Why I quit medicine and became a scientist

I’ve always enjoyed learning. Science has been something I had a particular interest in and my fascination in biology and chemistry has been noticed by my teachers, early on. I followed an individual study program, where I could learn quicker with a couple of students with similar interests. At that point, my dream was to be a geneticist 🧬

However, my high school teachers were pushing me towards medicine. I started reading medical books, volunteering at charities and worked extremely hard to pass my final exams in order to study medicine, which I convinced myself I wanted to study. I was extremely proud of my final results and could pick from offers, but my first-choice university turned me down. I started having doubts but decided to give a different uni a go

Everything was so fascinating at first! However, after the first fascination subsided, the struggle began. I no longer enjoyed studying. I was stressed and couldn’t concentrate. I knew medicine was hard for everyone, so I kept pushing, despite the health problems I started having, and somehow managed to pass my exams 📑

But one day I completely fell apart. I was miserable and wasn’t enjoying my course at all. I told my parents that I couldn’t handle it any longer. Thankfully they weren’t disappointed. They noticed that something has been wrong for a long time now and they wanted their daughter to live again. I’ve been thinking about quitting for a few weeks, but my parents gave me the nudge I needed. The next day, I signed my resignation and headed home 🏡

I quit medical school after nearly a full year of hard work, many tears and developing health problems that I will deal with for life. It literally took me a year to see that what I want to do is become a scientist 👩🏼‍🔬

I am full of respect and appreciation for doctors and medical students. The career you have chosen is probably one of the most amazing and wonderful paths in life. But as doctor Luanda Grazette once said: ‘Medicine is only for those who cannot imagine doing anything else.’ And I could 👩🏻‍🎓

Now, over four years later, I can confirm that quitting was the best decision of my life ✨