By Aesha Acevedo, Health Professions Peer Ambassador
Hi there. I’m a second-semester junior and am still not sure about what I’m doing with my life (*laugh out loud*).
I feel that as an undergraduate student, there are a lot of faculty, staff, and upperclassmen that try to ‘calm’ pre-health students down and remind us to breathe. But, ironically, we, the students, don’t do that even though we try. We get inside our own heads, think of the worst possible scenarios, and compare ourselves to other students. Why? It’s because we think we are seen as nothing more than applicants to our future medical, dental, PA, and other schools.
Like other students, I have always had the dream of becoming someone in the medical field. Now that I’m six semesters in, taking all of these weed-out classes, I question my decision. I wonder why I’m letting myself get so sleep-deprived, so stressed, and so overwhelmed. For what? For a dream that will take four years of med school, three to seven years of residency, and an optional one to two years of fellowship if extra learning is wanted/needed? Even listing that was stressful. It’s a lot and it takes guts to continue.
I think a lot of students think the way I do. They question whether or not this path is “worth” the time and effort. They question if they are on this path because of the original reason why they wanted to become someone in the health field, or if they just want to be called “Doctor” in the future. They question if they should just stay on this path because they’re too deep in the process to change. Be honest: have you ever thought like that? Even for a split second? I hadn’t noticed that I was thinking like that until last semester when I joined a Group Advising session with the Pre-Medical and Pre-Dental Advising Office via WebEx. It wasn’t a bad realization. I’m glad I attended because it made me think hard about what I wanted to do with my life after.
Currently it’s the middle of the semester and I’m sitting in the office writing this blog. I still love that I am continuing in my dream of becoming a doctor, but I still don’t know what my next official plans are. I have applied for a few internships, research, and volunteering opportunities for the summer, but I’m not sure if I’ll get into any.
Talk to yourself in the mirror and have that serious conversation. “Do I still want to do this?” “Do I enjoy what I’m doing?” “If I’m not enjoying my classes, do I know I will enjoy my future in this path?” Possibly. It’s important to understand that a lot of the classes we’re taking are just weed-out classes.
This path has a lot of uncertainties, so when choosing this path, understand that it is okay to question whether you want to start, stay, or even leave this path. Do it.
Aesha is a molecular and cell biology major and a campus change student. Click here to learn more about and connect with Aesha.