Tattle-Taylor | Doctors without morals

I can’t count how many times I’ve asked a friend what his or her major is and received some variation of the following two answers: “biology” or “(insert other major), but I’m pre-med.”

Penn refers to biological basis of behavior as one of the College’s “most popular majors.” The Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania is considered to be one of the University’s crown jewels. Clearly, the medical profession has quite a presence on Penn’s campus.

But the prevalence of students aiming for medical school raises the question — why?

“I have an interest for helping people in general,” said college sophomore Beverly Aiyanyor, who plans to attend medical school. “I saw medicine as a way to fuse my passion for humanity with my love for science.”

However, can all medical school hopefuls claim such admirable motivations? Being a doctor is a prestigious and often lucrative career, certainly, but there is much more to it than honor and riches.

“Money is not even a big part of it,” Aiyanyor said. “I’m just really interested in the body and helping people.”

The Association of American Medical Colleges advises prospective medical students on its website to ask themselves a number of questions. The first is, “Do I care deeply about other people, their problems and their pain?” Although intellect, talent and skill are all things that an aspiring doctor should have, we cannot diminish the importance of empathy.

Being a doctor necessitates a certain level of compassion and respect for human life that you can’t learn from any textbook. But I look at the sheer volume of med school hopefuls, and wonder if it’s really possible that they all have endeavored toward this noble profession out of a sincere and genuine desire to use their talents and intelligence to better mankind.

It’s far too easy to get caught up in what your parents want or what your counselor advises or what you think you should do — instead of actually doing what you want.

Some professions require more than a strong GPA, an impressive resume and good test scores. There are plenty of professionals who simply clock in and clock out every day in a state of listless ennui. Don’t join them. Be a skydiving instructor, join the circus, become a professional groupie — anything, as long as you’ve got a passion for it.

Taylor Hawes is a College sophomore from Philadelphia. Her email address is hawes@theDP.com. Tattle-Taylor appears every other Tuesday.

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