Being wrong is… actually, perfectly okay
Neurochemistry this semester has given me the not-so-fun, but very much needed opportunity to practice being okay with being wrong. Not going to lie, sitting in on the first exam humbled me. A lot. Maybe I was alone with this, but I felt more clueless than ever. Not confused, not surprised, not scared, simply just clueless. I knew I wasn’t supposed to know everything, given that we only received some small snippets of information from an academic paper along with factual data in the form of a list. But I had no idea “how wrong” I could be without appearing very dumb. But eventually, I realized that instead of wondering about which level of wrongness I should achieve, I could just take whatever I was given, carefully read it, and take whatever I DID understand to use it in my hypothesis. Even if I would have been wrong, if it was logical, that would have been a win for me. Leaving the exam, I could finally fill in the cracks, and get a better understanding of what exactly I was right or wrong about, then get the chance to correct myself along with explaining my own thought process. Admitting that we can be wrong at times is hard for everyone, but this class was a great way to practice that, and gain valuable social skills while communicating our own ideas to those who may have completely different ways of thinking. I am glad to have had the opportunity to practice being wrong, which I fully believe is a part of our social awareness, as well as being responsibly engaged in the world.
Engaged citizen
The blogposts of this semester have been an amazing way to learn how to effectively communicate science to those not in science. I enjoyed the way I got more and more comfortable writing my blogs as the semester progressed, and got to have some fun researching many interesting things going on around the world. With being allowed to expand on things I personally find the most enjoyable, and letting me pursue my interests I feel I could contribute to our weekly one-on-one chatting very effortlessly. I also enjoyed getting the chance to be a leader in group discussions and building some great skills to guide, and socialize with people in a respectful and inclusive way. Bringing a group together and offering a place where people can comfortably share their thoughts is never an easy task, but certainly can be a very rewarding one.
Future directions
It really is quite interesting how many different social skills I have gained from such a “sciency” class, but I believe it will be one of most valuable experiences at Concordia. In sending me off into the world, this class has ensured me that I would be okay, even when finding myself in the most unexpected situations where I might just simply be clueless. I am way more comfortable with myself, my knowledge, and the way I present myself while communicating with others. I truly believe this course will be part of the many ways I can potentially succeed in my future career.
