Stupid to go to med school if I want biotech HF?
Background: Recent grad from semi-target with economics degree. Starting at a FoF / allocator in a month or so.
I plan to pivot to sell side research ASAP as my eventual goal is to be in a L/S equity seat.
Out of all sectors, biotech & life sciences is my favorite by far. I find it 10x more interesting than anything else. My absolute dream job would be at a biotech HF.
I do not have the background for it at all. Have seen a few folks in biotech ER from non-science backgrounds but seems like they landed during the biotech bull run.
Would it be worth it for me to do a post-bacc, MCAT and apply for med school, then recruit for biotech ER or direct L/S out of an MD program? I am on a clear path to making a doctor's salary over the next 5-10 years but I know I would be happiest covering biotech.
Note that cost would likely not be an issue. I am not rich, but have a rich relative who would cover med if I got in. But opportunity cost could be huge, I'm getting paid ~100k in my current seat.
The bird in hand
No personal experience in this but my dad does biotech venture, so kinda related? He got a PhD in Bioengineering, and his medical / industry knowledge is 100% critical to his work. The people he works with and entrepreneurs he invests in have at least an MD or a PhD, often both. But PhDs in stem takes a long time, and med school takes long time, so take that as you will. Maybe get more experience with healthcare / biotech before you make a huge commitment to it?
If you find biotech/life sci 10x more interesting than anything else, why didn't you study bio or a related subject in college? Why are you suddenly interested in it? Is it just going to be a short-lived fantasy or an actual interest that you're willing to commit a lot of time, effort, and money to?
You do realize that you have to 1) apply to post-bacc programs and hope you get into the handful of programs that are worth attending (which might not happen until next year, given the admissions cycle), 2) study extremely hard and get perfect scores on the tests (to link to a school) or do great on the MCAT to get into a school, 3) spend a lot of time doing relevant things like research/gain clinical hours to build up a good application for med school, 3) hope you get into school and then study extremely hard for 4 years. After all of this, you have to hope that the funds you are interested are interested in YOU!
My SO, along with her friends, went through the entire med school process this past year, and it brought out the worst in some people. It'll be much easier to network and land an HC ER/IB seat and then an L/S equity seat. This way, you don't make a huge commitment and test the waters in your newfound interest all of a sudden.
I studied bio for ~1 yr in undergrad and worked in a bio lab during that time. I dropped out of pre med. I have a lot of regrets not keeping the bio major, but was prioritizing transferring to my UG’s business school which is a semi target. Would likely have not graduated in 4 years if I double majored.
Thanks for the reply. It’s def not a sudden interest but the general advice I’ve received seems in line with yours that the juice isn’t worth the squeeze.
If you find medicine interesting, why didn’t you study life sciences in undergrad? Seems like what you really care about is the money.
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