by Everett White
From a Second-Grade Friday Video to an MD/PhD Dream: How I Got Into Science
Hi, I’m a biochemistry and molecular biology major at the University of Iowa,
on the pre-med track and now planning to pursue an MD/PhD. I’m writing it for any high schooler who is curious about science and isn’t sure where to start. My story is not about always knowing what I wanted to be. It’s about following curiosity, changing my mind, and figuring out how I want to use science to help people.
The Friday Science Video That Started It All
My very first interest in science goes back to second or third grade. I had a teacher who would show a short video on a science topic every Friday, and afterward we had to write about it. One Friday, the topic was Thomas Edison,
who invented the light bulb, with a small snippet at the end about Nikola Tesla, a genius when it came to electricity and alternating current.
Almost every kid in the class was infatuated with Edison. The light bulb was the famous thing, the easy answer, and that was that. But I remember sitting there thinking, why not look into Nikola Tesla’s life and what he did as a scientist, and why didn’t the other kids want to choose him? Whether they were just being naive or thinking about things differently than I was, I started
looking into Tesla on my own. I read about how great of a human he was and what he did specifically as a scientist. I learned how alternating current ended up being one of the big modern things, instead of direct current, and is used pretty much everywhere.
That was my first real lesson in how I view science. Both Edison and Tesla were great inventors, but the story everyone agreed on was not the whole story. Things are deeper than they seem, and some things have a way different perspective than other things. That moment sparked my curiosity to look into things deeper, educate myself, and actually learn about a topic instead of just accepting the easy version of it.
I carried that curiosity all the way through elementary school, middle school, and into high school. I was not shameful about being nerdy about certain topics. If something interested me, I dug into it.
The Class That Decided My Major
The other huge milestone for me was high school chemistry, specifically AP Chemistry. A lot of students in that class did not really like it very much. They were doing it to get a good grade on an exam or just to get a grade in the class. I was taking it for credit too, but I will always remember that I would watch videos on the topic before we even covered it in class. I would get
chapters ahead, and I would always come and ask my teacher about future units because I was so fascinated.
I was fascinated at how chemicals interact, why they interact, what they are made of, and what is forcing them to interact. Chemistry was about explaining a lot of whys, more than any subject I had taken.
I knew I wanted to help people, and I wanted to use science to do it. That was a big reason I chose biochemistry and molecular biology as my major. It has a lot of chemistry, but it also applies directly to biology and the study of living things. That was the major I wanted, and I came into the University of Iowa with it declared.
Changing My Mind, and Changing It Back
I came in pre-med, with biochemistry and molecular biology as my major, and I thought becoming a doctor would be perfect for using my knowledge of science to help others. That has since evolved a lot over the past years in college. Freshman year, I actually switched my major to engineering. But there was something missing in engineering and tying it with biological life, which didn’t really suit me very much. So I switched back to biochemistry and molecular biology. Looking back, that detour was not wasted. It taught
me that I am drawn to living systems specifically, not just to problem-solving in the abstract.
Since then, I have evolved my thinking from just being a doctor to knowing more exactly what I want to do and how I want to do it. I want to pursue an MD/PhD and become a clinician scientist. I want to do research directly on what I practice so I can help improve it. If I am performing a given surgery, or if a certain material is being used in the body, I want to know how the body interacts with that surgery or material and help provide valuable data for research, including research into diseases. The clinic and the lab feed each other, and I want to be in both.
Latham, Inspire to Aspire, and Why I Want to Teach
One experience that has been dramatically impactful on my life is the Latham Fellowship at Iowa, which is the class this blog post is being written for.
The Latham Science Engagement Fellowship is a two-semester program through the Iowa Sciences Academy that helps undergraduate scientists learn to communicate science and design real outreach projects. Going
through it has shown me that I want to try to reach out to people as much as possible, teach them hands-on what I was taught, and give them ideas. I want to carry that on through my career as a doctor, or whatever I end up doing. I want to help others and teach others, just as those did before me.
I am also part of an organization called Inspire to Aspire, where we go around and help communities, specifically high schoolers and elementary kids. We educate people on future careers and do activities with them in
medicine. Whether they want to pursue nursing, dentistry, or medicine, we try to give them knowledge and insights on what to do once they get to college or just get them engaged within healthcare and
science.
A big lesson I have taken from all of it is this: not only should you get involved in what you want to do, but you should also know a little bit about the path. Shadow physicians. Shadow people in a career that you may enjoy. You don’t have to be totally for sure you are on the career to start exploring.
A Quick Tour of Careers in Science
A big part of why I wanted to write this section is that when I was in high school, I really did not know how many paths there are in science. There are so many majors out there that you can definitely find one that is right for you, and they can all lead on a certain path if you want them to, which I think is amazing. Here are a few I have either considered for myself or watched friends go into.
Physician (MD or DO). The classic path. You finish your bachelor’s, take the MCAT, go to medical school for four years, and then complete a residency that can range from three to seven or more years depending on the specialty. You can do everything from family medicine to neurosurgery.
Physician scientist (MD/PhD). This is the path I am aiming for. MD/PhD programs are usually seven to eight years and train you to be both a clinician and a researcher. You see patients and you also run a lab, asking questions about disease that come straight out of what you see in the
clinic. Many of these programs are funded, which is part of why they are so competitive.
Research scientist (PhD). If the lab side is what excites you most, a PhD in biochemistry, molecular biology, neuroscience, or another field can take you there. You do not need an MD to make a huge impact on medicine. A lot of the discoveries that change how doctors practice come from PhD-level scientists.
Biomedical engineer. This is the path I briefly tried, and it is a great fit for people who love both biology and building things. Biomedical engineers design medical devices, prosthetics, imaging tools, and even tissue scaffolds. It is a strong option for someone who wants to be near medicine without going to medical school.
Dentist, pharmacist, physician assistant, and nurse. These are all real careers in healthcare that do not require medical school but still let you work directly with patients. Each one has its own training pipeline, its own culture, and its own strengths. Through Inspire to Aspire, I have met students who are fired up about each of these, and the world needs all of them.
Public health, science writing, lab technician, biotech industry. These sometimes get overlooked, but they are very real options. Public health professionals shape policies that affect entire populations. Science writers translate research for everyone else. Lab techs and industry researchers run the experiments that bring new drugs and tools to market. A biochemistry degree can lead to any of these.
That is what is so cool about science and STEM fields: there is so much you can do.
What I Would Tell My High School Self
If you are a high schooler reading this and you are not sure what you want to do, that is okay. I changed majors, changed career goals, and I am still adjusting the picture. A few things I wish I had known earlier. Get curious about something deeper than the easy answer. There is a Nikola Tesla in every topic if you go looking. Shadow people. Pay attention to the parts of the day that excite you and the parts that drain you. You don’t have to be totally for sure you are on the right career to start exploring it. Get involved early in a club, a research lab, a volunteer program, or an outreach group. Some of the most important things I have learned in college did not happen in a lecture hall.
Science is for people who are willing to keep asking why. If that is you, there is a place in this field for you, and the people who came before you
want to help you find it. I know I do.
