Why I chose a PhD over medical school 

I'm a hard-core biologist...wanted to be a doctor ever since sophomore year of high school. During my sophomore year in college, I took a summer research internship and discovered my love for research. Couldn't live the rest of my semester without it so I asked my PI if I could continue to work with him...he said yes. Still just as passionate about medicine and helping others, but I want to incorporate my research into how I care for my patients. Now on the MD/PhD track.

This video you shared it’s absolutely inspiring. I’m planning to start a PhD in biomedical science in my 40ies, after a successful career in pharma and clinical trials but I’ve done exactly what you describe in crystal clear wording. I adapted in doing something that was not exactly my passion and I became good at it. But like you, I want to be the person making the scientific discoveries that advance patients care. Absolutely grateful for your words 🌸

Who else noticed the insanely cool collection of Naruto manga…?

It's the scientists with beautiful brains and beautiful hearts that are going to save our species. Thank you for committing your passion and gifts to helping our fragile world.🙏🏾 Not all heroes wear stethoscopes.🔬💗

I can relate to every single thing that you said. After my freshman year, I have realized that I can’t learn without knowing the background. I read too much to answer my whys and that is how I learn. Being a pre med the first year, I have concluded that due to stress and constantly thinking about an A I haven’t learned a lot. Also, my memorization skills are not par with other pre meds. I have been getting subtle signs that learning for me is more important than a certain gpa or an A. Thank you for this. ❤️

Recently I graduated from med school at age 27. I still switched my field to neuroscience. I'm exactly experiencing the same feeling as you switching to PhD. Thanks for sharing, to let me know that people went through the same situation for the same reason. We are meant to finish something special, instead of complete what people were expecting us to do.

I study pharmaceutical science and I can say i feel so lucky that I have chosen to dive into this whole world of science and research .

As an animal and vet science student, I was told by many in the early stages of my education that vet school was the only viable option for a career (and the only option for grad school that suited my interests). I recently have been moving towards pursuing a Master's/PhD in animal science and working towards working in either academia or animal industry. I feel like everyone in the biological science field goes through a period of questioning, so I'm glad to see someone address it!

This also reminds me of the difference between an engineering major and a STEM in math , physics or computer science , how in engineering it’s not important to know “why” but “how” is more important... personally “why” and “how” both matter to me ;) good luck and thank you for your great videos

Love this video! I was in a very similar situation (being pre-med) but ultimately decided to pursue a PhD because of my love for the intricacies of science, as well as being directly involved with the advancement of science and medicine.

We made a lot of the same realizations when deciding on research over healthcare. Great videos. I think I'm actually the same year of my PhD as you just on the other side of the country at TSRI. :)

4:19 I totally understand you. That genuine interest on the topic is the greatest way to learn and in fact is how everyone should study. Congratulations, you discovered a treasure! 😊

I'm currently a junior in undergrad, I'm not a biologist but I like hearing about other people's experiences. I'm currently getting everything ready to apply for PhDs in Social Policy and/or Sociology because I love studying inequalities and how we can fix said inequalities. I know I'm probably the only social science person here lol

Current dental student here. I really appreciate this perspective. I am glad that you had the courage to make this decision. Very excited to see your contributions to the world of science.

Thankyou for making this video! You put into words so well what I really couldn’t even explain to myself.

Thanks so much for this. I'm at the same crossroads, enthralled by the idea of a bio PhD but still held back by expectations for me to go into medicine. I only found out how much I wanted to explore the PhD option when I realized I was willing to put in the same amount of work for a different career!

This is a great video. I will be pursuing my PhD in Psychology & learning the language of the subject from a research perspective have helped me tremendously with my BS & MA in Psychology.

Woah that’s valuable, you were able to put into words what I’ve been feeling for a loooong time

That Is exactly how I felt in biology classes. I also am really interested in the intricacies I'm deciding between an md/PhD and a phd this was so helpful.

SOOOOOO relatable! I never wanted to go to med school. BUT I'm highly interested in the human body as a molecular machine functioning in health and disease. And in contrast to what most people think about Biomedical Science as a study track it actually is way more than the trashcan of failed medicine students that didn't pass the MCAT, or are just premeds prepping for med school. I mention this in my latest video. Me, and tons of others directly knew what they were doing choosing Biomedical Science! And it's important to make others aware and reinforce their initial attraction to such study tracks, and stimulate them to become researchers. And not make them feel bad because they didn't do med school! Love your channel!

Wow thank you for the in depth insight. As a prospective fall student, feels good that I won’t be the only one who’s been through the Arborbida process. Cheers and best of luck! :)

Peace be to you! I'm a new subscriber! What a refreshing channel you have! I REALLY appreciate you relaying your experience. The Doctoral route is not often discussed as an alternative to 😒 "REAL" doctors (MDs). There are incredible challenges to pursuing either. I TOTALLY relate to what you're saying about being a "typical" Biology major!😟😓😰 That's my first degree. I eventually earned a Doctorate in Health Education. That was my FIFTH doctoral program!😭I'm going to watch all of your videos! I'm so glad I found your channel!😃

Bit of a similar situation. After taking not so much a gap year as a gap decade, I'm considering going back to school to continue my education in Psychology. In my undergrad I was bound and determined to focus on the clinic aspect of psychology, to diagnose and counsel people directly. After graduating and frankly experiencing burn out, I've realized that there are a lot of options in psychology apart from the counseling relationship itself. From neuroscience to psycholinguistics to research in social psychology, there is so much more to learn. When I consider going back to school I can't help but get stressed out and competitive. So, I appreciate that you've emphasized the aspect of a pure love of learning. That's really what has me excited when researching all of the Ph.D. programs related to psychology. Like, I know I don't have the complete skill set yet, with my utter lack of research experience, but I know I would love learning about it if someone would give me a chance.

You are so relateable! I definitely feel the same way and just watching your video also gave insight to my ultimate decision. Thank you!

thank you for sharing this...this makes so much sense and is helpful in choosing the right field/route for YOU and not just going with the status quo. Good luck on everything. God Bless!!!

Doing research on viruses using PCR over the summer changed my mind on my schooling. I spent years in sales and finally decided to go to college with a wife and two kids because "I knew" I wanted to be Veterinarian. I had a friend, who also happened to be Professor, get a grant for his research studying SARS, COV1, COV2 and now COVID19. He invited me to participate in his research and now I'm working towards a degree in Microbiology. It's funny how the world works, or rather extremely fascinating!

This is the most relatable video regarding my education & career path. I finally feel somewhat understood in this aspect, like I found my ppl.

This is awesome, and I love it!😍🤩 When I'm about to choose the graduation degree after high school, I've decided not to take the conventional, popular choice of the career path - Med school, and take BS, MS route instead, before becoming a biomedical scientist. But I had a slight but painful sense of doubt about that choice. This video really helped in clearing my mind of that doubt, watching you talk about how the classes and your interests/values affected your decision felt like magic as it's exactly same in my case, even our thought process is the same. Until now my monologue was "MBBS degree pushes a lot of stuff into my skull, but I'm deeply interested in human genetics and genetic diseases, but going to med school would've helped me understand physiology and pathology... so should've chosen that instead". But hearing about programs with selective med-syllabus, tailor-made for someone like me, is very soothing. I am about finish my BS in Biotechnology(should've graduated in June, but CoVID!) Sadly I didn't get the opportunities to get research exposure/internships during BS course, didn't focus on grades, also I'm preparing for entrance tests into MS life sciences courses at univ's in India and this pandemic is not helping at all. After watching you talk though, I think I can figure this out somehow... damn I've a lot to say, I'm into many things, sci-fi, visual art, design, computers, writing,...like a polymath, too. Also, I love the Hero Aka poster, and your collection in the background, it's like a bonus! I was able to follow through the video's end no problem, but the background music, and you going buggy-eyed sometimes(no offence at all) bugged me little😅

You're very self-aware. It's very inspirational.

Your video just popped up at the right time when I'm now at the cross road of deciding on Medicine vs PHD. I find PHD to be more impactful and I've always wanted to make a difference. Although Medicine always has its glamorous side of attraction, it is fundamentally different to research. Being a scientist will offer me intellectually stimulation and freedom which is not offered by medicine. I already switched from commerce to science field, and I'm willing to devote my life and passion to it, it's a great path, although at the start of the road, it looks intimidating and uncertain. Your video really resonate with my thoughts. Hope you are doing well :)

I can specially relate to this video so well..You know I live in India and here the system is a little bit different you have choose right after your high school if you want to go to medical school or become scientist ..If you want to become a scientist , then your undergraduate courses are different..You know I was so confused between them both and during my 11th and 12th grade I enrolled my self in a medical entrance exam coaching..This is what you need to do in 11th and 12th here enrolling yourself in your field's entrance exam coaching but I actually started discovering the same way as you that I don't like memorising much information rather I like knowing more and the reason behind it..And I ended up giving giving both medical and research institutes entrance exam and I got selected in one of the most prestigious research Institutes and in fact the best ,IISER..And I was happy and I really wanted to become a scientist and there is where I finally went..Currently , I am doing an undergraduate course in research institution and I feel so happy after watching your videos..Because I also want to do phd in Biology at Harvard...Keep on making such amazing videos and thanks for sharing...

Beautiful perspective.

I found myself in a very similar situation . Currently working to finish my molecular and cell biology bachelor's. Been extremely conflicted by my indesition of of PhD in biomedical research or Med school. I feel more pationate when doing research and presenting . Great advice , thanks for sharing this

Oltremare is probably my favorite of Einaudi's works, great video!

I so so much relate to you regarding to know more about science rather than getting an A!!

I related so much to your decision trajectories. Since I was a kid, I wanted to become a doctor, to help people and also for the money and respect . But certain realizations led me to prefer research over medicine.

3:19 you, my friend, are an extremely intelligent woman for noticing this. I am a kinesiology grad student ATM and my thesis is on health disparities among minorities (I'm half Filipino and half Mexican from a loowwwwww socioeconomic background. The rabbit whole you speak of....its intense and sucks bc I have no one to tell this to but you've been through it! omg you should make another video on this! everyday I read about my thesis topic I get into a depressing mood and that has prevented me from writing.

I’ve always known I wanted to pursue a PhD, even before I knew what it was, at first because my dad had one but later because I just couldn’t picture myself in a career that didn’t involve research. Recently though, I’d been considering a career in medicine -I’d never been particularly interested in medicine, but I felt like it was what people expected from me. This video helped me so much, and I’m so incredibly grateful because now I know that I wouldn’t be happy as a doctor. I always want to know how things work, I hate memorizing facts because I always want to know how it works and why it works that way. Thanks, you’ve saved me years of unhappiness and over hundreds of thousands of dollars in medical school costs.

Thank you for sharing. A doctorate in nursing is so fascinating to me I wanted to dig a bit deeper and perform clinical research to help improve patient outcomes.

Very honest perspectives

Woah !!! Can't believe even I wanted to be a neurosurgeon but for the same reason as yours I now decided for PhD psychology,( m still in high school though) 😉 but Harvard is dream

Why do you have only 1.8k subscribers? Seriously, I don't think people value the genuine good stuff as much as they should.

Now THIS is epic. 👏

Seriously love this video ty

Hi, I’m currently a first year dental student, but I realized that dentistry isn’t for me. I am really passionate about biochemistry, a subject I’ve grown to love during college. I am highly considering leaving dental school to pursue a PhD in structural biochemistry. I just have a few questions: From your perspective, how severely has the pandemic affected your ability to progress through your program (I imagine lab time is restricted)? Would you advise someone in my shoes to pursue a Ph.D. knowing that professional school isn't the right path for them? Would it be wise to apply for a program during the pandemic? Should I first get more relevant research experience before applying? What are the job prospects like after working as a postdoc? Thank you so much!

Please make a video on the Coursework pattern and first two years at Harvard.

7:20 one thing I wish I had thought of in my early undergraaaduate years to build the foundation

This is awesome :)

Where do you recommend starting if this a second degree choice? My first degree is non-science related. I am most intrigued by discovery and research from researching on my own. I’ve never worked in a science or medical position.

Great video. My son in aspiring to be a doctor and maybe PhD could be an option.. his decision though!. Very enlightening...Thanks for sharing.

Im currently not sure wether i want to peruse chemical engineering or biotechnology( its a program that ends with a phd and its around 9 years) or go into med school(its around 7 years) In my contry you get to go straight from high school to one of these programs and its free exept med school which has some must work to pay for free education I always liked to ask “why questions” but im not sure yet which path satisfies me more. And i studied high school with concentration on biology. In med school are there really no time to reaserch or are they simply not allowed in advanced labs?

Hello hello! I honestly am super super inspired by you and I desperately wanting to talk to you. I definitely am willing to pay for your time and need some serious help in what it looks like you are and have been going through in applying for PHD programs and the experience of a PHD student.

im currently on a gap year reapplying to medicine but listening to this i relate so much to everything you said. I'm definitely someone who prefers looking in-depth at topics and finding out the why behind the what. Now I don't know what to do :/ I feel like I have to continue into med school because that was my goal starting this gap year. But the more I research I do the more I'm not sure its for me. how do i even tell my parents 😓

I can relate so much to this. Scientist or dental school?

I left engineering for my passion physics...Can u make a video on physicst at Harvard

this is an odd question but did you wear your septum piercing to your interview? btw this video was really inspiring!

😆 manga collections. I’m just trying figure out what series are they.

Can you do a video of studying for the GRE

Can u be bother to read my research proposal for 3 minutes im afraid to send this to apply for master scholarship 😩 i wish i was smarter im clueless about this

Love the MHA poster in the back!

How’s it been going??

I love your Naruto manga collection.

Hey I laughed so hard bc my brain is def not for memorising a bunch of stuff even though I am doing a bio Bsc lol and you said the same and I just found that hella funny and never met another bio fellow student that is like that

Also make a vidoe on scope after Phd in life science

Dentristy really isn’t biology. It really doesn’t have much to do with biology at all. It is more related to physiology.

Me toooo why..... I feel odd and they didn’t care

Hello Mam, It's Jayant , currently I am studying my masters of degree in Biotechnology in India , after masters its my dream to ph.d and do research in Harvard's university but i dont now who to apply, the conditions, the qulification and entrance for getting addmission in Harvard's university, It will be very helpful if you guide me about to get addmission in Harvard's university and I will be very thankful of you.

Your background 😍

chem i s try

Because you are smart and value society and knowledge than being greedy for money. Am commenting even before seeing the video

naruto!!!

Ok wait, so is it optional? You take a phd instead of md? I thought md is a must..

Is Harvard school is hard?

Phd!!

After you completed your PhD, medical school is next right? 🤔

Why don't you do all 3. Dentistry, medicine and PhD. That way you don't have to worry about deciding which one or creating a video for that matter.

Damn that's sick ur into anime/manga

I saw my hero academia, I clicked and watched

Are you desi? :)

Mam you are so beautiful

🐋

Med school reject