Should I do law or medicine
I'm currently in year 13 studying history chem and biology. I do need to just redo maths because I didn't get the required grades for GCSE but that shouldn't be a problem for medicine. I've only thought about doing medicine in year 11. As I do want a career that can directly help people and I've always been surrounded with people who's in the medical field and has seen how the hospital works and has done research about it. And as so much I do want to do it, studying civil rights in America has kind of sparked me to pursue law either in America or UK due to civil issues still going on so now I'm not sure what to pursue I do have a year to decide but it would be helpful to hear someone's perspective
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AI may take over lawyers soon
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Original post
by OARxAI may take over lawyers soon
not really… ai cannot control ethical issues in a courtroom and it can barely argue semantically. humans will always be better lawyers than a robot.
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Finance
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Original post
by RhianaaaI'm currently in year 13 studying history chem and biology. I do need to just redo maths because I didn't get the required grades for GCSE but that shouldn't be a problem for medicine. I've only thought about doing medicine in year 11. As I do want a career that can directly help people and I've always been surrounded with people who's in the medical field and has seen how the hospital works and has done research about it. And as so much I do want to do it, studying civil rights in America has kind of sparked me to pursue law either in America or UK due to civil issues still going on so now I'm not sure what to pursue I do have a year to decide but it would be helpful to hear someone's perspective
Hey there 👋 I went through a similar dilemma when I was in Year 12 and there were two things that helped me.
1.
Make a pro and cons list about boths Medicine and Law. Include how many years you will study, to details about the actual work that you will do that you will either like or not like (e.g. seeing blood, stool etc. or dealing with traumatic cases). Also, think about what you're life will look like if you go down either of these career paths, what do you want your life to be like and which career fits your goals more.
2.
Get some experience under your belt. Right now you might only have a theoretical idea of the kind of work in both medicine and law, so it would be good to get in some shadow experience. Whether its formal or informal at this stage isn't too relevant, but make sure that you get to see a diversity of work in both fields. For most people that will very quickly help you decide what work you are more interested in.
Another great thing to do is to create a list of the skills you have (e.g. avid reader, great writer, good interpersonal skills) and see if that gives you any indication for which job you may be better suited to.
These are all tips to just get you thinking, but the key point is to think through your goals and discuss them with other people to make sure you make the right choice for you.
Good luck!
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Original post
by RhianaaaI'm currently in year 13 studying history chem and biology. I do need to just redo maths because I didn't get the required grades for GCSE but that shouldn't be a problem for medicine. I've only thought about doing medicine in year 11. As I do want a career that can directly help people and I've always been surrounded with people who's in the medical field and has seen how the hospital works and has done research about it. And as so much I do want to do it, studying civil rights in America has kind of sparked me to pursue law either in America or UK due to civil issues still going on so now I'm not sure what to pursue I do have a year to decide but it would be helpful to hear someone's perspective
Hi @Rhianaaa,
I completely relate to wanting a career where you can actually make a difference, and you're certainly not the first to have had the medicine/law debate! Following Marjaan's advice below is a great place to start, but it's also important to consider:
•
Medicine is a very specialised career - a medicine degree typically takes 5 years for standard entry, whereas you don't even need a law degree to be a lawyer. You could always study a science-based degree (~3 years), or a medicine degree, and then do a one-year law conversion course afterwards (this is what I'm doing now, after an archaeology degree). So if you're truly torn, remember the door to law is still open to you even if you try out the medicine path first - but if you choose to study law, it may be harder to convert to medicine in the future.
•
Possible areas of overlap - if the helping aspect of medicine and justice aspect of civil rights appeal to you, you could always look into future careers that combine the two, such as medical law or forensic medicine. These may require more specialised knowledge and further study, so if there's a particular career that stands out to you, work backwards to figure out what next steps you need to take now.
•
US vs UK law - if you want to qualify as a lawyer in the US, there may be additional steps you need to take, such as passing the US Bar exam. If you're really passionate about practising in the US, it may help to map out the steps you need to achieve this and remember that the journey won't necessarily look the same as it would for becoming a lawyer in England and Wales.
Remember, you don't need to have it all figured out now - you've got plenty of time to research potential career paths, and if you still don't know for certain by the time it comes to applications, that's okay! As I explained, a conversion course will always be available to you should you choose not to study law at undergraduate level. Good luck!
Holly
PGDL Student
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Original post
by kujihnot really… ai cannot control ethical issues in a courtroom and it can barely argue semantically. humans will always be better lawyers than a robot.
Someone’s applying to law it seems.
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by OARxSomeone’s applying to law it seems.
im actually a medicine applicant 😭
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Why not start a law degree apprenticeships while doing some weekend health assistant shifts then decide in time for the next years medical addmissons?
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Someone asking should I apply to study law or medicine is telling me they don't actually know what either involve. They are about as far apart as two courses could be.
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Original post
by ErasistratusVSomeone asking should I apply to study law or medicine is telling me they don't actually know what either involve. They are about as far apart as two courses could be.
Yes. Usually people asking these things don't have any interest in either subject, they just heard someone say those degrees made money.
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Original post
by ShootingStar300Yes. Usually people asking these things don't have any interest in either subject, they just heard someone say those degrees made money.
I disagree. I was torn between the two, because I genuinely enjoy public speaking and debating, but also I want to study STEM and I volunteer with an ambulance service which I enjoy. They are both respected careers and generally paid well, but that isn't the motivation for me. I was just genuinely torn. (p.s I chose the med route lol)
Reply 12
Original post
by RhianaaaI'm currently in year 13 studying history chem and biology. I do need to just redo maths because I didn't get the required grades for GCSE but that shouldn't be a problem for medicine. I've only thought about doing medicine in year 11. As I do want a career that can directly help people and I've always been surrounded with people who's in the medical field and has seen how the hospital works and has done research about it. And as so much I do want to do it, studying civil rights in America has kind of sparked me to pursue law either in America or UK due to civil issues still going on so now I'm not sure what to pursue I do have a year to decide but it would be helpful to hear someone's perspective
since you're doing both chemistry and biology a level, I would think you're better off doing medicine since only having one a level that actually relates to law would not be odds i'm willing to take.
But that also depends on your current grades and what unis you're considering.
This is coming from someone who was trying to make the same choice as you a few weeks ago btw so i get how you're feeling
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Original post
by ErasistratusVSomeone asking should I apply to study law or medicine is telling me they don't actually know what either involve. They are about as far apart as two courses could be.
That's not really helpful advice, is it?
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Original post
by riv080That's not really helpful advice, is it?
It is perfectly sound advice. If you are in this situation and apply to the point of interview, the interviewers WILL detect any possible hint that the applicant hasn't really thought through their application and they will be rejected because of it.
Law, medicine, engineering and the like are not courses one can apply to on a whim as anyone who has applied to them will tell you. They involve a lot of careful thinking, careful preparation and in some cases pretty stiff entrance exams. I would hate anyone to go through any stage of this process without fully understanding what the commitment to study these kinds of subjects at degree level looks like. It's the hard truth here, as unpalatable as you or I or anyone else may find it I'm afraid.
We see these kinds of threads a lot. The people making them are obviously not aware of the A level requirement for them, much less the nature of the studying involved nor the nature of the work such a vocation entails.
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Original post
by booklover3I disagree. I was torn between the two, because I genuinely enjoy public speaking and debating, but also I want to study STEM and I volunteer with an ambulance service which I enjoy. They are both respected careers and generally paid well, but that isn't the motivation for me. I was just genuinely torn. (p.s I chose the med route lol)
'Both respected careers'... 'generally paid well'.
Ok, so neither of the above really applies to medicine these days and people looking for a career in it on the basis of these alone will be sorely disappointed.
Reply 16
Original post
by ErasistratusV'Both respected careers'... 'generally paid well'.
Ok, so neither of the above really applies to medicine these days and people looking for a career in it on the basis of these alone will be sorely disappointed.
Ok, so neither of the above really applies to medicine these days and people looking for a career in it on the basis of these alone will be sorely disappointed.
(edited 1 month ago)
Reply 17
Original post
by RhianaaaI'm currently in year 13 studying history chem and biology. I do need to just redo maths because I didn't get the required grades for GCSE but that shouldn't be a problem for medicine. I've only thought about doing medicine in year 11. As I do want a career that can directly help people and I've always been surrounded with people who's in the medical field and has seen how the hospital works and has done research about it. And as so much I do want to do it, studying civil rights in America has kind of sparked me to pursue law either in America or UK due to civil issues still going on so now I'm not sure what to pursue I do have a year to decide but it would be helpful to hear someone's perspective
I faced the same choice, and chose med on the grounds that I enjoy sicence a lot, and you can never go back to a medicine degree, whereas you could do a law conversion after a 3 year med course if you felt it wasn't for you x
Reply 18
Original post
by booklover3Like I said, those qualities are not my motivation. Being torn between med and law doesn't mean you aren't invested enough in either. People can be as young as 15 when they pick their alevels; how can we expect people to know from birth if they want to be a doctor? Also, medicine is so competitive it is really required that you are well-rounded and get a good set of GCSE's. In that case, many medics are polymath and have many interests. That doesn't make them less good at medicine. Liking public speaking as well as STEM doesn't make you less good at science or less likely to study medicine; it actually means you are well rounded and would likely be a good doctor if your communication skills are strong. Likewise, if you were torn between law and medicine/STEM and chose law, it's likely you might be good at problem solving because of a strength in a subject like maths, which is valuable in law and admissions tests like the LNAT. I think young students are so pressured to know exactly what they want to do from such a young age, and it isn't realistic. An example- Henry Marsh, a world renowned neurosurgeon, studied PPE at Oxford before he went to med school! Atul Gawande, a leading american surgeon, studied English before medicine!
I don't know whose particular post you are replying to but what you have written doesn't appear to correspond to mine in any way.
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