Being in classes again after all these years has been quite an experience, especially since the medical school curriculum is so intense. One of the things I am trying to work on is a good study system that will allow me to do reasonably well on the courses, without spending so much time that my research work suffers. So far, a high-level understanding of the concepts coupled with a hurried attempt to pick up some of the details has worked, and as far as performance is concerned I have no major problems.

I am not enjoying the course as much as I thought. As a Biology major, most of the Molecules and Cells course is a review, maybe with a bit more detail. I had hoped the course would be a Biology refresher, but it has ended up being a rushed look at a lot of concepts with not much retention. The lectures are in a large class format with not much discussion, and the discussion groups often focus on getting enough knowledge to pass the exam rather than on providing a stimulating intellectual exercise. The Journal Club variation of the discussion group is probably what I like the most -- it is unfortunate that they comprise such a small part of the course.

Thankfully, research is going quite well. I will soon have my first opportunity to use a real supercomputer, specifically one at the Pittsburgh Supercomputing Center. I am also trying to find a more challenging but less well-defined project related to Bayesian networks. Once I am done with this semester's classes at the medical school, I should be able to spend more time on research.