During the stressful college decision season of senior year, I sat in a room full of fellow aspiring physicians. I was at an information session for a pre-med program at a great university. Sure that I wanted to be a doctor, I seriously thought that I would join this fabulous program. The program basically assured students of a seat in medical school, providing them with resources for research, volunteer work, shadowing, etc. I listened in awe of all that the university offered, sure that this would be where I would go to college.

However, my mindset changed during the Q&A portion of the session, when I asked whether it would be possible for me to minor in English at the same time. I received the straightforward answer that a minor was nearly impossible, because the strict track was based solely on medical sciences. My parents did not understand why I would not want to join this program because of this seemingly minute issue. Did I not want to be a doctor? Despite what my parents or I thought was the most logical choice, my intuition screamed that this program was not the right fit for me. Because of this, I joined a smaller liberal-arts college that allowed me to minor in the humanities.

Since I was a junior in high school, I knew I wanted to minor in English. I was blessed to have phenomenal English teachers who enhanced my composition and analysis skills. Not only were they great teachers, they were compassionate, good-hearted people who truly cared for the well-being of their students. They demonstrated how reading literature can turn someone into a more open-minded, empathetic person. My teachers taught me, through the analysis of literature, how to become a better person. I enjoyed almost every second of close reading, writing papers, and discussing composition so much that I knew my journey through English classes could not end when I graduated high school.

Many people wonder why I’m still pre-med. If I enjoy English so much, maybe I should devote my life to the study of literature. However, as much as I love English classes, I cannot imagine myself being anything but a doctor. I still am fascinated by genetics and can solve stoichiometry problems easily. However, I want to use my English minor to become a more empathetic person as I learn about situations that I will never experience and problems that I will never have to handle. When I become a physician, I know my English minor will help develop my bedside manner and care for patients who undergo issues that I can not even imagine.

Before I left high school, my English teacher told me that she was so excited for me to attend college, so I could enjoy the multitudes of options of classes. I remember how ecstatic she was when I told her that I was minoring in English along with majoring in chemistry. I am extremely lucky to be able to explore the facets of both English and life sciences at my college.