Experiences that Led me to Choosing My Major

 Bachelor of Science Degree in Biological Sciences

 Concentration in Human Biology

A typical college student changes major 3 times on average throughout his/her college career. When applying to NC State the fall semester of my senior year in high school, I took the liberty of deciding my major from the start. Many of my peers applied to schools as undecided, but several factors influenced my decision to apply with a desired major of biology; I am currently in the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences (CALS), majoring in Human Biology, and hoping to specialize in sports medicine.

As my father practices internal medicine in his own clinic, I spent a lot of time in his office as a young child. You could always find me in the exam rooms playing with stethoscopes, reflex hammers, and other items you would normally find in a doctor’s office. I remember always getting in trouble for playing with my dad’s latex examination gloves because I would fill them up with water from the sink to make them look like cow udders… little did I know that I would be pursuing a career in medicine twelve years later. Aside from using my imagination with medical equipment, I had an interest in science from the start. In elementary and middle school, science was my favorite subject and I had a curiosity unlike others about everything when it came to the body. Why does a scab form after I fall down and get hurt? Why does my nose become runny when I have a cold? After taking my first formal biology class freshman year of high school, my questions were answered in detail as I learned how a scab forms from platelets in the blood to plug the bleeding site, and your nose runs when you have a cold because your body produces more mucous to help keep out the germs (Postlethwait 97-99).  It was also this year that I broke my ankle while playing basketball; my foot swelled up immediately and I couldn’t bare any weight on it – it turned purple and blue within an hour of falling on it! I went to an orthopedic surgeon the following day, and after multiple X-rays and MRIs on my ankle I was put in a cast, told to stay off my foot, and to come back for a follow up visit after six weeks. During my sophomore year I got injured again, but things were more serious this time around. During a basketball game I was going up for a rebound and was elbowed directly in the forehead and was knocked unconscious after taking a hard hit to the ground; an ambulance rushed me to the hospital and CT scans and X-rays were performed on my brain to make sure no permanent damage was done. Luckily, I was going to be okay but was diagnosed with a grade III concussion, I being of least impact and III as most severe. It took about 6 months to fully recover after having intense migraines every day and suffering from short term memory loss; I literally would spend all night studying and not remember a thing the next day, which certainly got frustrating.

It was these two events of becoming injured that really got me thinking about a potential career in the medical field, specifically in sports medicine. After going to so many doctors’ offices as a patient and having gone through many different tests, I wanted to know what was going on behind the scenes – what do all of these numbers and letters in my lab results mean?  How does all of this equipment even work to produce such precise calculations? It was a scary thing  to be an athlete and not know how long I’d be off the court. It was also disappointing to sit on the sidelines and not participate; I felt like I had let down my teammates. In the future, I would like to be on the other end of the situation and be able to help athletes who are suffering from medical conditions or injuries. I hope to work in the medical field and sports medicine – a dream job would to be a team doctor for a collegiate or professional team.

Completing a graduate program, let alone gaining acceptance to one is challenge. As a CALS student, I have access to a database of alumni from NC State who are performing research in the Triangle area or are students/recent graduates from medical schools. I interviewed a Wake Forest medical student and asked several questions about studying for the MCAT, the application process, work load in medical school, etc. I got a great response back as Shannon, my interviewee, advised me to get involved with extra-curricular activities, not to stress about the MCAT until after my junior year, and to gain experience through internships or shadowing (Drohan). With a lot of determination, hard work, and perseverance I hope to graduate from NC State with a degree in Human Biology, and to attend medical school in order to achieve my goal of becoming a physician specializing in sports medicine. I understand that my path of interest could change, but for now I am just hoping to survive my freshman year of college!

Works Cited

Drohan, Shannon. "NCSU CALS Student Seeking Advice." E-mail interview. 15 Nov. 2011.

Postlethwait, John H. Modern Biology. Student Ed. [S.l.]: Holt, Rinehart and Winston, 2009. Print.