Almaz Mesghina

Dropping pre-med was the best decision I ever made. I chose pre-med because l) I liked helping people, 2) I felt pressure to get a "practical" degree as a FGLI BIPOC child of refugees, and 3) clout. But I was miserable. I found the courses so boring. I couldn't motivate myself to open the textbook or even attend class. I was deflated. My GPA reflected this.

Meanwhile, I loved mentoring kids and working as a daycare teacher. I was so intrigued by kids' developing cognition, but scared about career opportunities. When I finally switched my major to psychology, I was reborn: I looked forward to class and the readings. I went to office hours for fun and I invested time in research and internships that bridged the scary gap between major and career. My job now checks off all the reasons I pursued pre-med, but I actually like what I do.

Being interested in and feeling like you belong in your area of study is one of the most important predictors of success and wellbeing. This was my experience and there's a lot of research to support it.