As this class comes to a close, it marks not only the end of a semester, but the end of my undergraduate career; a bittersweet feeling as this chapter comes to a close. Thought my college career, the majority of my courses have been largely content based. Having the hopes of going to medical school, my nights were spent continually reading though notes in an attempt to memorize rather than apply as my future was dependent on my GPA. Neurochemistry was a breath of fresh air as I end my time here at Concordia.
Neurochemistry was different from all other classes I have taken, and in the best way possible. This course was largely applicable to both my future and everyday life, it allowed for open discussion and conversation rather than lecture and provided adequate time for deeper understanding while still challenging my knowledge and capabilities.
As I am dedicating my life to a future in medicine, this course helped to again spark my love for both learning and science. Rather than demanding memorization, Neurochemistry allowed for understanding and applicability. To be quite honest, before this class I was getting very burnt out on school. Combining late nights of memorization with the constant worry of grades, all love of learning became lost amidst the concern for my future. Neurochemistry was different in that it allowed time for comprehension and questions while still expanding my knowledge of the world around me. With the ability to spend an entire week on one scientific paper, we not only learned the information better, but were taught how to ask questions and move forward with our scientific curiosity. The skills that this developed are foundational to not only learning, but future success in all aspects of life as progress stems from the ability to ask questions and think critically.
Neurochemistry was also a course that was greatly transferable to many disciplines of learning. Beyond just the scientific aspect that you would expect in a course such as this, it taught a lot about social aspects of life as well. By learning about treatment, diagnoses, and having adult conversation about the emotions that surround each and every one of these diseases, I feel as if I am now better prepared to handle situations where either my knowledge on the subject is lacking, or emotional understanding is crucial. This gives me better cultural perspective of what other people and deal with in their lives, as well as how to help those around me who are struggling. It was also fun to see how our knowledge of the diseases were able to coincide with information we as science major have learned in previous courses.
Overall, I believe that this Neurochemistry course can most definitely be qualified as a capstone course. Not only do I feel that I am coming out of this class with greater knowledge concerning the brain, emotional, and social relationships, but I have been both humbled and sparked. Humbled in the sense that I now have a better grasp on how lucky I am to live the healthy life that I do and sparked in the sense that I feel that with my greater understanding I have the capabilities to make a difference through my career. I feel for the first time that after taking this class, I am now prepared to become responsibly engaged in the world as I head out into the “real world.”
