MSC neuroscience

verna

hi im considering doing msc neuroscience in trinity next year
my undergrad is philosophy and psychological studies
ive zero research skills and little science--but believe it or not im elligible to apply

anywho considering getting up to hons leaving cert in biology and chem over summer

but would love to hear from someone with simular background to me whose on the course
i love neuroscience and neuropsychology and do a lot of independent study but im concerned it would too difficult for me

also im very much interested in the behaviorial side of things so im wondering is neuroscience the wrong level of analysis for me

any info greatly appreciated
thanks

Molecule

I did that course and like you came from a psychology background (though pure psychology as opposed to a joint major). Tbh it's probably a good idea to brush up on your biology and chemistry if you want to do it. I hadn't done science in a long time, and I got through it and passed, but it was a very difficult and very technical course and a lot of the others on the course will be doctors, pharmacists, biologists etc. If you are interested in studying the brain at a behavioural level it's probably not the course for you as certainly when I did it there was very little neuropsychology (in the taught section anyway, you could join research groups in a psychological area for the research part...although again I think students now are encouraged to do research in an area unrelated to their previous experience). It's mainly neuroanatomy, neurophysiology, pharmacology and neuroimmunology. Really, really interesting but quite different from most of what you'll have done in psychology.

verna

hi thanks for your reply--- it does still sound interesting
i have another query tho... are research skills and stats thought on the course-- as i dont have these skills as mine was joint major
i really need to acquire these skills-- but would need the courses to start out at an introductory level.

the course sounds difficult, but i hope u dont mind me asking, were you able to very well in it? or were you at a serious disadvantage?

thanks again
Verna

Molecule

They do teach stats and research methods - and they're usually areas where the psychology students do really well as in general we'd all done them before and to a higher level. I found the research stuff to be quite basic, particularly at the start. The lab research methods were not exactly difficult but more unfamiliar to me, but these were well demonstrated and easy to follow.

I wouldn't say I did very well overall but I passed my exams first time and that was definitely an achievement given that there were people who came from more scientific backgrounds who didn't. Did you do any psychopharmacology or neuropsychology as part of your degree? I had, and I'd say you'd really have a very challenging task ahead if you hadn't any idea of those areas before starting. Some of the students who had previously studied psychology really struggled but they all got through in the end. In general, be prepared for a lot more work than you might have on some of the psychology taught masters.

verna

Thanks-- your info was very helpful,, given me alot of food for thought

passing is defo an achievement- esp in Trinity postgrad ect-- but i was wondering could u have gone on and done a phd if u wanted?
also ive been looking into neurpsychology courses-- downside is i get a grant if i stay in ire- so money is an issue
but i have been looking at the course content and it doesnt seem to be miles diff form the neuroscience courses- neuropharm, neuroanatomy, ect

would you know much about what differnces there would be btwn the two.

thanks again

j87

I am doing this course at the moment and I have to agree with everything that Molecule said. The taught portion of the course is almost entirely science based and most of the class will be from a medical/science background, however there are students in the class that would have done psychology as their undergrad and they are all doing very well. There are also people that have completed the course doing PhD's in the department that would have come from a psychology background so its by no means impossible to do very well in this course not coming from a strong science background. It will be a lot of hard work however. I came from Biotechnology background and nearly everything in this course was new to me so i had to work very hard to get my head around it so quickly, the course is extremely interesting though and some of the PI's you get to work with for your projects you just wont get in other institutions. I would really recommend applying at the very least, I know im glad that i did!

verna

Hi thanks for your input--- im defnitley going to apply
i was just wondering, however, how many hours per week did you need to put in?

thanks

j87

Well for the first semester it was pretty full on, in terms of hours it was probably 9-5 most days and then longer sometimes coming up to deadlines. The first semester is where the majority of the class work is done, the second semester eases off a lot and you will have more free time, then in the summer you start your research project and again thats pretty much 9-5 mon-fri for most people.

verna

thanks for your reply--- 9-5 sounds very doable... did u really not have to study in evenings??? also what did u do on weekend? 9-5 again?

also im planning on getting grinds in chemistry and getting myself upto hons leaving cert standard over summer--would u reccomend i do this?

also given my lack of science and also research skills do you think i would have to do more study than you did?
i know u cant really say for sure but i would really appreciate your opinion

thanks

j87

Oh yeah of course i studied in the evening. I just meant on average it was around 9-5 for me, obviously there will be days that you work much more than this.
To be honest I wouldn't bother with the chemistry grinds as there is very little of this in course. There is some stuff about chemical structures of drugs so maybe have a quick look at some organic chemistry but its not a very major part of any of the modules. Maybe do some biology instead if you feel you need to.
As for the research skills I wouldn't be too worried about it, it's quite straightforward and well explained. I think once you are dedicated and put a bit of effort in the course doesn't require crazy amounts of work, just dont let it build up on you and it should all be fine!

verna

Hi ive a few more questions if you dont mind

firstly whats the timetable like? did you have morning or evening lectures?

secondly what sort of questions were you asked in the interview?

thanks

verna

j87

The timetable is a little annoying as it changes a lot, but there are plenty of early morning and evening lectures in the first semester, like i said the second semester timetable is much nicer.
As for the interview most of the class were asked the same questions last year. He seemed to focus mainly on neurotransmitters and their method of action. The course coordinator focuses on molecular biology so if he is doing the interviews again it will probably be the same or similar questions, if you don't know what he is talking about ( cos i didnt for most of the interview) just say and point out that you are willing to catch up with the stuff you dont know. Other than that it was just the usual interview type questions like why you want to do the course and your experience etc.
Hope that helps

verna

hi thanks for your advice

one final q... i've heard from many that its a good course but its a heavy workload--- how heavy is heavy? 50 hour week? 70 hours week?

im concerned because my sister is studying medicine in trinity and I am not sure i could do what she does-- which seems to me to be non-stop studying and despite this she still has to pull all nighters and try and cram in half her course the night before.....
she is doing well-- she got first last year, but the non-stop studying and crazy pressure ... im not entirely sure i want to sign up for that

again, thanks for all your help so far

Verna

j87

Well obviously I cant comment on how much work you will need to put into it as everyone is different, it is tough at times but its nowhere near medicine in my opinion. Its like any course really, you can put as much time and effort into it as you want. Perhaps you will need to put more work into it than most seeing as you dont come from a science background so I would also be prepared for that as well, although saying that the people in the class that came from a psychology background all did quite well this year.

verna

thanks a mill, its great to get the perspective of someone who has done the course

thanks

TrollHammaren

Hey guys, I'm glad this thread was started. I'm doing my final year exams in TCD and I've applied for the course through the PAC system. When do you reckon they'll start calling out for interviews? I sent my application in April and I've heard nothing back.

Also, how competitive are places? I'm averaging at a II:2 at the moment, but I'm hoping to drag that up to a II:1 with these exams. Any info you can give me would help!

CatfishScience

Hello,

Hoping to apply for this course this year. Just wondering if any people know what the career opportunities with a Masters in neuroscience can offer you.

What are people up to who have completed this course, how do you think it has affected your job opportunities.

Cheers

AbbieB

This thread is making me a little scared....maybe i wont be able to handle the course. Im use to a large workload and come from a science background but ive never done anything related to neuroscience except a module in pharmacology....ah well i will just have to work really hard.

j87

AbbieB wrote: »

This thread is making me a little scared....maybe i wont be able to handle the course. Im use to a large workload and come from a science background but ive never done anything related to neuroscience except a module in pharmacology....ah well i will just have to work really hard.

Don't worry it's really not that bad, I had never done any neuroscience either and I was grand, if you put the effort in you'll be fine honestly.

j87

TrollHammaren wrote: »

Hey guys, I'm glad this thread was started. I'm doing my final year exams in TCD and I've applied for the course through the PAC system. When do you reckon they'll start calling out for interviews? I sent my application in April and I've heard nothing back.

Also, how competitive are places? I'm averaging at a II:2 at the moment, but I'm hoping to drag that up to a II:1 with these exams. Any info you can give me would help!

Well from what they told us at the start of the year there where 80+ applicants for the course for 18 places, but how true that is I don't know, I would think that you need a 2:1 though.
In terms of hearing back about the interviews and stuff there were people who heard by may but I didn't get my interview until about 3 weeks before the course started which was annoying because I had already accepted another MSc. Ah well!

Liquorice

What intro texts did non-neuro undergrads use for this course? Principles of Neural Science or something else?

AbbieB

That's strange some of the interviews last year were held just before the course started. Mine was at the start of April and they contacted me the next morning with their answer.

j87

Yeah i thought it was odd as well but I reckon they just pick the people they want first and then if some people dont take the offer or whatever they just do more interviews so i think I just got in by the skin of my teeth.
Who did your interview? Was it Dev?

j87

Liquorice wrote: »

What intro texts did non-neuro undergrads use for this course? Principles of Neural Science or something else?

I'm not sure about other people but I didn't use a neuro text, I just used module specific texts like rang and dale or the biochemical basis of neuropharmacology ( can't remember the authors) for the pharmacology modules and janeway for the immunology one. Any general physiology text would be ok for the other modules

eroticvultcha

I completed this course in 2010, coming from a background in Pscyhology. Here are my own personal experiences of the MSc:
- Self-directed learning unavoidably took up the majority of my time: While some lecturers were superb (mainly those for Pharmacology & Neural Engineering) many others were very poor - flying through their slides without giving adequate explanations; approaching topics assuming erratic levels of prior knowledge & generally being unhelpful when asked to elaborate. Lab practical demonstrators, particularly, took us through the protocols without explaining why you might - for example - be undertaking a Western Immunoblot.
While a biochemistry or medical background is not a prerequisite, it is predominantly, unfairly assumed by most lecturers - therefore, I spent most of my time buried under a number of introductory biochemistry, neuroanatomy and pharmacology textbooks in order to have a clue of what I was being 'taught'. One girl dropped out of the course after a month or two for these exact reasons.
- The course was (and may still be) organised extremely poorly: This reached a particularly unacceptable level in March of 2010, when the entire class attended a scheduled venue for a scheduled examination, to find out that no one in the department knew anything about it and that the course coordinator was abroad.
Similar incidents occurred prior to this, with the class attending at scheduled times in scheduled venues for lectures, waiting, finally ending up walking to the department secretary to be told that the given lecturer was either abroad, not aware of the lecture, or couldn’t make it for other questionable reasons.
This level of disorganization may have changed since my time completing the course, but if the same man who organised the course in 2009-2010 is currently coordinating it, beware of the same problems likely coming up.

Ultimately, after a huge amount of stress, I passed the course and am currently completing a PhD, but my advice would be that if you're coming from a Psychology background (or similar), prepare yourself for a poorly-organised, occasionally well-taught, occasionally horribly-taught, condensed medical / biomedical sciences course with the odd bit of neuroimaging / engineering thrown in for good measure.

verna

can i ask are u glad you did the course and what are you doing your phd in now?

eroticvultcha

Ultimately I am happy that I completed the course. To be long-winded about it, it's like this: A Psychology degree only offers you so many career opportunities. This MSc is probably the most suitable option for anyone who doesn't want to pursue a career as a clinical psychologist, therapist, etc. It's possibly the best option for anyone who wants to take a step away from a Psychology career without restarting college. Even though I slated the course in my last post, the pros do eventually outweight the cons if you're serious about a career as a neuroscientist. The course has good connections with Novartis (you'll likely get a chance to complete a 3-month industry placement with them in Basel... fantastic for the CV) and other institutions such as RCSI and UCC. I'm doing a very respected and well-funded PhD course in the bio-sciences in Dublin at the moment, and, despite its major flaws, I honestly don't know whether I'd be employed at all right now if it wasn't for the MSc.

TrollHammaren

Thanks eroticvultcha.

I applied for the course but didn't get accepted. Fúcked up majorly at the interview, talked a load of shíte, and failed to answer simple questions I should be well able to answer.

I emailed the coordinator later on politely asking for some feedback so that I could improve my prospects when applying next year, and work on any weaknesses they outline, but I instead got an email back from his secretary with a generic message about how they were unable to give any individual feedback due to the high number of applicants.

It pissed me right off, but I still intend to apply next year.

eroticvultcha

Sorry to hear that, mate. Don't want to get into slandering anyone, but I didn't personally find the person in question to be a particularly nice guy. He has his **** together as far as academics & research go, but by and large can be quite condescending to his students and is overall the self-important, 'refer to me as Professor, not by my first name' type. With that in mind, I wouldn't let not getting accepted this year knock you; definitely give it a shot again next year and apply to a few similar ones as well.

AbbieB

My friend who applied for the course also but wasnt accepted got the same kind of email when she wanted feedback on her interview. It seems badly run. She thought she did good in the interview where as I couldnt answer any questions on neurotransmitters and started randomly talking about L-dopa! I think the only thing that got me through was my 1st class.

kellyldoolin

I will be attending Trinity for the M.Sc. Neuroscience program this year. I am an American student and looking forward to the experience! I have a Bachelors in Biology with a concentration in Neuroscience from Emmanuel College in Boston.