15/365 why'd you change your major?

Simple. I was not good enough.  That is basically why I changed my major.

Until my freshman year of high school, I aspired to become a pediatrician.  I had my mind set on taking care of children, being an aid to others, and accepting the fact that I will be in school for a very long time.  Although, motives have changed when I was introduced to a new career.

New career, upcoming and beneficial - I listened to one my good friends speak about Biomedical Engineering.  Although her career was particularly around plants - she also glazed over Biomedical Engineering.  I could create my own medical inventions.  And that is what really struck my heart - wanting to make things that benefited many.  So, I decided to change my mindset from not only a medical standpoint but medical and engineering.

I stuck to this future in mind when I graduated from high school, started college and so forth.  But everything changed when I hit my senior year of undergraduate school.  Although I was practically finished with much of the requirements for the pre-engineering program here at Maryville University - my grade point average kept me from meeting the final requirement for Washington University in Saint Louis.  Only 0.1 away from the minimum requirement, I tried my best to convince my advisor to write me a letter of recommendation in lieu of the grade point average.

My advisor is my pre-engineering director and physics professor.  I see a lot of her and she has definitely seen a lot of me.  She has seen my work ethics in class, how I work in the labs for work study, and also knows my grades in many of my other science classes.  She was the one who helped break the hard news to me.  She was the one who basically told me, I won't be successful.

She was right.  Based on the way I worked during Physics... I was too slow to comprehend anything.  I couldn't understand a lot of the applications in a matter of seconds.  Compared to mathematics and other science classes, I was not good enough.  I had to understand that there was a possible chance of me not succeeding in the engineering program at WASHU and in the career in general.

As sad as that news has come, I decided to change back my future career to becoming a doctor.  With that, I decided to change my major to Biotechnology.  Why Biotechnology?  Well, because of the following reasons: (1) In the lab for work study, I work with a lot of bacteria - only because I am one of the leads as an assistant; (2) Out of all biology courses, microbiology and biotechnology were my best classes.  I learned a lot from the basics and applications; (3) I already do so much for the major outside of the classes and lectures that I felt fit that I would continue to be okay; and (4) My advisor actually agreed that I would be better suited for this major and my choice of career.

Let's hope my advisor and I are right about the pathway I have chosen.  I will continue to work smart, manage my time and do all I need to do to become successful.  It is a whole new game, a whole new future and practically a fresh start for me.  Marianne Joy Leano, Bachelors in Biology, concentration in Biotechnology.

Love,
Mari J Leano