Alternative Careers

There's an interesting interview question I got asked as I was going around to different medical schools: "What would you do if you did not get in anywhere?" Presumably the right answer is to polish my file, then apply again (a sign of commitment).

But it's an interesting thought. What would I do if I weren't in medical school? I think I'd still be doing some sort of school for various reasons. I don't have (m)any marketable skills. But here are some things I'd think about. I would love to do a creative writing program like an MFA or (in a dream world) a Stegner fellowship. Someday I'll apply, though it will be a while before my manuscripts become good enough. I lean towards short story writing, but oddly enough, I'm happier with the poetry I produce than the fiction. For a long time, I was iffy about how important an MFA was; it's neither necessary nor sufficient for being a good (publishable?) writer. And it doesn't seem like you can teach creative writing in the same sense that you teach mathematics or even English literature. But one of my friends did a poetry MFA at BU and her poems markedly improved. I think a year or two of intense devoted study to a craft does make a difference.

I'd also be very happy doing an MA ("coterm" in Stanford's lingo) in philosophy. Philosophy is one of those intensely interesting subjects that you cannot study (at least to any great depth) on your own. It requires a lot of guidance. I could see myself sitting down with a biochemistry or history or political science textbook and getting something out of it, but I can't see myself doing that with Kant or Leibniz (praise be his name) or Heidegger. Even with a bare bones background in philosophy, I find the level of abstraction and dependence on historical context so complicated that I need a formal curriculum to help me work my way through the texts. So even though I would have no idea what I'd do with a masters in philosophy, I'd be completely content in pursuing one.

The other possibilities are more practical but less exciting. I could pursue an MS or PhD in biology if I could find a good mentor and driving question. I could see myself working in lab for a bit, probably directed towards some sort of graduate education. I don't really know if I could see myself working; obviously, it's something most people do after undergrad, but I'm not sure if that would really suit me. But I am happy where I am and I don't think any of those alternatives would be as good for me long term as medical school.