Major Spotlight: Neuroscience and Philosophy

For our fourth major spotlight, we spoke with Maya Passman, class of 2024, on her majors in Neuroscience and Philosophy and what it’s like to be a double major. 

Why did you choose these majors?

I’ve always been interested in psychology, but also had the opportunity to work in a lab in high school. So I knew that I was capable and liked STEM, but was also interested in human behavior and why we act the way that we do. I felt like neuroscience was a good way to combine my behavioral and molecular interests.

I fell in love with philosophy around the end of my senior year of high school and beginning of freshman year of college. Once I got here and started taking classes, I found so many parallels between my neuro classes to philosophy. 

For example, I always talk about how the idea of free will and the ability to make your own decisions is super debated in philosophy. And in neuroscience I learned that it’s actually proven that your brain knows what it’s going to do before you realize, so you may not be as in control as you think you are. I love looking at these things from these two aspects, because neuroscience looks at why we act the way that we do on a molecular level and philosophy is how we fall into the categories that we do of the world. 

What do you like the best about the neuroscience major?

Because neuroscience isn’t a department that hosts a major at Columbia, it’s pretty Barnard heavy. Almost all of my professors have been women, my lecture classes of like 100 people have all been mostly Barnard students. I love that because in a STEM field it’s really hard to find that and I’ve never had that until Barnard, and it’s such a comfortable environment. 

Least favorite thing about neuroscience?

It’s incredibly challenging, and the way that the major is structured isn’t super flexible. The senior seminars are electives, and you have some choice between like two of the four of a couple sciences at one point. But other than that, you take specific classes in a specific order. 

What do you like the best about the philosophy major?

The philosophy major is definitely hard but because I like it so much it feels chill. Compared to my STEM classes where I have to study for these big tests, philosophy is all about understanding the argument, which I really enjoy. 

So is philosophy mostly at Barnard or Columbia?

There are Barnard philosophy classes, but the entire department teaches at both schools. My philosophy classes are very male dominated, and I think that’s part of the reason I cherish my mostly female neuroscience classes so much. 

How is doing a double major? 

I do have to plan it out, but I don’t find it too hard. Most of my Barnard requirements get filled by one of my majors anyway. I will say, this semester I’m taking two neuro classes and two philosophy classes and there’s not room for anything else. I don’t mind because these are classes I would want to be doing anyway, but it definitely doesn’t leave a lot of time for fun electives.

What have your favorite classes been?

For philosophy, definitely my intro logic class. For neuroscience, I’ve been enjoying my neuroscience lab. We’re doing a lot of the stuff I did when I worked in a neuro lab over the summer, which shows that it’s a really applicable class. I’ve also good things about the Barnard class philosophy of feminism!

What is your senior thesis requirement?

Philosophy doesn’t have one, neuroscience has to be a full year research thesis. I’m hoping to do something related to a philosophy topic, like decision making.

Do you find your classes to be competitive?

In neuroscience not as much, probably because they’re at Barnard. Everyone is really trying to help each other, and we’re all struggling together. I feel a lot more pressure in my philosophy classes, in neuro it's like internal pressure but in philosophy it’s definitely external pressure. People come to Columbia to study philosophy, which I think adds a layer. 

How does the Barnard-Columbia relationship work for you?

It pretty much works out that all my philosophy classes are at Columbia, and all my neuro classes are here, which is a nice balance. 

Is there anything else you wish you had time to explore at Barnard?

I would have loved to take courses in women and gender studies!

Anything else you want to share?

I love double majoring because I get to create the connections between subjects on my own time. I see the parallels from one subject to another in my classes and I think that it’s a really cool way to combine things. I think people are kind of scared of double majors, but with Barnard’s foundations requirements it kinda works especially if you do one STEM and one humanities. 

Learn more about the neuroscience major here and the philosophy major here.