Growing up in San Francisco and attending the local public high
school, I was like many others ““ I knew I had to do well in
school to pursue eventually a career in my field of choice, but I
didn’t know what that field might be. It was not until the
summer after my junior year in high school that biological research
grabbed my interest. It was the first of three summers I spent
studying shark cartilage development in the lab of Dr. Jill Helms
at University of California, San Francisco.
I found the subject of my research, as well as the people I
worked with, to be very enjoyable. Scientists are fascinating
people. Not only did my research interest me, but I also felt that
it could possibly help humanity. This is why, after entering UCLA,
I declared Molecular, Cell and Developmental Biology as my major.
While I primarily considered pursuing a career in research after
college, becoming a doctor or surgeon was also in the back of my
mind. I felt like medicine was another path to follow because, like
research, I would be able to help people as well as continue my
interest in biological science.
I am still undecided about pursuing an M.D. or a Ph.D., but I
hope to work in a hospital this summer to get some first-hand
experience with medicine. The more exposure I get to possible
career fields, the more prepared I will be when I need to make a
decision. As with many important decisions we face, knowledge is
power.
While a career in medicine may be desirable because of an
interest in science, helping people and the prospect of wealth and
power, it is not an easy path to take. Many people speak of the
competitiveness and difficulty of pre-med courses, and to some
extent, they are correct. I spend a great deal more time studying
now than I did in high school and I struggle to maintain similar
grades.
However, no one comes to UCLA for an easy education, and pre-med
is only one of the challenging routes to take. Because pre-med, as
well as other fields of study at UCLA, can be so demanding, it is
important to pick a field that really interests you because you
will inevitably spend a large amount of time with that subject. The
only reason I’m able to sacrifice so much of my time to
studying is because I love the subjects I take.
Fortunately, UCLA’s general education courses allow
students to consider a wide range of options by exposing students
to a variety of fields. A major purpose of GE courses is to force
students to explore different fields of study. These courses are
important to take seriously because they can help you determine
what field is best for you to focus on. If you’re not
positive about what you want to do, make sure to explore all your
options before you make a decision. Many successful UCLA students
take five years to graduate because they decide to switch majors or
explore related fields.
As for deciding to choose a major that follows the pre-med
track, make sure you really are interested before you commit, and
make sure you want to do it for the right reasons ““ because
that is the only thing that’s going to motivate you when
you’re up at 4 a.m. studying for an organic chemistry test.
If you want to be a doctor just for the money, prestige and/or
parental approval, it is probably going to be a very hard grind
with limited satisfaction. If you enjoy science and want to help
people, however, pre-med can be a great field if you are prepared
to work hard.
Regardless of what major you ultimately choose, be certain you
are familiar with the course requirements and can stand the
material you will deal with everyday. It’s more important to
enjoy your major than to worry about what it’s going to get
you.
Allen is a third-year molecular, cell and developmental
biology student.