Let me set the scene for you. It's the first day of college classes, and hundreds of bright-eyed and bushy-tailed freshmen are packed into a lecture hall for their introductory biology class. The professor, barely looking up, asks the pivotal question: "Who here is pre-med?" The vast majority of the class nervously raises their hands.

That super-high number of pre-meds will inevitably shrink over the course of four years, mostly because the students who leave realize the career isn't for them. As they pursue their interests and try new things -- because that's what college is for, duh -- they figure out something else they're more passionate about than medicine.

This one's for you, former pre-meds of the world. We know there are a TON of you out there, and you're probs making (or will make) big moves in every field and every industry. Here's what it was like when you first made the big decision:

You reach the breaking point.

Maybe it's one too many failed chem exams. Maybe it's having two finals plus a practical in the same afternoon. Maybe it's the realization that you're considering taking "study aids" to keep up with the curve for the rest of college and med school. Or maybe it's volunteering at a hospital and questioning whether that's really the right thing for you.

For me, it was a combo of all of the above. There are tons of valid reasons why students make the decision to drop pre-med.

You spend the rest of the semester goofing off.

If you drop pre-med mid-semester, you're left with only one or two classes since it's probably too late to sign up for different courses. On top of that, you're newly liberated from an intense schedule of studying, studying and more studying. Slowly but surely, the YOLO mindset takes over. (You snap out of it by the time next semester rolls around, though.)

You miss your pre-med study group.

You guys bonded over many, many late nights in the library. But now that you've dropped all the classes you shared with them, you're not privy to midnight gossipfests or 2 a.m. pizza deliveries in between review sessions.

You have time to join every club you're interested in.

Suddenly you have all this spare time to fill, now that you're not pulling weekly all-nighters or waking up for 9 a.m. lab dissections. You join a bunch of clubs for funzies because why not? You have the time to pursue all your interests now, and you might as well develop a couple more interests while you're at it.

You have an existential crisis and wonder WTF you're gonna do with your life now.

There's a sense of certainty that comes with being a pre-med student. You know roughly what classes to take, what MCAT scores you need to hit and what you'll likely be doing five years from now -- in a residency somewhere, even if you don't know the location or in what specialty.

When you abandon all that, you're left with no plan and that's terrifying. After a few moments of panic, you learn to embrace the unknown.

Your parents think it's just a phase.

They ask you what courses you're taking next semester and are appalled when you explain for the umpteenth time that pre-med classes aren't on the list. Give them some time to adjust. They'll be cool with -- or at least begrudgingly accept -- your decision eventually.

You become instant BFFs with anyone else who also dropped pre-med.

You bond over the fact that you no longer need to spend summer studying for the MCATs. (Instead, you'll probably be stressing about finding an internship. Yay!)

The mention of the word "orgo" still strikes fear into your heart.

Especially if you dropped pre-med before you started taking orgo ( = organic chemistry). It's the class that every pre-med student universally dreads and complains about. You've been brainwashed to hate orgo since your freshman year, no matter what you end up studying.

You occasionally regret your decision.

That twinge of "what if" sneaks up on you when you watch a really good episode of "Grey's Anatomy" or see the starting salary for a doctor. In the wise words of T. Swift, shake it off. Being pre-med solely for the job security and $$$ -- or because you just don't know what else to do -- will not make you happy in the long run.

You briefly consider doing a post-baccalaureate program after graduation.

Post-baccalaureate programs make it possible to take all the core pre-med requirements after you earn your bachelor's degree. It's a great option for people who decide later on that medicine is the right profession for them.

But these programs are expensive, and depending on when you enroll, you might be well into your 30s before you're a full-fledged physician. It takes several years to make up the missed undergrad courses, and then you have to go through four years of med school PLUS four more years of residency. That's a huge commitment, so make sure it's what you really want to do.

You still have a fascination for all things science.

Just because you dropped pre-med doesn't mean you don't love the stuff it involves -- how the body works, how the mind works, whatever it is you enjoy learning about. There are gazillions of medical professions besides being a physician, anyway. You'll figure out a way to incorporate these interests into whatever field you pursue.

You appreciate doctors so much more.

It takes an insane amount of work and dedication to get an MD or DO title stamped onto your name. 30-hour shifts during residency and seeing all sorts of horrors go down in the emergency room can really take a toll on a person. Thanks for doing what you do, doctors of the world. We applaud you.

Felicity Porter is your spirit animal.

On season 2 of "Felicity" -- the late '90s classic every teen girl at the time was obsessed with -- Felicity dropped pre-med to pursue art, saying "I dropped pre-med like it was some kind of victory." And you know what? She was totally right. It is a victory to realize something isn't right for you and then make positive steps to change it.

You're giving yourself the opportunity to pursue what you're truly passionate about. And if you don't know what that is just yet, no sweat -- it's just college.