Flashback: Fork in the Road 2

When I was reviewing my options for university I found that there was no "pre-med" program (or at least, no program that would confess to being a pre-med program). I didn't clue into the fact that one can apply to Medicine with any background so long as the prerequisite courses are taken. In hindsight, I should have continued to apply to Engineering but I didn't know it at the time.

One particular program grabbed my attention: Arts&Science at McMaster University. It wasn't so much the program's description that caught my eye but its entrance requirements: 60 spots requiring an average of over 90% to apply. Having attended a Gifted program in Scarborough I really valued small class sizes. It also seemed to be the perfect degree for an overachiever who has no clue what he wants to do. It was an interdisciplinary degree combining liberal arts and science courses and it also gave you the option of doing a double major. It was only later that I found out it actually had a pretty good reputation among applicants as a pre-med program as well.

Fast Forward 5 years to 1998 which was the year I graduated with a combined ArtsSci and Biochemistry degree. The most profound thing I learned during those 5 years was this: people enroll in Bachelor of Science degrees to prepare for graduate degrees which in turn prepares them for a career in research. (Y'know that Rod Stewart song where he sings I wish - that - I knew what I know now when I was younger....)

Now, I really do enjoy research and the challenge of it but only in small doses -- I guess my attention span was too limited plus the thought of living from grant-to-grant didn't appeal to me. Also, I faced the stereotypical challenge facing liberal arts types -- what do I do with this degree? Don't get me wrong -- English was one of my favourite high school courses and the liberal arts courses really rounded out my education and taught me some vital skills. However, for most students of the Humanities there's no clear career path when you finish your degree unlike, say, Engineering.

I had written the MCAT the year before and also applied to southern Ontario med schools only to be rejected by every single one. I didn't have much reason to be more optimistic for my second go around and so I found myself in the same situation as 5 years ago -- degree in hand but not sure what to do next.

During the latter years of my Bachelor degree I saw one of my friends and roommates go through his applying-to-Medicine ordeal. Like myself he applied to university with the goal of getting into Med school. He chose Biology because he thought that was the best way to get in. He also had tons of family pressure on him: as I recall, he promised his grandfather he would "do his best" but "Trying is not good enough, you must get in" was the reply. Unfortunately, he couldn't get competitive MCAT scores and his grades were not competitive either. At the end he was quite devastated when he realized he didn't have a chance at getting in. He also suffered the double whammy of realizing that he didn't like Biology at all -- he had just wasted the last 5 years of his life. Fortunately, he applied to a Computer Science degree and was able to get advanced credit which enabled him to finish in 2 years. Realizing that I could wind up in the exact same situation I resolved to develop a backup plan which I would forcefully produce for my father should things not work out; I did not want to waste any more of my life pursuing something that I could not achieve.

I told my father about this friend's experience as a tale of caution lest he make the same mistake with my sisters (he tried pressuring one of them into medicine and when she refused he tried pressuring her into computer engineering). He replied that my friend's parents had obviously erred in pushing my friend into medicine when he was clearly not capable of getting in. His reply annoyed me because a) what the heck did my dad know about my friend and his parents and b) it implied that my father still had the paternalistic arrogance of knowing what's best for his children and he clearly was not going to screw up.

So before graduation I not only applied to all the medical schools in Canada but also to Computer Engineering. And not just to any university but Waterloo University which arguably has one of the best reputations in the country for Engineering. If I failed to get into Medicine a second time I could turn to my Dad and say "See! I tried and I couldn't do it so I'm going into Engineering". Admittedly, I wasn't sure if I was going to get in -- not only was it competitive but I was no longer a high school student. But, I put 5 years worth of liberal arts-honed writing skills into the application and also sent my high school transcript proving my overachievement in the maths and sciences. I was quite surprised and ecstatic when the acceptance letter came in the mail during the summer of 1998.

But alas, that was short-lived and it was replaced next week with a dilemma -- I received an acceptance letter from a medical school. And then a second. And then a third. And so another fork in the road appeared but unlike 5 years earlier this one felt different. I was 22 and I instinctively knew that I had to latch on to something because it's going to get harder and harder to change course once I became older. Also, I had a very attractive and viable alternative to Medicine -- the dot com boom was in full flight at the time and a Waterloo degree would be my ticket in.

So, what did I do? I went to my Dad and asked him what he thought I should do. He very predictably replied "Choose Medicine".

And here I am.

Did I truly have a choice in the matter? Was I merely seeking confirmation for something that was predetermined? Was I foolishly hoping for my father to cave in and let me decide? Was I trying to please my father?

I'm reluctant to overanalyze what happened but if you read the previous blog entry you can probably understand the pretext and subtext of what was going on.

Next entry: Anesthesia School

Flashback: The First Fork in the Road

It was late 1992 and Canada was still in the midst of an economic recession. I was in Grade 12 and, having fast-tracked to a 4 year high school diploma, it was time for me to decide my future. Like many academic overachievers I did not have any problem in finding things that I liked but rather in choosing one specific field. I remember submitting a number of those career questionnaires where a computer spits out what it thinks is best for you. I also remember being just as clueless after reading the results.

So, with the OUAC (Ontario Universities Application Center) form in front me and no master plan I tried to figure out what I wanted to do. I had completed 8 OACs (Ontario Academic Credit - Gr. 13 courses): 3 maths, 3 sciences, English, and French. "The Chinese 6-pack" was the somewhat derisive high school moniker for taking all the maths and sciences but I think few people realize how many doors are open for you in university. With the exception of the arts or creativity based programs where a portfolio was required (e.g. architecture) I had a hard time finding anything I wasn't able to apply for.

But my aptitude clearly lay towards the maths and sciences although English was my favourite course. Science and Engineering were the obvious choices and I had my eye on something computer related in particular. I also wasn't interested in going out-of-province or very far from Toronto for that matter. So, I applied for a mix of engineering programs at U of T, McMaster, and Queen's.

My Dad came into my room at this point and asked what I was doing. I told him I was deciding on which universities to apply to and that I was applying for Engineering. He thought for a moment and then said "I know somebody in Engineering, he couldn't find a job so he's fixing elevators for a living. I don't want you to be an Engineer. I want you to be a doctor".

And so with that, I tore up the OUAC application, grabbed a fresh one, and tried to figure out what I had to do to get into medicine.

Next: Etiologies and the Second Fork in the Road