Orange You Glad I Said Hippocampus? What It’s Like To Be A Neurobiology Major
Do you like brains? Have you ever found yourself wondering how your brain is able to process the words you’re reading (at this very moment!)? Do you ever wonder why you can remember TikTok songs but can’t remember where you left your keys? Does the word hippocampus cause a release of serotonin into your brain? If you answered yes to any of the above questions, I invite you to the wonderful world of the neurobiology major!
The neurobio major is a more concentrated major that focuses on neuroscience topics that you wouldn’t typically go into detail with as a standard biology major. I switched to the major because I was enthusiastic and curious to learn more about the brain. I find it astounding that despite the brain being our body's most crucial organ, it still remains a vessel of mystery! As a plus for neuromajors, you get to go through your neuro classes with a small cohort of your peers and get priority for neuro-specific classes. This was great because 1. I genuinely love the subject and wanted to learn more about it, 2. I appreciate having a close relationship with the instructors, and 3. Priority enrollment is amazing.
Some of the courses I was able to take as a neurobio major were neurobiology of learning and memory, neuroimaging lab, neurobiology and behavior, developmental neurobiology, neurobiology lab . . . I think you get it, A LOT of neuro classes!!!
Although there have been times where I was up until 3 in the morning trying to learn HOW I learn, and frantically trying to recall the name of a brain structure (which frankly all sound like spells taken out of a Harry Potter book- Accio Locus Coeruleus!) I honestly couldn’t imagine myself in any other major. With UCI on the frontier of neuroscience advancements, and so many facilities on campus geared towards neuroscience research, the major is constantly expanding its curriculum. Not to mention, UCI was the first institution to declare a department specifically for neuroscience, which to me just makes the major even more exciting. You really get to immerse yourself into the field. Trust me when I say it's a major like no other!
