Yep...I'm changing my major.
Again. :-)
And just like that, Microbiology becomes Ancient Near Eastern Studies.
Crazy? Maybe.
I've had a lot of time to think about my academic future, and these are my conclusions. 1) I love science. Ardently. I love the atmosphere here at Harvard; I love attending endocrinology conferences, stem cell presentations, and journal clubs hosted by the best scientists in the world. I love medicine. I love research. I love scientific vocabulary. I love scientific culture (except for the fact that I can't find ONE other person who cares about the NBA Finals...I mean, it's in Boston! Aren't you psyched?).
2) I don't love the way science is taught at my university. Think classes of 300+ anxious premeds crammed into tiny, windowless rooms in underfunded buildings where the professor reads from Powerpoint slides and some kids still. don't. get. it. Think useless labs and professors who consider you a number even though you excel, because the classes are just that huge and that impersonal. My time at Harvard has solidified my opinion that science programs at BYU are both way too big and not very good. See, when I entered my freshman year and began deciding on a major, I made the mistake of asking myself, "What would you like to study?" I should have asked myself, "Which programs are successful at this university?" and "In which programs can I obtain valuable professor-student interaction?" It isn't worth studying something your university doesn't value, no matter how much you love it.
3) I love Egypt.
4) I love writing.
5) I love languages (next up for me: Biblical Hebrew!).
6) Ancient Near Eastern Studies is a small major.
7) Medical schools like diversity.
8) I definitely still want to go to medical school.
9) I'll still take some science courses. I'll just take my pick of senior capstone courses without having to drag myself through the ambition-choking mud of immense, impersonal, insultingly simplistic basic courses. FINALLY I WILL BREATHE FREE AIR!
10) It might take me a while to graduate. I'm already a year behind schedule. I need to talk to a counselor. I'm young for my grade, though, so I think I'll cross those bridges when I come to them. I feel good about this choice.
In other news, the bone marrow stem cells I'm culturing are coming along nicely. I've heard things grow better when people sing to them, so I'm considering singing to my little cells the next time I'm in the tissue culture room. :-) I did three different kinds of PCR today--two for GFP and one for beta-catenin--and things seem to be working out very well on that front (knock on wood!). This evening, I went to FHE, played their "speed friending" game, and actually had a good time (and some good conversation!). And--achievement of the day--I actually went to dinner alone. Yep, you heard me. I'm not talking about take-out. I went to a restaurant. I sat down. I ordered a meal. They brought me rolls and water. I ate my food. I paid. And I tipped very well. Alone. While walking back from the shuttle that takes me to Children's Hospital every morning, I pass Grafton Street Pub and Grill, a local restaurant a friend of mine recommends for its baked lobster macaroni. Lobster? Bread crumbs? Cheesy macaroni? Of course, I just HAD to have it. I went tonight and it was every bit as divine as it sounds. I took a picture with my phone camera and would upload it here if I knew how. Suffice it to say, !الأكل كان لذيذ جدا
original. this is what mine looked like, but with bread crumbs all over it. mmmmm.
It's empowering to know that I have the courage to eat at a restaurant on my own. It takes more guts than you'd think.
2 comments:
Jessica! You are awesome! I am excited that you are now majoring in Ancient Near Eastern Studies! That will be so amazing! You are so amazing! :)
Jessica! Okay, so I've been stalking your blog for a while, but, you know "long time reader, first time commenting."
Anyway, I had considered changing my major for similar reasons a few months ago, but one of my profs (outside my dept.) changed my mind. He said that you have to ignore the politics of any department and find what way of looking at the world interests you most.
Despite my initial protestations, he was right. Yes my department has its issues, but my subject is amazing. So I'm sticking with it.
Maybe your situation is a little different since you've got a clear objective in mind (med school) and what you study at this point isn't necessarily going to shape the rest of your career.
All that to say, I'm glad you've found something you love. Ancient Near East Studies sounds absolutely fascinating.
P.S. I love your blog!
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