Going to college to pursue a career in dive medicine research-any advice?

[kaylee_ann]

Disclaimer: I am a professor at the University of Parma, ITALY, and this makes my opinion biased.

First suggestion, that I gave to my sons ad all my students: the best thing in your life is getting a job on which you have passion. You will enjoy your job, and excel in it...
Most people settle doing a job they hate, just for getting some money to survive, and spend a miserable life dreaming something else...
So I warmly encourage you to follow your dreams, and prepare yourself for a job you will love. Money is not everything. And money will come, when you excel in a job. But you can only excel if you truly love it!

Second suggestion: look around. Most people have a vison of academic training limited to the place where they live, and do not understand the worldwide picture. This is particularly true for Americans, who are ready to move by thousands miles for an University on the other side of the continent, but who usually do not evaluate the possibility to migrate to Europe, Asia, Africa or Australia for their university courses.
American universities have some very good points (plenty of money for research and labs, good procedures for hiring highly skilled teachers). But they suffer of other drawbacks, which you can fully understand only when comparing to the rest of the world: the main problem for students is the cost of tuition, which is absurdly large. University courses are much cheaper in other countries, often entirely free here in Europe. Here you even get some money for food and lodging, if you apply for being subsidised.
The other big problem is the high degree of specialisation which is typical of US post-graduate training. This can be good for getting top-notch skills on a specific topic, but can make it difficult, as others have already pointed out, to find a number of possible work positions corresponding to your specialisation.
Here in Europe we provide a much broader training. This means that, whatever is the specialisation chosen, you have a solid and broad base, allowing you to switch to other fields of work.

So I suggest that you evaluate the possibility to emigrate to another country for 6-9 years (the time required for a basic MD degree is 6 years, plus 3 years of specialisation or PhD).
You will learn another language, another culture, this will open your brains and make you a better person, not only a better doctor.
You will also probably save some 200,000 or 300,000 USD, which can be good for your personal finance in the medium and long term, as you will not have any student's debt to pay back...

Third suggestion: I am not sure that you understand the main goal of medicine is curing patients.
Medical doctors are not "scientists", and, with a few exceptions, they do not make "research". Ok, they do "clinical research", which, as seen from the perspective of "true" scientists, is another thing.
If you dream doing real research, probably being trained as a medical doctor is not the best choice.
A MD degree in Biology, Biochemistry, Natural Sciences, etc., followed by a PhD related to diving is probably a better starting point for working as a researcher in diving physiology.
Also consider that being a MD requires strong ethics and the capability of bearing the responsibility of the life of your patients. I have always been very grateful to doctors who did take care of my health, but I admit that I could not bear such responsibility. Becoming a MD is not just matter of studying and applying, you must own a special character (which I do not own).

So, I’d love to stay on the US north-east coast as I just love the vibe of it. Maybe North Carolina, that’s the furthest south I’d probably go. Plus, I really want to meet some people from DAN and Duke in NC lol. But, I keep my mind open to different possibilities, and I may change my opinion later.
My plan has been to be a researcher, not a medical doctor, with the idea of majoring in cellular/molecular bio then getting a Ph.D in something similar.

 

[RyanT]

1.) In hard major/minor combo.s, spacing out some of those easy general education requirements can help you withstand the rigors of your full time course load. Know what goes great with Calculus I, Organic Chemistry I and Comparative Anatomy? Art Appreciation! Or Public Speaking! Pretty much any 'cake' elective you barely have to study for.

+1000!

@kaylee_ann it sounds like you're not going the CC route, so this is more generalized advice on the topic...

University is indeed becoming prohibitively expensive and doing anything you can to minimize debt loads is important. Community college is a great way to help with this, and I did my first semester at CC. BUT, @drrich2 is spot on here. Every semester I see CC transfer students who come in for advising. They have all the basic gen ed requirements done. What they have left are things like Organic Chem, Physics, Molecular Genetics, Biochem, Evolutionary Biology, etc. I tell them to take an extra semester in college (or two) and just take some extra classes in a subject that is fun and easy for them. The ones that don't, try to power through with 3 or 4 lab science courses in a semester, they usually struggle to get above a 2.5 gpa. It really destroys their prospects for getting into graduate or medical programs.

 

[drrich2]

Btw, would you be willing to read over the application essay I wrote?

Yes, but I imagine some others here would be better suited for it. I'm a jaded, cynical old dude who spent over 2 decades practicing front line inpatient psychiatry, so I lack a lot of the idealism I imagine admissions committee members are hoping to see.

So I suggest that you evaluate the possibility to emigrate to another country for 6-9 years (the time required for a basic MD degree is 6 years, plus 3 years of specialisation or PhD).
You will learn another language, another culture, this will open your brains and make you a better person, not only a better doctor.

I don't think she's going the MD route, but for the benefit of others who may research this thread, for a non-U.S. trained physician to practice medicine in the U.S. can be quite the ordeal...I'm talking trying to get accepted to a residency program, and going a U.S.-based residency...even if you've already done one elsewhere. Anyone who wishes to practice medicine in the U.S. and has the option ought to get their med. school and residency training here. Foreign medical school graduates seeking residency training in the U.S. face very stiff odds of getting a position (so may not get the specialty desired); a U.S. medical school graduate faces much less pressure.

Given the necessity of excelling in the pursuit of a competitive position in the sciences, I wouldn't go anywhere they didn't speak my native language. Getting a high GPA with a demanding major/minor combo. is an ordeal in and of itself; doing so while struggling to understand the language could be a nightmare.

Here is my mercenary-minded score card for assessing undergrad. grades on a highly competitive track (e.g.: aiming for medical school):

1.) A - success. Good job! One more step toward your goal.
2.) B - mild failure, drags down the GPA, but as long as there are at least as many (preferably more) A's, not terrible.
3.) Anything worse than a B - unconscionable and has no place on your transcript. Do not let this happen.

A classmate with high grades sought medical school admission but had a problem - his first year, he goofed off (I think with a fraternity) and got low grades. Oh, he rocked academically after that, but never could be accepted to medical school. He became a nurse, and in hindsight was glad.

---

On another note, it can be hard to struggle through the mixed messages and uncertainty you face right now. It's good to have a vision, and I'd rather see you with a vision for a projected career track hitting college with drive than one of those people who haven't declared a major and are sort of wandering through life hoping a calling pops up.

That said, flexibility is your friend. Many years ago I read only about half of college grad.s have a job directly related to their major. I think my undergrad. advisor, with a Ph.D in Physiology, failed to get in medical school. Some people get through medical school and end up doing something else - my wife's Microbiology teacher finished medical school but didn't do a residency, and was teaching.

 

[formernuke]

A classmate with high grades sought medical school admission but had a problem - his first year, he goofed off (I think with a fraternity) and got low grades. Oh, he rocked academically after that, but never could be accepted to medical school. He became a nurse, and in hindsight was glad.

I had to join the military and then go back with a much higher GPA in order to her into law school after my first year.

Though I agree the networking is useful it is still better to knock out the first 2 years at CC or at least first year. If there is stuff you will need not offered at CC then take those once transferred. Remember you don't need a degree for credits to transfer just a good grade in the class.

 

[Angelo Farina]

So, I’d love to stay on the US north-east coast as I just love the vibe of it. Maybe North Carolina, that’s the furthest south I’d probably go. Plus, I really want to meet some people from DAN and Duke in NC lol. But, I keep my mind open to different possibilities, and I may change my opinion later.
My plan has been to be a researcher, not a medical doctor, with the idea of majoring in cellular/molecular bio then getting a Ph.D in something similar.

There are truly excellent universities in the US North-East. If you can afford going there, and they accept you, it is an excellent path to success!
Also good that you prefer a career as researcher, and not as a medical doctor. It was the same for me...
A major in bio followed by a PhD looks just perfect for this.

 

[kaylee_ann]

+1000!

@kaylee_ann it sounds like you're not going the CC route, so this is more generalized advice on the topic...

University is indeed becoming prohibitively expensive and doing anything you can to minimize debt loads is important. Community college is a great way to help with this, and I did my first semester at CC. BUT, @drrich2 is spot on here. Every semester I see CC transfer students who come in for advising. They have all the basic gen ed requirements done. What they have left are things like Organic Chem, Physics, Molecular Genetics, Biochem, Evolutionary Biology, etc. I tell them to take an extra semester in college (or two) and just take some extra classes in a subject that is fun and easy for them. The ones that don't, try to power through with 3 or 4 lab science courses in a semester, they usually struggle to get above a 2.5 gpa. It really destroys their prospects for getting into graduate or medical programs.

I really want to stay in the same college for the whole 4 years. It’s just easier that way and I’d be a lot more comfortable.
Hey could you read the essay I wrote for my application? It’s still in rough draft form. Rich said maybe you could do it

 

[RyanT]

So Rich is farming out my services now? Sure, I'd be happy to take a look.

 

[formernuke]

So Rich is farming out my services now? Sure, I'd be happy to take a look.

You've been pimped out

 

[kaylee_ann]

You've been pimped out

Well no because nobody’s getting paid for it

 

[dmaziuk]

Well no because nobody’s getting paid for it

That's called "internship"