Why was this research experience valuable to you? At the beginning of my third year in undergraduate, I took on a job as a research assistant in a neuroscience lab. With no prior lab experience, I knew I would be facing some challenges. I struggled with setting up basic lab procedures such as polymerase chain reactions, but I was determined to succeed and with persistent effort I was able to perfect my technique. This enabled me to move on to more complex tasks such as microscopic dissections on zebrafish. The experience was valuable to me because it showed me how to take the information I had learned from the classroom and apply it to my research. It also taught me that an interest in science alone was not enough for me to achieve my goals or …show more content…
As a student myself who has struggled to grasp complex concepts, I understand how difficult it is to overcome challenges to learning. When I first became a teaching assistant, I vowed to go out of my way to help other students in need of extra assistance and guidance. My favorite method of teaching is by explaining concepts through analogy. I have even gone so far as to dress up in a banana costume to demonstrate the analogy. What this teaching experience has taught me is to think creatively and that there are non-traditional ways of learning and teaching. If an approach to a problem does not work, you can pave a new path to solve the same problem. It is ok to be innovative. I also learned from this teaching experience how to identify my own weaknesses. When teaching you realize that you do not truly know and understand a concept until you are able to teach it to another person. It is immensely gratifying to be able to work with a student, identify the challenges he has to learning, come up with a strategy and work with him until he finally grasp the concept. I hope to one day apply the same approach to patient care and patient education as a practicing