. I graduated from college last year (not here) with a
B.A. in English; I'm currently working on a Masters. However, now that I'm here and I'm starting to envision life as a grad student, I'm feeling kinda shaky about the career path I'm pursuing. First some background. I started off my undergraduate career a
s a pre-med/English with the idea of going into public health. Pressure on women being what it is I ended up just English. I love literature, and always will, but now that I'm in a two year program doing it I'm starting to realize that maybe I made the wr
ong choice a few years ago when I gave up the pre-med part of my program (not without, unfortunately, a lot of pressure from my ex). I guess what I've discovered is that I think I really would like to be a doctor. But I'm not sure where to go from here. I
don't have any of the pre-med requirements, and I've already got $50,000 in loans. However, I really think this is something I would like to do. I've thought long and hard about it for years and I guess you could say I'm ready. I'm not sure, however, wha
t my options are for getting information on how to fulfill pre-med requirements, and as I'm currently pursuing a Humanities degree I'd like to finish, I know it will be at least another year (I've got one more year to go after this one) before I can start
such a program. Is it possible for me to follow this dream? (I know it's a lot of work, but I'm willing!) and where can I go to find out how to fulfill requirements (I'd like to find a program like the one in general studies, but I'm not sure I can affor
d the program here). Are there summer programs of this sort? I hate feeling like my past will make me lose this. Please give me any advice, encouragement, etc. This is a hard decision and right now I'm feeling a little trapped. I know what I want to do, I
just hope it isn't too late. Colleges have a lot of support for undergrads with these questions; as
a grad student I'm not sure where to go. Thanks so much.
Signed,
K turn
Dear K turn, It's never too late to make a life change. Alice remembers a movie
called, "Cousin, Cousine," where one of the protagonists changed careers
every three years, on schedule. Alice always thought that sounded great!You do have a lot of research and talking to do, though. Alice thinks
the General Studies post-bac pre-med program is a good place to start.
Make an appointment with an admissions counselor and with an academic
dean. Talk to some students in the program. See what your financial
options are. Ask about other programs, and what is the best way for you to
achieve your goal. Don't let one person totally encourage or discourage
you; talk to many people and get a cacophony of ideas. Follow through on
all that sound reasonable. Also check out the Public Health school on the
Health Sciences campus. Make sure you talk to students, faculty, and
administrators to find out what options are available.Have you ever taken time off from school? It sounds like you went
straight from college to grad school. You might want to think about
working, or traveling, or just living in the non-academic world before
engaging in the commitment of medical school. As a graduate student, you
must still have an academic advisor. If you like him/her, why not discuss
this with her/him also? If you don't particularly like the person assigned
to you, you can change advisors. Don't feel stuck! Take charge, ask a lot
of questions, and make informed decisions. Good luck!
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