Cell biology has been such an interesting class for me. It’s been really nice that a lot of the topics we’ve gone over overlap with two of my other biology classes. Cell biology and genetics have really helped my understanding of how our bodies metabolize different chemicals and how we are predisposed to whether or not we can. One of the major obstacles in my life is trying to find a medication that actually works with my body, so I took a DNA test to what I can metabolize and also to find out what I have a predisposition to. Cell biology helped me understand a lot of the how’s and why’s so that I can have a better understanding of my body and to be able to relay this information to my doctors. Two of the classes I’m excited about, neuroanatomy and immunology, are definitely going to be drawing from a lot of the information I’ve learned this semester, so my giant binder of notes is going to be carrying me through the rest of my classes.

I’ll also never forget the lesson about how tryptophan is a precursor for serotonin and how the popular migraine medication Imitrex is based on tryptophan and that if you take certain antidepressants, which deal with your serotonin receptors, you could have terrible side effects.

This is such an important statement that I had to make it a run-on sentence. This fact prevented me from taking Imitrex because I am on antidepressants and my doctor neglected this fact and prescribed it to me anyway. This fact also helped me realize that I was experiencing central nervous depression from different medications interacting with each other, so that lesson was a literal life saver. I know for a fact that this class will always be relevant to both my personal life and my academic life.