In a 2018 interview with The Guardian, Mirza revealed that her first career plan wasn't writing: she was pre-med at first! Eventually, she switched focus to creative writing and then earned a spot at the prestigious Iowa Writers' Workshop.
"When I first moved to pursue my undergraduate degree, I was in agreement with my dad that I would become a doctor. But I was miserable in my pre-med courses, so I switched to creative writing. Saying that I needed to write this novel was jarring for us at first, but, in the end, no one has been more supportive than my family."