Upon registering for this class, I had a hard time grasping I had just registered for Neurochemistry. At the end of spring semester 2015, I attended a meeting for the class. In the meeting, I was extremely intimidated. I was surrounded by some of the most intelligent students of the senior class, many of which were pursuing degrees in either chemistry, biology, or both, as it appeared a large portion of them were interested in medical school after their time at Concordia. When I introduced myself, I came to the harsh reality I was the only Psychology student.
I heavily debated dropping…
However, in talking with my parents, friends and extended family, I received the same message across all groups. Don’t sell yourself short. Just because they happen to be a biology or chemistry student does not mean that you are not just as capable as they are. I took their message to heart and continued to forge ahead in my plans to stay enrolled.
Looking back now and reflecting upon my experience, I could not be more thankful for their advice.
Even after the first couple weeks, with content containing a great deal of biology, chemistry and biochemistry, I was glad I stuck to it. Dr. Mach sent me a final blog post from a student last year, who had happened to be in a very similar position I had found myself. Her words were so encouraging. They were honest, and were exactly the feedback I needed to hear.
This class challenged me, in more ways than simply the challenging content. Even though Dr. Mock stated this at the meeting, and mentioned how she does so every time before the start of the next semester, her message rang true: We are all on the same playing field, including herself. As I became more comfortable with the students enrolled, I was able to offer my “area of expertise” so to say, with my Neuroscience and Psychology background. Neurochemistry was truly an interdisciplinary class. There were aspects of each paper and overall concepts in which all of us struggled with. In the end, it was more beneficial to have representatives from each discipline, for we were then more confidently able to attack those aspects and overall concepts.
Without the restraint of class assignments, this class allowed for my mind to wonder where it wanted. My love for learning grew immensely, for the research that I was assigned each week was often related to a topic I wanted to learn more about anyway. Metaphorically, what better way to instill a love of learning than to treat your students as a sponge, providing the water basin and encouragement for them to simply “jump in.” Dr. Mach provided me with that encouragement, and I chose to jump in full on after having read that final blog post from a student in my similar situation.
My intimidation of the other students slowly turned into friendships, support systems, and ways to overcome interactions with individuals who just downright intimidate me. With our Wednesdays and Fridays consisting of pure conversation, I was forced to immerse myself in the comforts of being uncomfortable. Slowly but surely I began to open up. I began to realize that it is okay to not know everything. Those who I had believed knew everything, didn’t really know everything. I began to see the benefit of being open and honest, with not only myself, but with my peers. For when we all began to realize that being open and honest with each other was indeed beneficial, were we able to feel accomplished by the end of each week.
I know these are skills and memories I will take with me well beyond my time at Concordia. Take the time to get to know others. Delve into content you want to learn more about, even if it makes you uncomfortable. Simultaneously, be open to sharing and expressing what you have learned.
It may be amazing what you will find.
Finding yourself: A Neurochemistry Capstone Experience
