“What do you want to be when you grow up?” is a common question that most parents readily ask their children at an early age AND is a  usual topic that teachers, most often Grammar pedagogues, give for a personal essay assignment (probably within the range of 100 to 500 words) during long breaks in grade school.

Ever since being harassed by this hackneyed question, I have always answered, “WHEN I GROW UP, I WANT TO BECOME A DOCTOR.” Although, of course, several kids use the doctor (or sometimes lawyer) as an easy escape to the seemingly endless bombardment of this career-related question; I really, really want to be a doctor. The main reason for this answer being either I felt that doctors study hard (and therefore, in my opinion, no doubt have intelligence beyond average) to be able to identify sicknesses and, consequently, to be able to treat patients that have the said problems OR I just envisioned that I’ll be quite rather good-looking walking the hospital hallways in a semi-formal attire (i.e. light-colored long sleeves, necktie, leather belt, dark-colored slacks and leather shoes) topped with a clean white coat (with one or two pens sticking out of the left-chest pocket) and a stethoscope hanging on my neck. Most of the time (at the present), I perceive it to be the second one.

But whatever the reason really was, I stuck with my goal and applied for any of the two known pre-medical undergraduate courses—Biology or Chemistry, both being good solid foundations for Medical School—offered in my chosen university. I have chosen Biology first because I have always been fascinated with my mother’s job (a fishery biologist). At an early age, she taught me how to use a microscope and made me experience how living organisms (or at least a part of them) may be placed on slides and may be analyzed in greater detail. Unfortunately for me, a great bunch of students have also the same dream and the same strategy. When the results of the entrance examination were released, I learned that I was not able to reach the quota in BS Biology. I believe that an overflow occurred and my first choice spat me like a repeatedly-chewed thickly-saliva-coated tasteless bubblegum. (Note: To clarify things, I just laugh when I remember it now. But I was bitter before and whatever I wrote in the previous sentence was the exact feeling I had.) In spite of this, I was still accepted in the university because my second choice, BS Chemistry, welcomed me with open arms.