It's the quintessential Hopkins question:
"Are you pre-med?"
Chances are, if you're fresh into your first year and still anxious to endure the academic workout that is Hopkins, you're pretty likely to say yes. Hopkins isn't that great of a pre-med school, but we've got Hopkins Medical close by ?- and that's good enough! Good enough to inspire me, and undoubtedly many others, to pick Hopkins for four years of pre-med angst, anyway.
Of course, that was back when Grey's Anatomy hadn't jumped the shark, when putting down the deposit for my prom limo was my main priority and when I couldn't wait to get away from the people I'd spent my high school years with. I arrived at Hopkins ready for my third consecutive year of biology and with an intent to major in it as well, thinking I'd be getting on Dean's List, no sweat.
It took me a semester and a half to realize just how much I hated science. Yet, I continued with two summer sessions of Orgo and a research stint at the med campus. Four notebooks, several overheated shuttle trips and too many mechanism-filled dreams later, I finally decided: The pre-med route wasn't for me.
It's hard to say what set the wheels in motion, but the more I thought about taking classes I actually enjoyed, without the stress of having a 3.7 GPA and extracurriculars up to my neck, the more I realized how much more I could enjoy my time at Hopkins.
College, after all, is supposed to be where you actually learn because you want to. I always thought of college as where you "figure yourself out," learn what you want to do - and the fact that you're supposed to know by freshman year that you want to spend your life in medicine is more than a little ridiculous. Being a pre-med is a huge commitment academically, after all!
Some people are meant to become doctors. They are passionate about it, enjoy the medical work they do and don't mind 10 more years of schooling to get where they want to be. But then there's the rest of us. Is it worth it to put in so much time, to sacrifice everything else, to work toward a goal that we might not even like later? So many times this summer I heard, "Don't be pre-med if you don't absolutely love it." And I came to realize (not a moment too soon!) that I didn't.
My pre-med friend summed it up quite nicely: "Being pre-med at Hopkins is just a way to weed people out." Being a medical student, and later being a doctor, is not for everyone. (Exhibit A: me.) Just like any relationship, it takes a lot of work and dedication; if it's not right, then it won't work. The more quickly you end it, the more quickly you can move on. Likewise, the more quickly you decide you're not pre-med, the less time you've wasted on those courses and the more time you can devote to courses in a new major, if you so choose.
I'm not advocating withdrawing from your Orgo class and transferring to MICA, but a career in medicine is a huge thing to think about - and the implications of such a life can be grossly overlooked.
In the short time I've spent at Hopkins, I've known a number of people who have left the pre-med track. Contrary to popular (parental) belief, it's not the worst thing in the world to give up being pre-med; rather, it's perfectly OK to admit. After all, it can only help.
Things change. After season two, I stopped buying "Grey's" boxed sets. My prom limo was cramped and admittedly more than a little steeply priced. And now, the friends I couldn't wait to leave in high school are the people I can't wait to visit.
I'm no longer a pre-med, and I think it was the best decision I've made in a long time - and though I'm not sure where I'll end up, I know that it was right for me.
