I am a sophomore in high school, and I am having trouble narrowing down my options. I know it is a little early to have my major decided, but all my teachers are always asking what I want to be when I grow up. I enjoy/excel in math and problem solving. For terms of reference, I am in Calc BC this year. I am also interested in classes like physics and chemistry. I love learning about the human body and the like, but that usually involves biology. Biology about the human body (like anatomy) has always interested me, but learning about plants/ecology is extremely boring to me. Many people have suggested some form of engineering, especially BME. While it incorporates many of my favorite subjects, I am worried that it will detach me from people. Above everything, I love people and helping others. I have always dreamed of being a doctor to make connections with patients, but I don’t know what branch or anything I would approach. Radiology seems great, but I feel like I wouldn’y get the human interaction; whereas, something like pediatrics would give me satisfaction but might not give me exposure to the same problem solving that I would get in radiology. Med school and all the student loans and time in school is very intimidating. Majoring in BME would give me a safe post-college career, even if I don’t pursue medical school. However, I know that med schools often look at college GPA; as I have learned from other discussions, BME is not an easy major. Overall, I am just looking for advice or perhaps a college major that you think would best fit my interests. Thanks!
If you are worried about med school costs, just look at starting salaries for doctors- their usually in the six figures for non-specialists and only go up with experience.
You don’t need to have a specialty for medicine picked out in college, you know. That’s something that you would decide when you’re actually in medical school, which is a long way off from where you are now.
I would pick something that you would enjoy learning (especially in case if you don’t get accepted into med school). You can also be undecided going in- since you’re already pretty set on a STEM major, you would probably be taking the prerequisite science/math classes (eg. introductory chem, bio, physics, etc) along with other required elective credits, which would be able to transfer well to any science related major and are aligned well with med school prerequisites.
FYI re: your complaints about bio, if you weren’t interested in ecology, the most exposure you’d get is probably a month or two in intro bio, and you’re done. You’d have to suffer through a few weeks anyways because of med school requiring intro bio.
Also I just reread your post and you are a SOPHOMORE in high school. Stop worrying about this so much- it’s great that you have a lot of ideas about what you want to do in college and beyond, but stay open minded because a lot of things can change even in the last two years of high school. Be flexible. If you’re interested in medicine, maybe volunteer at a hospital once a week during the summer and see how you like it.
There are lots of medical fields other than being a physician that involve both problem solving and working with people. Nursing, physical therapy, and occupational therapy come to mind. But I agree with the above response, you don’t have to decide now, you have time to figure it out.
Physicians assistant, nurse practitioner are two possibilities (very competitive fields to get into, well-paid, shorter studies than physician).
Look into human/computer interaction too.
Industrial engineering, industrial design? Lots of team work.
Mechatronics?
I can relate on so many levels, I love math (I’m taking AP Calc BC too), love chemistry and physics (to a lesser degree) as well as engineering. I really gnat to have a career helping people with a lot of face to face interaction, but I also want to solder stuff together.
We’ll figure it out eventually.
A cool post about why the people-oriented STEM person should consider economics:
http://mitadmissions.org/blogs/entry/you-should-consider-studying-economics-if
It might be too detached for your liking, but it’s worth mentioning!
majors will depend on the school, but I would suggest biochemistry, a straight degree in biology or chemistry (if you want to go pre-med you will have to meet the reqs anyways), biological engineering…
But since you like problem solving, I especially recommend biological engineering. Or BME like you said, but biological engineering is even more bio focused…BME has more biotech and eng aspects while many bioeng degrees are 50/50 biology and engineering.
And I agree, no need to think of your specialities yet haha still need to get into med school!
I would suggest looking into some STEM summer camps that interest you and apply to them. You will leave the camp with a broader understanding of what majors are available and which ones potentially interest you. Also, these camps usually are supplemented by passionate mentors who can really help you find the joy in STEM. I walked into a six-week math camp and came out a CS major. At least now I can say I did not choose the CS life, the CS life chose me. My participation in the camp has been the best time of my life so far.
I would say participate in educational programs over the summer, and then if you develop an interest, try and do research in your topic before you graduate high school (look up research opportunities online, they are everywhere).
BME is using engineering to help people Can you design prosthetics? or materials that can be used in human bodies? or interfaces to communicate with devices such as insulin pumps or the like?