Anxiety from dropping medical school endeavors

[emma512]

Hi everyone,

I'm currently a rising senior Chemistry major. Up until a month ago, I was pre-med and was planning on taking the MCAT and applying to medical school. But I recently decided that I would be happier doing a Masters in Chemical Engineering instead and that the medical field was just not for me.

With this decision came a lot of disappointment from not only my immediate family but my extended family as well and the large amount of pressure and disappointment has been giving me extreme anxiety  . Does anyone have any advice or words of wisdom for me to deal with the situation?

[sjoh197]

Only you can make you happy. If other people are not there to support your career choices... then find a new support structure. Spend less time with the people who cause you pressure and anxiety, and instead spend time with people who make you feel supported and at ease. Be firm in your decisions and don't let people push you around either. And if your anxiety is really bad, you could always talk to your doctor. But as I found out with this type of anxiety... there's no point going to the doctor for you anxiety if you are just going to put a band-aid over a bullet wound and then continue to stand in the middle of the firing range. Your family should be proud that you are going to be a chemical engineer. It is a very respectable career choice, and if it's what you want to do... then that's what's important.