Reflections with Emily Chen ‘16

By Nia Walker ‘16

Emily is a senior at Harvard (in Dunster House), pre-med and concentrating in Neurobiology with a secondary in Global Health and Health Policy
 
[On why she chose neurobiology] “Coming into college, I knew I wanted to study neuroscience after doing research in high school in a neuro psych lab.  I have just always been fascinated by what drives people to think, feel, and act the way they do.  Neurobiology is the perfect way of using data driven science to figure out the psychological underpinnings of people and behavior.”
 
[On neurobiology at Harvard] “I really like the department, and the advisors have particularly been very helpful and available.  I have been less enthused by some of the requirements—for example the introductory courses like MCB 80 and OEB 57.  However, I appreciate that there are a lot of diverse courses accepted for neurobiology credit.  Neurobiology is one of the more interdisciplinary concentrations, and I have enjoyed my experience overall.”
 
[On choosing neurobiology again] “If I stayed a science concentrator, I would pick neurobiology again.  I wonder sometimes if I should have branched out and tried a non-science concentration for more balance as a pre-med.  If I hadn’t done a science concentration, I might have considered anthropology or sociology.”
 
[On her favorite experience at Harvard] “My best academic experience occurred freshman year.  I took a course about health care disparities in the U.S. my freshman spring.  At the time I’d also just started volunteering with Health Leads, a group on campus that offers health consulting and support to low income areas throughout Boston.  So I was learning in the classroom about these issues and getting the opportunity to see what it truly means for everyday people each week.  I could see the connection between classroom learning and real life experience.  It changed my mindset on what health care means, what the most pressing issues are, and what I can do to best aid others.”
 
[On her reflections of her Harvard experience] “Something I wish I’d done earlier is form more relationships with mentors.  I wish I’d taken more advantage of that resource—getting to know my teaching staff and finding mentors from the start of freshman year.  I would tell people to find mentors early, especially those who are in your fields of interest and who you see yourself possibly becoming someday.”