Back to the Future
Back to the Future
The future. Who will I be? What will I become? It’s crazy to think that in only a few years, I’ll totally be on my own. As for what I want to do, well, I’m torn. I’m into medicine, and I think that being a physician would be a really fulfilling life experience. Sounds cliché, doesn’t it? But I can’t help it. I’ve had an interest in cardiology for a while…there just seems to be something really alluring in working with the human heart. I can’t really put my finger on it…maybe it’s just the sheer importance and power of the heart itself. How can something work for almost a century, pulsing around 3 billion times and never miss a beat? It just seems so perfect. Also, after being in a cancer research lab, my eyes have been opened to oncology. I truly believe that the highlight for our generation will be a cure for cancer. Being in a cancer research lab had made me realize just how much progress we’ve been making at the molecular level in figuring out just what goes wrong with cancer cells…and there are hundreds of cancer research labs around the world just like mine, working just as hard. It’s bound to happen.
I guess that brings me to the reason why I’m torn. I really love research, partly because I’ve grown up around it, with my dad having his own lab back at home. The apple didn’t fall far from the tree, I suppose. Research really appeals to me because it seems like every day you’re learning something new. What you do in research has never been done before, and that’s really exciting. Plus, while working in a place like a cancer research lab, you can see the immediate impact of your research. It’s really cool knowing that, even if it was for 8 weeks, I’ve done my part in the fight against cancer.
Ideally, I suppose an Md/Phd program would be the thing for me, since it’s the best of both worlds. I’d love to be a part of Duke’s Medical Scientist Training Program, because Duke itself seems to be the perfect blend of the clinical and research worlds. But even as I sit thinking about it, I wonder if I’d be better suited for just pure research. I really love the freedom you get by being in a lab…you get to do things at your own pace and set your own limits. So long as you are dedicated, sincere, and passionate about what you do, you’ll be successful in research.
Who will I be? What will I become? I guess time will tell.
“Do not dwell in the past, do not dream of the future, concentrate the mind on the present moment.”
-Buddha
