Growing up, I've always loved science, and couldn't picture myself doing anything else. I was so intrigued with medicine, and couldn't wait to be a doctor. When I went to college, everything changed. I was hit with the harsh realization that this wasn't the same as sophomore Biology class, and I couldn't pass by drawing pretty diagrams of cells for homework. Being a Science major is one of the more difficult decisions I've made in life, and I've questioned my decisions ever since I walked into my freshmen year Genetics lecture.
Organic Chemistry
When I signed up for classes freshman year, I literally expected my life to mirror what they do in Grey's Anatomy. I blame that show for my disillusionment. Little did I know, I would be learning how to synthesize a benzene ring into 63 other compounds, and then memorize the conditions and mechanisms of those reactions (which I still don't have memorized). Better yet, there twos semesters of this class, and it just gets more involved. I really don't know when I'll ever need to know any of that information later in life.
Labs
When I realized every science class came along with a lab, I was pretty excited. I thought it couldn't be that bad, it's all the same stuff I'm learning in lecture. Wrong. I remember being in anatomy lab, dissecting the upper limb of the cat, and simultaneously learning about the human digestive system in lecture. If that isn't confusing enough, most labs require much more work than you signed up for. I think I spend more time splitting cells and looking into microscopes than I do socializing with my friends. Not to mention, each lab requires a full report due before the start of the next lab. You tell yourself one night is enough to write it, and then you wonder why you ended up staying up until 4 am that night.
Lack of Free Time
I used to get asked to go places, go out for lunch, exercise regularly, until the second week of the semester rolled around and classes started picking up. Now, people just assume I'm either in lab (which is probably true) or in the library studying (or napping). Even when I have "free time", I feel guilty not using it to study because that Physiology test next Monday isn't going to study by itself.
Lack of Sleep
I've learned to not get offended anymore when people ask if I'm tired. All my roommates know when I have a test, and that I have to sleep in the library for the majority of the night. Luckily, I'm not the only one in the class that can't remember the last day they showered. When I reach the point of exhaustion, at least I can count on my lab partner to feel the same way, and hopefully, someone brought an extra pair of goggles to lab.
Even though biology is a hard major, every other major has just as much work. The time I spend in lab is equivalent to all the hours my friends spend reading and writing essays-- which I would not trade. Not to mention, I could have gone into engineering, which a whole different world (probably wouldn't have made it that far).
