He used to intend to become a priest

In 1849, Ivan Pavlov was born in Ryazan, Russia. A theological seminary, Pavlov joined since his father was a priest. Prior to enrolling in the regional theological seminary, Pavlov attended the Ryazan church school. He used to intend to become a priest. But Pavlov changed his mind after reading the writings of Russian physiologist Ivan Sechenov. Pavlov gave up his profession in religion after becoming inspired by the progressive ideals of IM Sechenov, the founder of Russian physiology, and DI Pisarev, the most well-known literary critic in Russia in the 1860s. He made the decision to live his life in science. He left the seminary in 1870 and began attending what is now St. Petersburg University. There, he registered for courses in natural science and the physics and math departments.

Pavlov successfully finished his course work in 1875 and was awarded the title of Candidate of Natural Sciences. However, he made the decision to continue his studies and went to the Academy of Medical Surgery for a third semester there due to his intense interest in physiology. In 1879, he achieved this, for which he was once more given a gold medal. After passing a test, Pavlov was awarded a scholarship to the Academy, and this, together with his job as director of the physiology lab at the clinic of renowned Russian physician SP Botkin, helped Pavlov achieve his goals. He persisted with his investigation.