Previously Admitted to UChicago/ Consider Transferring Back

ItsJustSchool
Fri, 05 Dec 2014 22:05:52 +0000

Often Freshmen have “buyer’s remorse” as they transition. You actually have an enviable position, and I would recommend that you consider that. If you are in a 4-year program, you are focused on the short term competition in order to secure the next prize. You, on the other hand, have the stability of a guarantee, allowing you to take the significant short-term risks that are sometimes required to achieve large successes. This is a luxury many do not have.

If I were you, I would take winter break to do a SWOT analysis, and define for yourself a big, overarching goal. Do you want to do an MD/PhD and do research? Are you drawn to clinical practice? Are you intrigued by integrative medicine (Weil, Borysenko)? How about neuroscience? Craft an “ideal CV” from 20 years in the future looking back to your (projected) career trajectory from 2015 - 2035. How can you achieve those goals?

Think of your situation as being in the midst of all of the equipment and expertise you could ever dream of- a virtual candy store of opportunity; with the available free time to access them. Define your goals. Sure, there is a formal program you need to pursue, but your real education can be self-designed. Set up your long-term vision, then map a plan, down to monthly goals, on how you can achieve it. If it is worth pursuing, I would bet that you will have a tough time squeezing it into 7 years. Envision the life (personal as well as professional) you would like to be living in 10, 15, 20 years, and set out on a plan to make it a reality. Set your own goals (for your own life). Do not rely on others to do it for you. Remember: Wherever you go, there you are!

If you are currently blaming your situation for your ennui, consider that you may change your situation and the ennui will still be there- it comes from your perception and your patterns. You have the gift of not being either unnecessarily ‘busy’ nor under short-term pressure; ideal conditions under which to learn and to chart a path others could only dream of.