When i was in my freshman year, i never envisioned myself to be taking on any module with a code number that starts with a number 4. I always thought i would graduate happily after my third year because honours year seemed like something unattainable to me at that point of time.
So it feels funny and a little surreal that i am typing here my review on modules i have never dreamt of trying out.
What i have to say about level 4000 modules is that they are probably the most enjoyable batch that i have enjoyed during my study career as a life sciences/ biomedical sciences undergraduate. Oh and as i am typing this really late, my memory has gone a bit fuzzy, and hence miss out on certain details. But i promise to add them on if they come back to me later.
1. LSM4211 Toxicology
I was so adamant about taking this module i sacrificed a huge sum of bidding points to bid for this module during the module selection round because everyone shared the same level of interest in this module.
What i liked about this module is the content especially environmental toxicology whereby we learnt how occupational hazards may arise from human activities such as construction work. Problem-based learning assignments replaced the midterm which were good or bad news, depending on the individual. But personally, i like pbls because they allowed more opportunities for us to exchange our ideas and views on the topic.
But like most LSM modules, this module requires a lot of memorizing. Which i believe most of us would be seasoned by the time we reached year 4. another non-academic point to note about toxicology is that we usually end lessons in one hour, which leaves an extra hour for lunchtime:) Be prepared to be extra diligent with your revision if you want to score because the module is relatively easy which means that the competition is up by a few notches.
My ratings: ★★★☆☆
2. LSM4212 Pharmacogenetics and Drug Response
This module was the complete opposite of toxicology, despite it being a pharmacology module too. It is more on concepts, logical reasoning and further reading up will be pretty beneficial. Every individual has variable degree of response to a drug due to both genetic and environmental factors. Pharmacogenetics take the genetic factors into account when drug dosages have to be calibrated for patients from a certain ethnic group.
If you are prefer something with solid facts given to you, i will probably not recommend this module to you.
My ratings:★★☆☆☆
3. LSM4232 Advanced Cell Biology
I took this module because i could not really decide what non-bms module to take. Deciding to be the rare bms souls to bravely take on it, i later found out that i did not regret my choice despite hearing negative feedbacks about the module from seniors. The topics were not solely on molecular biology, but the lectures made several references to the biomedical area such as cancer. I also enjoyed listening to the professors sharing with us their findings in their research areas.
There is an essay-based midterm together with a journal group presentation and the finals was all mcqs. Surprisingly, i did pretty well for it.
My ratings: ★★★★☆
4. LSM4221 Drug Discovery and Clinical Trials
Being only offered in the second semester, the drug trial module is well known for causing an intense battle among the bidders during cors period. I counted myself lucky because i did not bid for this module at all. How i got hold of it was out of pure luck because i decided i hated another module that i had gotten and made an appeal to the office to grant me the clinical drug trial module.
This was one of my favourite modules because it covered the entire process, starting from the formulation of a prospective drug product, followed by doing testings for possible adverse effects in various levels (from animals to a few humans to thousands). Manufacturing with a strict adherence to good manufacturing practice and lastly, drug registration and regulation. The teaching coordinator in charge, Professor Tan, is extremely passionate in what she teaches, and that probably ignited a spark of interest in most of us.
The midterm is based on mcqs (thinking questions again) and a journal presentation whereas the final exam was essay-based. It would be good to do further reading up on your own because it is another highly competitive module where people fight to score well.
My ratings: ★★★☆☆
5. LSM4224 Free Radicals and Antioxidant Biology
I took this module, knowing that it was difficult. This owed much to my stubbornness and perhaps the fact that i wanted to learn more about free radicals. A highly insightful module coupled with a formidable team of scientists as lecturers, this module would have been perfect if we had more time to study it. The content is densely packed with information, mostly coming from recent research findings because controversies still exist in this area. What i took home from this module is the ability to think critically and extract important information to formulate an opinion of my own since this is highly necessary in this field where not all research papers agree on the same point.
Sadly, with fyp dominating most of my time and attention, i barely had ample time to do a proper revision for the final exams. And i felt i could do better if i had more time. Another point to note about this module is that the midterm is in the form of a journal presentation (20%) whereas the finals is *gasp* 80%.
My ratings:★★☆☆☆
6. LSM4199 Honours Project in Life Sciences
The Honours project, or otherwise fondly known as fyp (final year project), something most of us would have a love-hate relationship with. Apart from squeezing every ounce of energy that has been left in you, fyp takes you on a turbulent ride of emotions when it comes to generating results worth looking at.
Character building is another aspect because fyp really tests on your perseverance and the ability to work with others and on your own. Although some of my friends may have felt that this year of research has killed their passion in research, i felt that it toughened me up and made me even more driven to study on something i have zero knowledge of. And i did have my share of unpleasant encounters with ugly people. But on a more positive note, i got to know even more wonderful individuals who were willing to help me along the way.
Personally, i don't think your fyp grade is mainly based on the quality of your results, but more of the quality of your experience in that one year. The presentation and the thesis are reflective of the amount of effort you put in and the lessons you gained from the experiments. Although my results were not fantastic, i had so much stories to share with the examiners - my failures and how i moved on.
My ratings: ★★★★☆
So here is probably my last entry on my guide to nus modules. I hope this has been insightful for those who are planning to choose some of the modules i have mentioned here. If you do have any enquiries, do not feel shy to drop me a mail:)
