Medical or Law?Answered
I have a GPA of a 2.9 unweighted, I don’t know what career I want to go into, according to many tests and people I talk to both medical and law seem to be the top. I am terrible at the sciences needed for medical even just premed, I get a C but I truly think I could do better with a few adjustments (not everyone’s the same) but for history I get all A’s and B’s both of them I could be good at but I think I could be a better attorney. Does anyone have advise I what I should possibly go into? How can I improve in both of those even if I can’t make any of them work? I am a sophomore in high school and study already for both of those careers as best as I can online as well. Yes I do have more realistic careers I can do and go into but they definitely aren’t as high as these two but are alternatives.
Not to discourage you, as everyone has the ability to do it, but I think it’s best if you stick to what your are passionate about—do you even know? Right now it seems like your logically attempting to deduce a consensus, and that won’t work. You have to include a sense of “want to” rather than “have to”
@OFHanson Thanks, both of those (I want to) do NOT for the money to say but to help people rather it’s treating them or proving they didn’t do what they are accused of, and I know what you mean about being passionate and that being a bit part. What am I passionate about writing, visual arts, learning about emergency services (for fun) learning about law (for fun) and really a ton of different things to many to mention.
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@Eric_White there seems to already be excellent answers here, and I'm not even sure if I can add much more value. I'll just say a few things.
First of all, if you say you struggle in sciences, pre-med is probably not the way to go. College GPAs don't matter so much in many fields... but no where do they matter more than in medical school admissions. Getting into medical schools is extremely difficult even with an outstanding GPA and good MCAT score... getting into any medical school at all without a stellar GPA is a real long shot. Additionally, science classes generally get more difficult. The pre-med courses you'd take in college will most likely be a lot more challenging than the science courses you take in high school, unless if you go to an extremely rigorous high school and then find an incredibly chill college.
Regarding law school, it definitely sounds like it might be an option for you down the road if you find yourself excelling in and enjoying your humanities and social science courses. That said, I'm not sure it's time yet to be deciding whether or not a career in law is right for you. After all, you're only a sophomore in high school! I'd still consider participating in mock trial, speech and debate, Model UN, and/or any other extracurricular activities heavy on reading, writing, and speaking. STEM and math-based clubs can also be good experiences for anyone interested in law school, because training in logic will ultimately be so important. But for now, I'd focus on raising your GPA in general if possible, and on figuring out which subjects and extracurricular activities excite you the most. This will help you identify a potential college major and built a relevant resume.
I can tell you right now that pre-med probably isn't the way to go unless you're very, very confident you can pull a 2.9 to more like a 3.9 with more rigorous college courses as compared to now. Unless you're extremely passionate about it, I would not recommend it. Having a 2.9 and Cs in the sciences do not bode well for pre-med, even if you feel like you can do better. If you think you'd be a better attorney, remember that you should pick a career that you're not only interested in, but that you're good at. If you're already doing your best (like around 100% effort) right now and getting a 2.9 GPA, you will be in for some nasty surprises as a pre-med student the way things are going right now. The pre-med track is no joke; as an aspiring pre-med student getting a 4.0 GPA, I'm very scared.
Also, it's EXTREMELY important to remember that these are all just goals and very tentative plans. Things can go south in so many ways in college, and so many people just straight-up change their minds during college. I'm not sure what you mean when you say other careers "aren't as high" as medicine and law. Do you mean they're not as good of a fit? Or that they are less prestigious jobs?? If you know anyone who is an attorney or a doctor/medical professional, definitely talk to them to determine if the career's really a good fit. Beyond classes, get into extracurriculars relating to the 2 careers as soon as humanly possible. Shadow, intern, do whatever it takes to help you decide.
I think that maybe it is too early to look into careers themselves. I think you should focus on finding some fields that you are passionate about by maybe taking a Political Science class in your local community college (I did this and I don't regret it!) or maybe an Anatomy class to explore both fields. You might have some difficulty with the process especially since you might need school counselor/principal approval and they usually look at your GPA to see if you could handle it. I definitely think you should try to do them in the summer, but during the school year I would instead focus on getting your GPA up. Also, I definitely do not think you should care much about what other people say you should have a career in. Instead you should explore anything that interests you: if you are slightly interested in business, try Macroeconomics (its slightly easier than Micro in my opinion)! However, I definitely think that you should not be worried about a career (most undergrads are still unsure about theirs!) as a sophomore. Good luck!
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Your “field” choice shouldn’t be based entirely on your success, but more so what you are passionate about, what you’d love to do daily. If you are not even remotely passionate about either of these fields, then you risk the chance of hindering yourself at motivational barrier later. Both of these fields are not just highly respected for their purpose, but for the time that’s put in to become.