I. Introduction | I am officially 4 weeks into my spring semester of my junior year. I’ve taken the first few weeks to adjust to my schedule, professors’ assignments/exam styles, and prepare for what’s to come. In this blog post, I am going to go over what a day in my life looks like right now, and what I’m doing in and out of my classes. I have generally been extremely busy this academic year, but have managed to maintain Dean’s List grades despite it. I attribute my successes to the work-life balance that I have been able to refine in my increasingly busy life.
II. Classes | As you may or may not know, I changed majors after my freshman year of college. I began as a psychology major, meaning that I transitioned to my natural sciences a year late. My first year, I took most of the psychology classes that would end up being required for my behavioral neuroscience degree to come. Because I am behind in the natural sciences, I am currently taking the second part of “General Biology for Majors.” This semester focuses on molecular biology and genetics. I am finding it very difficult, and demanding in study time, because the material is very intensive. However, it is quite rewarding. To balance this off, I am taking an interdisciplinary course, an arts course, and a language course as my other obligations. The interdisciplinary course is a medical anthropology class, which I am finding to be even more fascinating than I predicted. I am discovering a great interest in how medicine was “discovered”/“created” across cultures. As of where I am at the moment, I have completed my General Chemistry I & II, and all psychology courses needed for my degree. My senior year will be heavy in the biologies and neurosciences. I am excited and daunted. Stay tuned for when that happens, because I will be going over content I learn in those classes.
III. Work & Research | Outside of my courses, I have 2 job positions. Within my research lab, I am a laboratory and vivarium technician. I spend about 5 hours per week handling animals, sanitizing equipment/dishes, sweeping, and general laboratory upkeep. I enjoy this role a lot because I spend time in the lab and do these things anyway, and it helps a newer student get an idea of the ins and outs of a research lab. It also helps me demonstrate my enthusiasm and dedication to my PIs, who have been great mentors for me throughout my time at my university. Another role that I take on in the lab is a research assistant. In my lab, I am currently leading a study (and writing its publication hopefully next semester!). When I am not actively slicing, staining, mounting, imaging, etc., I make myself available to assist my peers in their projects or shadow a graduate student’s work. I love research, and I love being involved in all stages. This semester, on the side of my projects, I have been studying research that will help me write the second draft of a manuscript being written currently by a graduate student.
IV. Outside of School? Hobbies? | A full-time neuroscience student and researcher has time for hobbies?! Yes!! Make time for yourself or your body will do it for you. I like to have 2 types of hobbies: productive hobbies and fun hobbies. Productive hobbies are non-required (no deadline) hobbies that help advance my network/career/expertise in a low stress environment. Examples would be my science TikToks, this blog, connecting with others on LinkedIn, and consuming informative content that allows me to learn and grow. This is great when I want to feel accomplished but am sick of studying genetics for the day. See end of blog for examples/recommendations! My other hobbies are fun hobbies! I love to read fantasy books or binge TV shows. Sometimes I really do need to shut my brain off and relax after a long day. I also enjoy working out (though I do not do it enough to consider myself a gym-goer). Things like morning/evening yoga (and/or pilates) are great transitions into/out of your day for your mind and your body.
V. Conclusion | In general, I spend so much time in the laboratory, even just to do some homework. If anyone is looking for me, that is generally the best place to find me. I love being busy and being productive. Something that I have learned through my career thus far is that you will only be successful if you are truly passionate about what you do! The work and obligations can be exhausting, but there is no better feeling than when the final product of all of your blood, sweat, and tears comes together for some really cool findings. Thanks for reading my post if you’ve made it this far! Stay tuned, because my upcoming posts will start diving into science and other interesting material!
VI. Extras | Some examples of my productive hobbies include:
- The Huberman Lab podcast: Listen to an episode as you drive to learn some content about something that interests you.
- Self-improvement books like Atomic Habits: I always find that I feel super motivated after reading about someone else who did something motivational! I will be doing a blog post about neuroscience/psychology books that I value a lot in the future.
- TikTok STEM field: Want to scroll mindlessly but not 100% mindlessly? Watch the new “STEM” feature to have a For You page curated with informational content around science. You may find you get bored of social media faster and move on to a productive task.
- Blogs like this!: If you’re here, you’re probably interested in seeing other peoples’ experiences in higher education, research, or science. Find someone (maybe on LinkedIn or YouTube) that you look up to and figure out how they got there. You can “scroll mindlessly” and still form some neural connections in your brain!