Teaching??

During senior seminar class this past week, we discussed resumes and starting job searches.My senior seminar class is based more on the chemistry end of biochem (where I'm stuck) rather than the biology end (where I want to be). We discussed working grad school research, working as a lab researcher, or teaching in an academic setting. 

This seemed to open my eyes to more possibilities. 

What am I going to do during my gap year? It has to be something worthy of 'experience' needed for PA school, it must be interesting enough that I'll do it for a whole year, preferably it would be a paid position, and it must allow time for me to study for the GRE. My mom made the comment that I could teach at my alma mater, which would be my brother's senior year. While at the time, I thought her comment was just a joke, recently I've been giving it more thought. Aaron will be working during that time and it would be ideal if I was bringing some kind of income as well. So I started thinking about how difficult it would be to get my teaching certificate in Georgia and possibly teach high school biology during that time off. Maybe a substitute position would be better since I'll have to be studying for the GRE at the same time and it would only be for a year. To be certified, you must pass some test that's called the GACE. From what I have heard, it's similar to the SAT in section structure and question type. Other than that, I know nothing about this test, just like the GRE. I really wish I had considered other after-graduation plans sooner and prepared for them along the way, rather than scrambling now. Aaron's roommate Justin said the GACE has a basic section and then subject sections, based on what you want to teach. He exempted out of the basic section by having at least a 1000 on the SAT. Check. My SAT score was a 1930. All that's left is to take the subject test in biology (and perhaps maybe chemistry). Another one of Aaron's roommates even suggested taking the English test because he thinks I would have no problem with it and science and English teachers are always in demand. Hmm. That could be a good thing.

So now I have alot of options on the table and several things to do to plan for each one. 

PA school? 

I need MANY hours of experience and to take the GRE, which is $175, and fill out CASPA, which probably involves a fee too that I'm still not sure about.

Teaching? 

I need to take the GACE, which I'm not sure about but will probably around $100 and then find a school that's hiring (This could be a road block; What if spend all the extra time for this and then I can't find a job!? I'll have wasted so much time!) Making the choice to pursue teaching is basing a great deal on the assumption that once I'm certified that I will find a job teaching! That's quite a gamble. 

Retake the MCAT? 

I need some serious studying time blocked from the rest of the world 

and another $300 to pay for registration. Yikes. 

Med school? 

I need to retake the MCAT, succeed with flying colors, and tackle AMCAS, which gets expensive fast, depending on the number of schools you apply to.

And last but not least, Aaron and I are getting married sometime in all this mess. So we also have to plan a wedding in the middle of the chaos that is now my life. 

I never would have thought that after ALL MY LIFE saying I want to be a doctor, that during my senior year of college, I would be standing at a crossroad, unsure of what to do, which route to take, what to do with the rest of my life. If someone had told me this during my first year or even in high school, I would have been SHOCKED. In some ways, I have failed. I have failed myself and my own expectations of myself, which, honestly, were probably too high to begin with. I mean, Vanderbilt? Really? Sometimes I wonder what I was thinking when I thought I could go to med school there. I just feel so drawn to Vanderbilt, for some reason. Maybe I can end up there later, either in school or working. 

Anyways, I do not think pursuing medicine was a mistake. I have said all my life I want to be a doctor. To help people. I don't see anything wrong with now saying I want to be a PA instead. A PA still helps people like a doctor. My ultimate goal HAS NOT changed. Only the title has changed. The road has been rough and I'm expecting it to only get worse before it gets better. But that's life, right?

 

Why can't I have been a normal major like everyone else? Like business. That's not complicated by post-graduation plans! You just have to find a job and BAM, your career has started. My official 'career' won't be starting for quite some time, which only gets prolonged by me considering other options last minute and being so indecisive. Ugh.