Every year, thousands of fresh-faced frosh stream through the doors of Convocation Hall, eager to embark on a journey they hope will lead them to medical school. And every year, hundreds of fourth-year students leave convocation, Human Biology degree in hand, facing the fact they won’t make it into medical school. Where does this shift occur? What about those who don’t make it? Is there life after Human Bio?
In an informal poll of around 25 friends who started the Human Bio program the same time I did, 90 per cent of them did so with the intention of continuing into medical school. This is obviously not a statistically sound sample. However, the fact remains: a large majority of students in the life sciences enter university with aspirations of medical school. And then first year ends.
Anyone who can remember as far back as first year will likely do so with a small wince. First year for many students is not pretty, at least not academically. Remember that physics class? And those calculus finals? Not events I’d like to revisit anytime soon. For many, that is the beginning of the end. Medical school is a dream that is slowly dissolving. So…what can you do now?
There are more options available than you might think. At the risk of sounding like a guidance counselor, the decision as to what you will do with your future depends on your interests. There is a career out there for you; you just have to decide what you want to do.
If you decide you can stomach dealing with children, both the young screaming kind and the sullen, I’m-not-a-kid-anymore variety, you could pursue a career in teaching. If you think playing with mice is more your cup of tea, there is likely a laboratory out there with your name on it. You could be the next person to discover…whatever is left to be discovered. And if your heart still lies in working in a hospital setting, there are a number of other careers that allow patient contact in a hospital, like nursing, physical therapy, or speech therapy.
Not getting into medical school is not the end of the world. It may seem that way, but life does go on, and you can find a career equally fulfilling and rewarding. Having said that, if medical school is where you want to go, there are ways to pursue that dream. Keep trying to get into Canadian schools, but there are schools that don’t require that elusive 3.98 GPA or top marks on the MCATs. For those who can afford it, there are schools in the Caribbean that are more than happy to accept Canadian students, and schools in Europe that are internationally recognized.
Is there life after human bio? Yes, but it involves that whole self-growth process university brochures mention when they’re trying to lure you to their institution. It takes a little bit of figuring out what you want to be when you grow up, and the courage to try something else.
