I had expectations of this course before taking it but was surprised in the end. My expectations of this course included having lectures, exams, and quizzes similar to the other courses I have taken. The format of this class was a new experience for me and I was hesitant at the start of the semester about how it would go. I was pleasantly surprised about how much I enjoyed and learned throughout this class. The process of learning was very independent during neurochemistry. I learned more skills related to finding information on my own and communicating it to classmates. The topics we discussed required researching them independently and then teaching them to other students. I acquired new skills about how to communicate information efficiently and effectively.
The skills I learned in this class will greatly benefit me in my future career. I plan to work for a few years and then apply to medical school. Learning how to conduct independent research, properly read research articles, and successfully communicate knowledge to others are all skills I expanded on throughout neurochemistry. These are all necessary skills to be successful in any career, especially in the field of medicine. I believe my 2.5 years at a liberal arts college have helped me realize the capabilities I have. There have been many opportunities for me to learn about the topics I want to and teach others about them. Attending a liberal arts college, to me, means providing students with a well-rounded education and preparing them for life after college.
If I were to highlight my resume with skills that I improved upon this semester, I would choose to discuss how I have gotten better at reading and understanding research articles. There are an endless number of topics to read articles about, but how you read them is important. It is difficult to understand all topics within a paper if you do not have any previous knowledge of the research being discussed. Neurochemistry has helped me to start reading every paper with an open mind and knowledge that I will not understand everything after reading it one time. It is important to note questions and the need for clarification when reading an article. I enjoyed this class because I was able to openly ask questions and talk about things I did not understand. This course helped me to effectively read research articles and build communication skills when discussing the article.
I was able to integrate a lot of information from previous courses into this class. I have taken a variety of biology, chemistry, neuroscience, and psychology courses that provided relevant information for neurochemistry. Previous courses have focused on different skills such as exam taking, dissections, and working in a laboratory. All things I learned in the past were applicable to different weeks of content during neurochemistry. I felt I had a greater understanding of topics such as mental illness, anxiety, and sleep because of my previous courses in psychology and neuroscience. It was interesting to learn more about topics I did not know much about such as autism, obesity, and endocannabinoids. Overall, I enjoyed this course and how I was able to integrate old skills into expanding upon new ones.
