Med school If you don't like biology?

[indecisivePremed]

Does that make sense? I feel like medicine is much more than biology and I'm interested in the humanistic element and willing to learn the necessary skills to be a good physician but I dread studying biology. I am not a traditional science major and feel reluctant to accept for fear of realizing I can't handle or don't have a taste for the material. 

I am also uncertain about whether to accept the offer to med school due to uncertainty with residency and whether that situation will be improved before we graduate and uncertainty about medical school. I have a consulting job lined up and I am truly interested in both opportunities and just dont know how to decide. 

any advice from non science students or blogs from medical students that you have found helpful or informative in your journeys? 

[Bambi]

Try it, you may like it and many enter med school with no science/bio background. You could end up in psychiatry. Worst scenario is you leave after a year, but at least you know you exposed yourself and tried. Another consulting job will always be there, not so with med school acceptance. I would go for it if I were you.

[CardiacArrhythmia]

I think the key thing here is to also understand that "biology" is a really broad field. Do you dread all biology topics or do you dislike some of them? For example, someone could love human anatomy and physiology and hate botany.

[indecisivePremed]

Haha, you're certainly right about consulting, they'd probably still be interested after medicine, and put me in more interesting areas too. The investment into tuition fees still has me on edge. Fortunately I was accepted to McMaster which should make the debt load somewhat lighter. However, my MCAT is valid for another 3 years yet and I certainly feel that transitioning to med after the workforce would be an easier and less expensive feat - perhaps mistakenly. 

 In school, I dreaded studying physiology with some preference for some parts that weren't awful and some absolute snoozes. When I said biology, I perhaps ought to have used the word physiology instead. 

[1D7]

The most relevant science field to understand in medicine is physiology. Learning about disease in your preclinical years is mostly learning about how and why normal physiology becomes deranged. Medical school is less basic science heavy but you will still learn and apply a lot of knowledge from physiology.

On top of that, I will say that of my peers who had opportunities to go into good consulting, investment banking, and other high level business jobs, 100% of them have varying degrees of regret coming into medicine (they all came in desiring prestigious and well compensated specialties). I don't say that to discourage you necessarily, but understand that it's a tough road and that the long hours of a 5-8 year residency+fellowship is more wearing than almost any other career out there if your primary goals include prestige and financial achievement.

With regards to the match, if you come into medical school for family medicine you will be okay. If there is any chance you want to pursue a competitive specialty, then prepare to work hard and network. Another plus of FM is that if you end up disliking medicine, you will only have to train for 2 years after graduation.

[la marzocco]

29 minutes ago, 1D7 said:

The most relevant science field to understand in medicine is physiology. Learning about disease in your preclinical years is mostly learning about how and why normal physiology becomes deranged. Medical school is less basic science heavy but you will still learn and apply a lot of knowledge from physiology.

On top of that, I will say that of my peers who had opportunities to go into good consulting, investment banking, and other high level business jobs, 100% of them have varying degrees of regret coming into medicine (they all came in desiring prestigious and well compensated specialties). I don't say that to discourage you necessarily, but understand that it's a tough road and that the long hours of a 5-8 year residency+fellowship is more wearing than almost any other career out there if your primary goals include prestige and financial achievement.

With regards to the match, if you come into medical school for family medicine you will be okay. If there is any chance you want to pursue a competitive specialty, then prepare to work hard and network. Another plus of FM is that if you end up disliking medicine, you will only have to train for 2 years after graduation.

Interesting take. Many of my friends including myself who have transitioned from a previous career in IB/MC/law all are quite happy with their switch. I think what you're trying to say is that do not just go into medicine blindly. Careers in business and law can command good salaries if you work up the ladder and know how to work your network. There is an element of opportunity cost given the postgraduate residency/fellowship and you will see your peers from undergrad moving 'ahead' while you are still studying.. working your butt off.. Things do even out quickly as you 'catch-up' after you become an attending physician.

I'd like to echo what @Bambi had said - a medical school acceptance won't always be there, but consulting opportunities can easily swing wide open left right and centre - even after you have your MD! Try med and see - there is no better way to know. My law firm was very receptive in hiring me back if I didn't like med after 1 year so it goes to show that regardless of who you're dealing with in life, always show up and work hard and treat people in your circle well without being taken advantage of and you will have doors open.

[asdasdasd]

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[FailureToThrive]

take a physiology and anatomy class, much more related to medicine than biology. I don't even remember the components of a cell.