Conflicted Between Two Drastically Different Majors: Biology and English

I'm in pretty much the same position - I love writing (which is reflected in my ecs) and bio (in coursework).

I mulled over it for a long time, and in the end, I just couldn't justify spending so much money to study english. As an english major, college would give you a) networking opportunities b) lots of practice and c) a community of like-minded peers. All those three aren't as hard for you to find outside of college, as opposed to bio, where you need a degree.

You can be a writer without an english degree, but not anything in bio without a bio degree. You mentioned that you're already published, and imo those are credentials enough for your writing skills. I'd say, choose bio. There are lots of career opportunities that aren't medicine, and in my experience, studying other subjects gives me new perspectives to apply in my writing. If you find that you really hate bio, you can always switch in the future.

Hi! Since you have strong bio coursework and strong English ECs, you could apply as a double major to schools if your schools allow it. It will demonstrate that you have a passion for both and have coursework and ECs to show for it. I think this is something that a lot of people struggle with when applying to college and after they get to college (I changed my major in college). I think you should apply to whatever you feel most strongly about when it's time to apply. Since you have more emphasis on bio classes, it might be helpful to apply as that so you can get letters of rec from your bio teachers. I hope my answer was helpful, but picking your major really is so personal, so take some more time to think about it and go with what you feel is best.

After college, frankly it's going to be a lot easier to pay your bills with a biology degree than an English one. Even if you aren't interested in the difficult and expensive years involved in med school, you could work in biotech or pharmaceuticals, for example, and be a poet on the side. Or, if it fits your lifestyle better, you could find a job in the outdoors. Another choice, if you like writing in general, would be to become a journalist or author specializing in biology or ecology topics.

Choosing an English degree, you'll probably work teaching English, as a tech writer or for a media company to earn money while you write poetry on the side. Not necessarily a bad outcome, but generally doesn't pay as well and thus may be more stressful, leaving less energy for writing.