[Prince of Persia]

Hey guys. I've been browsing this forum religiously for the past few months but I just created an account recently.

I'm a high school senior who has just finished applying to colleges. I've applied to top-25 schools and I've worked my ass off in high school and have the credentials (99th percentile SAT, will graduate having taken 11+ APs, 4.4 GPA this semester, 400+ hours of volunteering, internships galore, leadership, bilingual/dual citizen, very good letters of recc., etc). My absolute dream is to work in politics. It's a honest-to-God calling. Ever since I was a little kid, I've loved discussing current events, and today politics is basically on my mind 24/7. It's a passion, hobby, love, etc. It's not one of those things I'm going to change my mind about; as cheesy as it sounds, I was put on this planet to pursue politics.

Now, the trouble is getting there. Obviously a big part of politics is networking: who you know, special connections, and being at the right place at the right time. All I can do about that right now is ensure that I attend the best possible college (HYPS). I won't get decisions back until late March/early April, and if I'm wait-listed, it could be even longer than that. Harvard is my dream school, but obviously it's competitive as hell to get in, so we'll see.

What I would like this forum's advice on it what I should study before I begin to jump into the political sphere. For the past few years, I've been cultivating an interest in medicine. I know exactly what I must do to get into a top medical school, and I'm certainly not afraid of working hard during college to get there. However, what makes me hesitant about medicine is the time commitment. My end goal is politics, and it makes no sense to put in so much work, time, and money into a career I want to eventually leave. Getting into politics young is crucial for me, and ideally I would like to have a position (state Senate, Senate/House) by my mid-30s. I'll graduate from med school at 25, but I won't become a full-fledged MD until 30 or so. I'd then have to work a few years either in private practice or in a hospital to establish credibility, but by then I fear that I will be too old and too far removed from politics because during med school and residency, I won't have time to pursue anything other than medicine.

So, that leads me to law. Before medicine, I had always wanted to become a lawyer. I'm gifted at reading/writing, and not so good at science/math. Persuasion, arguing, and mediation come very naturally to me; the only reason I swayed from law in the first place was because of the horror stories I had heard about the job market/security. However, after further research, it seems that the market barely impacts well-connected T-14 grads. I'm not afraid of taking risks, and because I love politics, working hard in law school/in law practice wouldn't seem like a chore.

Money is very important to me, but power even moreso. Medicine seems to stifle creativity; it's very formulaic, a big time waster for a political junkie, but there is a guaranteed high salary, and people automatically admire and respect you. Law is the exact opposite, but it aligns more clearly with my goals, and I would love what I am learning. Moreover, Big Law salaries are ceiling-less, and I could touch 7 figures before I venture into politics; that would be near impossible as a physician.

What do you guys think? Law or medicine for someone who eventually wants to go into politics? Am I too young to be planning this all out? Should I wait until college and explore my interests than? I'd appreciate your thoughts.