Career choice

I'd recommend having a type of job or research area in mind instead of just a field of study.

>>17719389
I was told that people very rarely get the exact job that they were planning for going into college, so that's why I have fields instead of specific jobs

>>17719337
Let me explain this as someone who sees fuckers like you all the time
>1
Get your head ot of your ass, you and every other kid who breezed through the simple highschool shit thinks they are going to be a physicist or bio/premed->doctor

You do not need to choose a major for your freshman year, even if you got every AP or dual credit possible, you still have atleast a semester or two worth of freshman school-wide generic classes.

Take those classes, figure out what you actually enjoy doing, otherwise you'll be in an office like mine complaining about how much you hate yourself and are so stressed because you have to study so much for something you hate/just can't do.

Find some numbers of people in the fields you're interested in (probably just general company phone numbers, at first). Even a quick, 15 minute informal interview is all you need to have a MUCH better idea of what you really want to do in the future. If you can talk yourself into it, consider doing a job shadow. Like maybe 4 hours of hanging around the person you want to be. It's alright to be nervous about doing something like this, but it'll be worth it.

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>>17719337
Last time I checked, there was no real degree requirements for getting into medical school (US). They only care that you fulfilled certain course prerequisites. Some degrees will obviously have an easier times covering these than others like biology, but there isn't an actual degree restriction. I even remember reading that more exotic degrees like physics are a plus since 90% of their applicants will be biology/chemistry/etc. and seeing something different is a definite plus.

This is what I'd do. Major in physics, and also take whatever prerequisites medical schools require for admission on the side. Shouldn't take too much longer than a pure degree. In the meantime, make sure that you actually do like physics like you say you do. It's a long, hard path to a research position; one that will probably take more time and effort than medical school and pay less in the end. The good news is that you won't be in debt, since you'll be on a stipend for your PhD.

And if you make sure to learn other practical skills on the side, like programming (C++, Python, etc.), you can always try and transition from a physics PhD to another field like finance, which can potentially earn you more than being a doctor. Either way, make sure you do as much undergraduate research as possible to see if you actually like physics research and talk with your professors after hours to see if they have any opportunities to do stuff you might be interested in.

If you learn you hate physics after you finish your undergraduate degree, you can always apply to medical school (since you've finished all your course requirements in the meantime). If you learn you hate physics after your PhD, you can always go find other lucrative jobs (since you have other skills you can combine with it (programming, electronics, finance). And if you learn you truly do love it, than you can pursue it afterwards via industry or Postdoc.

>>17719507
Thanks for all of the advice. How many courses are you required to take to be on a premed track?

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>>17719550
>http://www.georgetowncollege.edu/bio/student-resources/planning-and-scheduling/pre-med-a-4-year-plan/
No idea, it's been several years since I've taken a look at premed. Google and read up on shit like the above. Both paths aren't easy by any stretch of the imagination and like >>17719410 said, you likely won't end up doing either. Which is why you always need to have a backup plan. Good luck m8, physics is a beautiful science even if the actual work can be drudgery.

>>17719652
thanks again

If you have no idea what you want to do, do what your family does. It's not a bad thing to do what your dad did.