In the psychology department there is a perception that some people who would have concentrated in psychology are now opting for neuroscience. It appears that there is more going on here than merely moves due to grade inflation.
What concerns me the most is that this has become a popular track for MD's.
Given all the medical fraud and misconduct discovered in Minnesota and California, I am concerned about the character of MD's and the quality of medical care.
Taking organic chemistry is not that important for neuroscience, but if one is applying to medical school doesn't one still need a year of organic chemistry plus its prerequisite, a year of inorganic chemistry? That is not such an easy path.
Pre-med was known as one of the toughest routes through the College, and it was made all-the-more difficult by strict curve grading and plenty of very smart Asians who always seemed to be better at memorizing things than everyone else.
I was actually a quantitatively oriented student, myself (still am). On the MCAT, my Physics and Chemistry were high 90's and low 90's, respectively (international percentiles). Both of those topics were mostly about applying mathematical formulas to science problems. On the other hand, my Biology score was high 80's. Biology on the 1980s MCAT was mostly about memorizing terminology. I don't recall there being any equations at all in the Biology section of the 1980s MCAT.
Mathematical equations really help me to understand the sciences better. The concept of measuring light in moles of photons per square meter per second, for example, really helps me to understand what light is and how it behaves. I still use equations related to photons to this day, both in my late-life PhD and in my small business where light is what powers photosynthetic growth in our products.
I cannot imagine going into graduate sciences of any kind without some fundamental math skills and competence. Neuroscience involves a lot of studies of electrical impulses and currents, how they impact cells, and how they are transmitted between cells. Electricity, like light, is best understood by the mathematical equations that are used to describe it. Therefore, Neuroscience doesn't seem like a good place for the mathematically deficient student.
One of my best class performances as an undergraduate at Harvard was Physics, taught by Professor Bamburg. I scored perfect 100% (unscaled) on all the tests including the final exam. That class was all about equations and mathematical calculations, as was Biostatistics, another A on my transcript. After the Physics class, Professor Bamburg invited me to pursue a PhD in Physics. When a respected professor invites and encourages you to get a PhD in his department, your chance of admission to that department as a PhD student is pretty good.
Foolishly, I declined, due to my interest in medical school and a job offer in Washington, DC where my then girlfriend lived. It was the girl, not the prestige of Harvard's Physics department, that attracted me most at the time!
To make a long story short, neither the girl nor the medical school thing, worked out for me. I ended up going to business school in the late 1990s and now, in my 50's, I am working on a PhD in Molecular Biology here at Brigham Young University in Provo, UT.
Lest there be any confusion, my wife of 23 years now, with whom I have four children, is not the same girl I was dating when I got the invitation to pursue a PhD in Physics at Harvard. Different girl, different PhD, but still pretty content out here in the mountains of Utah!
In the psychology department there is a perception that some people who would have concentrated in psychology are now opting for neuroscience. It appears that there is more going on here than merely moves due to grade inflation.
What concerns me the most is that this has become a popular track for MD's.
Given all the medical fraud and misconduct discovered in Minnesota and California, I am concerned about the character of MD's and the quality of medical care.
Taking organic chemistry is not that important for neuroscience, but if one is applying to medical school doesn't one still need a year of organic chemistry plus its prerequisite, a year of inorganic chemistry? That is not such an easy path.
I was a pre-med at Harvard during the 1980s.
Pre-med was known as one of the toughest routes through the College, and it was made all-the-more difficult by strict curve grading and plenty of very smart Asians who always seemed to be better at memorizing things than everyone else.
I was actually a quantitatively oriented student, myself (still am). On the MCAT, my Physics and Chemistry were high 90's and low 90's, respectively (international percentiles). Both of those topics were mostly about applying mathematical formulas to science problems. On the other hand, my Biology score was high 80's. Biology on the 1980s MCAT was mostly about memorizing terminology. I don't recall there being any equations at all in the Biology section of the 1980s MCAT.
Mathematical equations really help me to understand the sciences better. The concept of measuring light in moles of photons per square meter per second, for example, really helps me to understand what light is and how it behaves. I still use equations related to photons to this day, both in my late-life PhD and in my small business where light is what powers photosynthetic growth in our products.
I cannot imagine going into graduate sciences of any kind without some fundamental math skills and competence. Neuroscience involves a lot of studies of electrical impulses and currents, how they impact cells, and how they are transmitted between cells. Electricity, like light, is best understood by the mathematical equations that are used to describe it. Therefore, Neuroscience doesn't seem like a good place for the mathematically deficient student.
One of my best class performances as an undergraduate at Harvard was Physics, taught by Professor Bamburg. I scored perfect 100% (unscaled) on all the tests including the final exam. That class was all about equations and mathematical calculations, as was Biostatistics, another A on my transcript. After the Physics class, Professor Bamburg invited me to pursue a PhD in Physics. When a respected professor invites and encourages you to get a PhD in his department, your chance of admission to that department as a PhD student is pretty good.
Foolishly, I declined, due to my interest in medical school and a job offer in Washington, DC where my then girlfriend lived. It was the girl, not the prestige of Harvard's Physics department, that attracted me most at the time!
To make a long story short, neither the girl nor the medical school thing, worked out for me. I ended up going to business school in the late 1990s and now, in my 50's, I am working on a PhD in Molecular Biology here at Brigham Young University in Provo, UT.
Lest there be any confusion, my wife of 23 years now, with whom I have four children, is not the same girl I was dating when I got the invitation to pursue a PhD in Physics at Harvard. Different girl, different PhD, but still pretty content out here in the mountains of Utah!