Trying to decide a major before college...

[powerhawk]

I start college in August and would like to figure out my major so I don't waste too much time.
Some background:

1) Science/math are my specialties... I like science in particular (math is meh... calc 3 was lame) and aced all the SAT/SATII tests
2) I have taken about 24 business credits already, inc. intermediate accounting, micro/macro econ, business law, corporate finance
3) Business interests me, but not quite as much as science, health, & the human body

Right now, I am premed/accounting... but I can't quite decide whether I want to keep the business major, or replace it with kinesiology or biology. If I kept it, I would retain the option of going into a PhD program and coming out a business prof starting at ~$170k/year. However, the actual work of medicine seems more satisfying, despite the increased work that would need to be put in.

I could also do MD/MBA, as a kind of hybrid between the two careers. Would I want to retain the business major in this case?

Also, are there any books I could read to give me more insight into the lifestyle of a doctor?

Thanks!

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[Rendar5]

the lifestyle of a doctor revolves around helping ppl, putting up with ppl, and being a huge cynic about pp (unless you're doing radiology or pathology). AFter that the lifestyle depends entirely on the field and what you wanna do about it. The problem here is it's way too complex a question to answer I don't know of any books which really deal with it. It's one of those things you can't really understand or appreciate until you're in the field for awhile. Though just browse the various specialty forums on here maybe you can find stuff aobut lifestyle there. No books I can think of offhand.

My only real advice for you is to major in whatever you like, don't go into college with the mindset of a pre-med Take whatever major you will ENJOY. So far it sounds like business, but that's your call. Med schools really couldn't give a flying **** about your major. The reasons for picking your major though might come up on an interview, but that's it.

 

[EyEnStein 07]

Whatever interests you really...

Talk to some professors when you get to college and try to
get involved in various research science or math to see which
is more appealing. Take higher level classes to see if its something
you would enjoy doing...

Picking a major is not something you have to worry about considering most people change their minds.

 

[NickNaylor]

^ Above is the best advice.

You should choose a major that you're interested in. This will make going to classes, studying, and generally doing well a much more manageable task. It's not necessary to have exactly what you want to do planned out before you start your first year. I have several friends who are changing their majors two years into college and they're still going to graduate on time. You shouldn't be too worried about "wasting time." As long as you don't lollygag around, you'll be fine.

I would keep the business major if you're interested in MD/MBA, simply because it'll be difficult to get what I would expect to be a pretty demanding business background to be competitive in those programs.

The best way to learn about a physician's life is really to talk to them. Shadow doctors and ask them what they think about their job. If you get close enough to them you can ask even more candid questions. The experience amongst doctors is also heavily influenced by the individual person. Even if two people work in the same specialty they will more than likely not have similar experiences.

A good place to start for free - though he writes in a very candid, non-rosy glasses way, is PandaBear's blog (http://www.studentdoctor.net/pandabearmd/). Start with the oldest posts and work your way through them. Know that while I think he makes very good points, his opinion is not concrete and you shouldn't take his word as the word of God. He may give you some insight into what you're looking for, however.

 

[powerhawk]

Thanks for the responses... I am pretty set on med now. After looking at some accounting journals, I don't think I could take spending so much time researching things so meaningless. If I were to major in bioengineering & get decent, would that significantly help me in the future?

This is unrelated, but can you both do academic medicine and have somewhat of a life?

 

[xnfs93hy]

Anything that will give you a high GPA.

 

[NickNaylor]

Thanks for the responses... I am pretty set on med now. After looking at some accounting journals, I don't think I could take spending so much time researching things so meaningless. If I were to major in bioengineering & get decent, would that significantly help me in the future?

This is unrelated, but can you both do academic medicine and have somewhat of a life?

I would think academic medicine would be more favorable to "having a life."

 

[Therapist4Chnge]

A good place to start for free - though he writes in a very candid, non-rosy glasses way, is PandaBear's blog (http://www.studentdoctor.net/pandabearmd/). Start with the oldest posts and work your way through them. Know that while I think he makes very good points, his opinion is not concrete and you shouldn't take his word as the word of God. He may give you some insight into what you're looking for, however.

Uh oh, don't scare the kid away so early!!

 

[insane]

I would suggest you pick a subject that you really enjoy, and take pleasure in studying, because external motivation can only carry you so far, pick something that will intrinsically motivate you, not what your parents want you to do, or something you think will help you get into medical school. I actually wrote a pretty long post on my blog about this just yesterday, if you feel like reading it go right ahead [http://forums.studentdoctor.net/blog.php?b=2354].