One of the reasons why I chose Scripps was because I knew I wanted to study STEM, but I also knew I did not want to pursue it in a competitive environment. At Scripps, I love the small class sizes, building connections with peers and professors, and learning in a rigorous academic environment. My biggest class throughout my entire undergraduate career has been Basic Principles of Chemistry, which most first-year STEM students take. This class was around 36 people, and in class, we would spend time in small groups working through problem sets with the help of our professor. I made many friends that I still connect with as a senior, and I really got to know my professor and ended up being her a Teaching Assistant the following year as a sophomore. Since then, my class sizes have ranged from 6 students to around 24, and I have really grown to appreciate the supportive classroom environment.
Another great aspect of pursuing science at Scripps is the research opportunities. There are many professors completing research, and many students who participate. From wet lab microbiology research to computational neuroscience, there are many different labs and fields that students can pursue, and it is really common for science students to pursue research experience. Through the science department, we also have graduate school advising, and many students who want to pursue a health profession or get their PhD can be guided by faculty in the science department.
But one of my favorite aspects of pursuing STEM at Scripps is how interdisciplinary my classes are. Last semester, I took a course called Disease Ecology and Evolution, where we created mathematical models of how infectious diseases spread. Currently, I am taking Biophysics, where we are using physics concepts to represent biology. This week, we are thinking about how we can represent hemoglobin’s binding to oxygen using different parameters and probability. I have even gotten to explore the idea of science identity and science education throughout my time at Scripps.
Overall, I have had such a wonderful experience pursuing STEM through my biology major and data science minor, whether through the collaborative class environment, research, and interdisciplinary classes. Feel free to reach out with any questions!