A GUIDE TO... Pharmacology Louise Rockall, Christ's
organised department in this respect.
Huw Garlans, Christ's
What are you enjoying least about your subject?
Anonymous
L - Some lectures are very molecular (though I quite like this). Having to cite papers in essays is quite a daunting task, and to be honest, I'm terrible at making decisions, so having to be selective with which topics I cover is a bit tricky.
Why did you pick this subject? L - MODA was probably my favourite subject at 1B, but more than this, the idea of a smallish close-knit department appealed to me, as did the idea of a 1 term rather than 2 term research project.
H - Too many structural/biochemical studies that are a very long way from anything that is vaguely clinical.
A - Good mix of topics (including bits of pathology, neuroscience and physiology). Opportunity for a 1 term project.
A - Still less structure than in previous years, no one asking for essays to be handed in! This is not unique to pharmacology though....
Approximately how many lectures do you have a week? L - 1-2 per day in Michaelmas (5-10 per week), 1 or fewer lectures per day in Lent (<5 per week).
Why did you decide to do a project? L - I wanted to experience firsthand the techniques I'd read about in papers, and understand where all the information we have learnt about in the first 3 years has come from.
What are you enjoying most about your subject? L - Pharmacology is a very sociable subject, everything centres around the tea room, and we have free wine and nibbles every Friday after the tea talk.
H - Would consider doing research alongside clinical work. Might like to do a PhD.
H - Interesting to be able to read about specific areas that interest me.
A - Opportunity to work in a world leading lab for 8 weeks. Enough time to get an idea of whether you enjoy lab work (but not too long if you realise you don't) - very useful to know for future reference!
A - The clinical relevance of a lot of thetopics (e.g. cystic fibrosis, asthma, rheumatoid arthritis, blood, diabetes). Even the topics that aren't clinically relevant are interesting! Fortnightly discussion groups give us a chance to talk about scientific papers and learn how to approach critically analysing them. As well as this, we also get an essay writing and referencing workshop. Definitely a well-
What are you most enjoying about your project? L - I've been very lucky with my project (Dr. Cath Lindon, Cell cycle and aurora kinases). It's very rewarding starting an
22