[Maesy]

Hello, I'm 15 and currently doing my GCSE's, I will be going on to do my A-Levels in September. I was wondering if you could give me some advice and feedback as to how you are finding the course as it is something I am really interested in and seriously considering doing. I just wanted to ask how you were all finding the course, and what sort of career plans you had once you finish studying. I was also wondering about Animal testing and to what degree the course includes, as although I'm guessing it's probably a fundamental point of the course I'm not sure how well I would cope with it to be honest.
Thanks for your help!

[Maesy]

Hello? Please help!

[PhilipMiti]

Maesy. I saw this post a few weeks back and i'm gutted that no-one's got back to you yet. I'm gonna guess that it's because students for GCSEs, Alevels and Degrees have had exams and such; so i imagine soon you'll get more replies. I'm not a neuroscience student but if i get the grades i'll be starting it in Leeds this September, so i have an idea-ish of what it'll be like so i'll try to help answer your question.

I think it's a very very interesting path to take. It's quite an infant science compared to other sciences and the discoveries being made in neuroscience have massive implications. Not only because it's AWESOME, but because it attempts to push at the thing we know very little about and is possibly (probably) the most complex thing in the universe. (and i didn't say that for emphasis. You can take that as literally as truth.) Advances in neuroscience have the potential to help us learn a great deal about ourselves in a way that studying only biology/ chemistry/ physics cannot. I do think neuroscience has used these sciences to come as far as it has though. but neuroscience has become more like it's own separate field of science. For instance, If i were going into engineering i'd be using the science of Physics and Maths in order to apply it to engineering. If i wanted to go into physiology/anatomy, I'd be studying alot of biology and biochemistry. Neuroscience has become broad enough to incorporate aspects not just within biochemistry + biology, but also, psychology, quantum physics, computer science, philosophy and more. It's a very significant science. As are the other sciences. (I'm not putting them down.Pharmacology+ Biochemistry weren't far behind at one point). So yeah; it's worth considering to do and it's EXCELLENT that you are already.

Because (i believe) neuroscience is so fundamental in what it seeks to achieve, it has had applications in:

-Robotics:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cNZPRsrwumQ

-Computer Science (artificial intelligence, etc ...)
example: Brain implant allows paralysed woman to control a robot with her thoughts
(http://www.guardian.co.uk/science/20...robot-thoughts)


-Law
"Neuroscientists seek to determine how brain function affects behaviour, and the law is concerned with regulating behaviour. It is therefore likely that developments in neuroscience will increasingly be brought to bear on the law." - Royal Society. In AS psychology we studied a case in which 41 people charged with murder were pleading guilty of insanity. Raine et al, (the researchers) PET scanned all of the 41 and 41 "normal" similar people to compare the results. so there were 82 scans taken. The Pet scan shows location of activity in the brain. IN the murderers the found lowered activity n the Prefrontal Cortex, Superior Parietal Gyrus, Left Angular Gyrus and Corpus Callosum of the brain. The data found was significant enough to allow you to question, does that actually means that it's the murderer's fault or were thay inevitably going to commit crime? this was only in 1997.

that's not even to mention the implications that neuroscience advances have for treatments for disease. such as Alzheimer's and parkinson's etc....

In terms of career plans i've heard of many who have gone on to become doctors after neuroscience (what i plan to do), also some go into neuroscience reaserch or pharmacology/neuropharmacology (study of drug effects on the body/nervous system and brain). Also teaching and educational psychology. Neuro/clinical psychology (i imagine - that's more the psychology side thuogh). It's weird but i've hear of many people who have done neuroscience/biochemistry and then go into banking and finance. Neuroscience is broad in it's applications but maybe more specific and terms of career path. Doesn't stop graduates going into banking though so i wouldn't be too worried.

I don't know tooo much about the animal testing side.... let hope someone answers that for you. Hope i've been helpful.

[fnm]

I did a few weeks work experience using eegs/evoked potential in a neuroscience department, honestly, found it incredibly boring. I imagine if you understand it all (which takes a while) it's more interesting. I know a lot of people who really like it, but I'd definitely get some experience of it before applying.

As a degree in itself it's great BSc. Like other subjects linked with medicine, it involves a mixture of sciences, maths, working with people.

[Gigglebot]

Hiya I do a dual honors in neuroscience and psychology at Keele, just finished my first year :P
We haven't done many modules in neuroscience, mostly about biology, to make sure we know enough background information as apparently second year is pretty hard core!

We've done work with dead frogs (making their legs twitch using electricity attached to their nerves)and dead locusts (looking at how their nervous system joined up), as well as breeding drosophila flies (for a genetics module, most of these die) We also did some stuff with a wormy thing...
The animal thing hasn't really been a problem for me, although i have a phobia of snails/slugs/magotty things... i've ended up crying in a lab class cause we had to move maggots about for the fly breeding, the lecturers are really supportive and help you if you feel distressed or feel you can't do an experiment.

For human physiology modules we've done a lot of work using ourselves, measuring heart rates and blood typing etc
I enjoy it as i loved biology, realised i would never get into medicine and found the plant modules at gcse/a-level really boring... so for me, it's really good!

There are people on my course that don't believe in animal testing at all, not even for medical purposes, i'm not sure how they deal with our course... i suppose it's something that's different for everyone, and you have plenty of time to think about it!
Hope that helps in some way Good luck

[Waterstorm]

If you do decide to do it, make sure you try and get into UCL to do it - there're the best in the world for neuroscience, and their department is simply amazing.

[corpuscallosum]

I'm starting Neuroscience MSci at UCL in September, I can't wait - I think it's honestly the most fascinating branch of science. My general career plan so far is to get my masters, then a phd and then either go into research and further studying or look for work in the pharmaceutical industry.

[Maesy]

Hi everyone!
Thanks so much for your posts, sorry it has taken me a while to reply to them, been busy with final gcse's
I really appreciate all your comments, thank you for taking the time to reply, especially to PhilipMiti - your post was really helpful, thankyou!
Neuroscience/psychology definitely remains a key area of interest for me, and I'll be going on to do A-levels in Chemistry, Biology, Maths and Psychology in sept

[PhilipMiti]

Woo!!!! Excellent! Same A Levels as me! You may as well Firm Leeds University now! Perfect decisions, i'm proud. haha. Good luck. Work hard, Play Hard. Concentrate solely on working hard for the first year of A level. It'll open up a bigger range of options when applying to universities with your good predicted grades. After your first year of exams you should have plenty of time to assess which university to choose.... Plus members of StudentRoom will always be there to answer questions or give advice.