The problem with advancing in a program is that the higher level you get, the bigger the egos are that you're dealing with. I mean, the egos were always there, it's just that there were more people in addition, sort of diluting the ego. Then as the people who were pretty casual about it drop out, the egos remain, and become concentrated. And then you're left sitting in class listening to people put the oddest, hoity toity tones in their voices as they answer questions, and you get angry.
Or at least I do. Grrrrrrrr.
So, I've had three of my classes so far.
Brain and Behavior with Dr. Henke seems pretty intimidating, but I think that I might be able to pull through. I got this book, "A Colorful Introduction to the Anatomy of the Human Brain: A Brain and Psychology Coloring Book," as a sort of remedial aid to myself. So far it seems really helpful, and I've already learned stuff I didn't know just in the first ten pages, but it also coincidentally is by the same author of the textbook our class is using. Go figure. Throughout the year, we'll be dissecting a sheep's brain in lab. Fun. Oh, but I sincerely hope that everyone is enjoying how funny my coloring book on neuroanatomy is.
Abnormal Psychology with Dr. Watt seems like it's going to be awesome. Interesting subject matter, guest speakers who have the disorders we'll be learning about, and perhaps a service learning volunteer type aspect as well. No lab for this class, yay!
Advanced Data in Psychological Research (level up from last years Research Methods and Stats course) seems pretty intimidating as well. In our first day, Dr. McCormick blasted through two months of last year's course. This could seem really bad, except that in one sentence he managed to encapsulate in a perfectly comprehensible way a topic that Dr. Sullivan (of last year's RM&S class) easily spent half an hour on, and I still didn't understand. However, a concept flying by that quickly made it difficult to take notes on. Con #1: No powerpoint at all, so if you miss it when he says it, it's gone. Con #2: There's a lab for this course! They purposefully didn't mention it in the Academic Calendar, apparently. :( How sad! I thought I was only going to have one class with a lab this year.
