Theoretical physics Vs medicine

I've always been expected to be the 'doctor' in the family, which I've deeply resented, as it have surfaced the question of whether my interest in medicine is due to expectations or sole interest. As of a couple months ago, I have suddenly become obsessed with physics; anything which applies to the real world and forces. I'm not too sure if I'd like to branch off into astrophysics yet as I have no experience or research, apart from basic GCSE content which I found rather boring (lacked in depth). I've just started my A-levels: maths, bio, chem and physics hoping my career aspirations would clear up, but it has only become more confusing. As of right now, maths and chemistry is boring as it is mostly GCSE content. I found biology relatively interesting, but the content to be overbearing (doing biological molecules). Physics has been really interesting (quantum physics) and not too difficult (not to be overconfident). Does the content / difficulty in biology drastically worsen? If so, I don't think I'll last long. As for physics, does the content become too hard / the questions? For me, one week I'm completely obsessed with physics, and the next, medicine. I don't think I'm too interested in being an engineer, perhaps t work for NASA or to become a university professor. The problem is that my parents argue jobs for physics are scarce, and medicine almost always secures a job. Not to mention, my school has a deadline on the 10th of October for subjects, and they're all fixated on doing three subjects, unless one is further maths (if wanting to do economics, cs, maths, physics or engineering) and if I choose to stay with those 4 a levels, I won't be able to drop them past the deadline. I've looked into Einstein's theory of relativity and although I think I've forgotten most of it, I know I found it very interesting. With medicine, I do love to diagnose diseases / help care for sick relatives using the scarce knowledge I know, but I dread working in a hospital (or maybe it's in my head, as I love to go to the hospital, finding it a comforting place). I have conducted a heart dissection and wasn't squeamish at all, but tbh it wasn't inside of a body. I have always found the human body interesting too, and the idea of cutting into it and fixing the delicate structure is interesting. It's just the biology and chemistry content seems quite boring - chemistry especially (as I hate cells, genetics, plants - anything but anatomy/ to do with the body). What do I do?! Does anyone have any pivotal moments / books/ documentaries / reasons on why the studied medicine / physics? I know some may suggest just swapping bio with FM or dropping it, but I do choose to study physics I do not want to do chemistry at all.

I've always been expected to be the 'doctor' in the family, which I've deeply resented, as it have surfaced the question of whether my interest in medicine is due to expectations or sole interest. As of a couple months ago, I have suddenly become obsessed with physics; anything which applies to the real world and forces. I'm not too sure if I'd like to branch off into astrophysics yet as I have no experience or research, apart from basic GCSE content which I found rather boring (lacked in depth). I've just started my A-levels: maths, bio, chem and physics hoping my career aspirations would clear up, but it has only become more confusing. As of right now, maths and chemistry is boring as it is mostly GCSE content. I found biology relatively interesting, but the content to be overbearing (doing biological molecules). Physics has been really interesting (quantum physics) and not too difficult (not to be overconfident). Does the content / difficulty in biology drastically worsen? If so, I don't think I'll last long. As for physics, does the content become too hard / the questions? For me, one week I'm completely obsessed with physics, and the next, medicine. I don't think I'm too interested in being an engineer, perhaps t work for NASA or to become a university professor. The problem is that my parents argue jobs for physics are scarce, and medicine almost always secures a job. Not to mention, my school has a deadline on the 10th of October for subjects, and they're all fixated on doing three subjects, unless one is further maths (if wanting to do economics, cs, maths, physics or engineering) and if I choose to stay with those 4 a levels, I won't be able to drop them past the deadline. I've looked into Einstein's theory of relativity and although I think I've forgotten most of it, I know I found it very interesting. With medicine, I do love to diagnose diseases / help care for sick relatives using the scarce knowledge I know, but I dread working in a hospital (or maybe it's in my head, as I love to go to the hospital, finding it a comforting place). I have conducted a heart dissection and wasn't squeamish at all, but tbh it wasn't inside of a body. I have always found the human body interesting too, and the idea of cutting into it and fixing the delicate structure is interesting. It's just the biology and chemistry content seems quite boring - chemistry especially (as I hate cells, genetics, plants - anything but anatomy/ to do with the body). What do I do?! Does anyone have any pivotal moments / books/ documentaries / reasons on why the studied medicine / physics? I know some may suggest just swapping bio with FM or dropping it, but I do choose to study physics I do not want to do chemistry at all.

I find it strange that you're interested in anatomy but find cells boring - maybe a physiology book can help you bridge the gap. If it's really just anatomy, there are degrees in that although they require further training for clinical positions.
You could also study biomedical or mechanical engineering with an eye to biomechanics: https://sheffield.ac.uk/mac/research/groups/biomechanics

I think it more so has to do with being able to apply my knowledge to real life scenarios, and to problem solve. With cells, it just seems less interesting, as compared to seeing how the heart behaves, and how lifestyle factors affect health.

I've always been expected to be the 'doctor' in the family, which I've deeply resented
Then don't do it. Its a degree and career that demands100% commitment, and you have to actually want to put in that commitment not your parents.
Go for Physics. Tell you parents that any minute you are going to be an adult and that actually you can make your own decisions about what you will do with your own life. If they want to go to Uni and be a doctor, they can apply themselves. There are times in life when you have to stand up for yourself and tell other people to mind their own business. This is one of them.

Then medicine shouldn't be too bad - after a certain point you'll start learning about how the cell dynamically reacts to extracellular signals like hormones, and good exams should be grounded in real world clinical settings

hi i'm in year 13 and take maths, fm, physics and chem; i'm applying for natsci (physics major) this year so hopefully i can help a bit. i really would advise that you don't go for medicine unless it's what you want to do - it is such an intense degree and career that if you are not passionate, it will be very difficult. there are plenty of good jobs; with a physics degree, you can also go less directly into well-paid areas like finance. my family pushed me to do law before i chose my a levels and i'm so glad that i went down my own path instead - you don't want to spend your life doing something you don't enjoy 😀
i found that aqa physics started off very easy (matter and radiation, particle, and quantum) and as soon as you hit waves and optics, it gets a lot harder (though mechanics is quite nice, especially since you said you enjoy it, and it links to what you learn in maths. i would like to add that if you take further maths and do the further mechanics module(s), this will make the mechanics in physics a lot easier). i wouldn't let the difficulty discourage you: with sustained work you can do really well! i believe i got an E or a D in waves, but i'm now, with a lot of work, i'm predicted an A*, so please don't get demoralised if it's a subject you genuinely love. also, if you do aqa, and your school lets you choose your optional module, there's the option for medical physics in year 13 (looking at the eye, ear, diagnostics etc) so that might be interesting for you
i would caution you against dropping chemistry - only do this if you are sure you don't want to do medicine. doing bio rather than chem is perfectly fine if you pursue physics, but a much larger problem if you do medicine. it might be a reassurance that year 13 chemistry is significantly different from gcse - maybe look at your textbook and see if you like the look of the year 13 work. personally, i found that the first few topics of chemistry were a little basic, but now i'm doing kinematics and pH and it's a lot more interesting
in terms of books to read, "nature's machines" by alexander may be a little challenging but interesting, if you're more interested in physics applied to whole organisms. if you ever dabble in cellular biology i can help a lot more - "biological physics" by nelson is very very dense and more aimed at university students, but teaches you about the interdependence of the sciences and maths, which i found quite beautiful (i would also recommend anything by goodsell for being beautifully illustrated and clearly-written).
i think there's a lot to be said for reading about how physics applies to whatever it is that you already enjoy. for example, i love music, so seeing how wave physics applies to music made me appreciate the physics a lot more. remembering that physics is everywhere, and can be used to explain everyday life, i find amazing for a lower-commitment exploration, oxford university have some good podcasts. (just a note - if you buy any books, i really recommend looking to your library, or 'world of books'/any second hand store before buying them; academic texts can be very expensive!)
i hope this helps, and best of luck in your decision. do ask if there's anything else i can help with

Biology has a lot of content, physics is very difficult. I took both at the start of year 12 and despite doing better at gcse physics than bio i was working at an A* in bio but a B in physics. The message i took from this is that you really need to do what you love, I wasn’t very interested in physics but biology is what i want to dedicate my life to so it was easier for me to do well! You seem really passionate about physics so go for that, and take further maths! Both will be difficult but youll hopefully be fine seen as youre interested in physics 🙂

How is the workload, if you don't mind me asking? Would I have to study 2 hours each day per subject to aim for A*s, or would I even have to do more?

The thing is that I've watched some documentaries to do with diseases such as meningitis, and found them quite interesting. The only dilemma I have is questioning whether my interest is solely my own, or if I have been subconsciously nurtured my whole life to do it (as I am very easily influenced). I'm hesitant to make a bold decision because my physics phases go on and off, so if I decide to do maths, further maths and physics, I worry that I'll soon lose interest. How do I know when something is right for me?

Sorry to sound nosy, but do you study medicine at university? That does sound quite interesting, but I've heard that doctors can work 24+ hour shifts. Is that true?

Look at other degrees - remember its research scientists that win prizes for ground-breaking developments in medicine, not hospital doctors.
Undergraduate | School of Cellular and Molecular Medicine | University of Bristol - scroll down for courses - Virology, Parasitology, Cancer Biology, Immunology etc
Study | Faculty of Engineering | Imperial College London (Bio-Engineering etc)
Undergraduate | Faculty of Engineering (Medical Physics etc)

Not sure which subject youre asking about so ill answer for both ig lol
Physics- wasn’t terrible tbh. The homework didnt take very long but was quite challenging sometimes and revision was pretty straightforward from that i can remember. Eg: i had 360 physics flashcards from a term of content. It was definitely a case of being advised to do 500 minutes of revision per week and being able to get everything done in less than that. The issue is the exams cos the questions are quite tricky and the grade boundaries are very high.
Biology- takes up the vast majority of my time. The homework takes forever but is really helpful because exam tech is something you can get quite easily with practice. Theres a lot of content, about 1000 flashcards in a term lol, and you need to spend a lot of time making resources and memorising content. The grade boundaries aren’t terrible for it and i love the content so maintaining an A* for me isnt that hard, just takes a lot of time because theres always a lot of work set.
Whether 2 hours is enough or not will depend on your skill set, interests, how you spend your time and how strong the dept is at your school. Happy to answer any more questions if you have them 🙂

Thank you so much! As of right now, admittedly, maths is actually quite boring (it's probably the teacher and class), but I was wondering if I could just do biology, chemistry and physics if I had to absolutely drop one? Would I still be able to achieve an A*, and participate in the physics olympiad, or is a level maths the basic requirement to study a level physics / natural sciences at university?

Will do! Do you think participating in the physics olympiad will hone skills, or is it for those who are already gifted / would it still be relevant even if I apply for medicine? So sorry for the questions! Literally been going crazy because I've made no progress in my decision.

Will do! Do you think participating in the physics olympiad will hone skills, or is it for those who are already gifted / would it still be relevant even if I apply for medicine? So sorry for the questions! Literally been going crazy because I've made no progress in my decision.

you're welcome! to be honest, if you're really good at maths (which i assume you are!) then a level maths probably will feel very close to gcse maths for pretty much all of year 12 - i can certainly say i was pretty bored for most of the year. however, it should start to get a bit more interesting for you in year 13
you could definitely still get an A* in physics without maths (though it may be slightly harder). however, you really do need maths to do physics to a higher level. unfortunately, a physics degree, or even natural sciences, would be rather inaccessible without maths a level, and as such it's a requirement. i really hope you end up coming to a decision!