Speaker: The views and opinions expressed in this podcast by the hosts and guests may or may not necessarily reflect the views and opinions of Miami University.

Speaker: Freshman year I came in undecided.

Speaker: I'm finance, entrepreneurship, anthropology.

Speaker: I'm a senior architecture student.

Speaker: I'm involved in the blockchain club here.

Speaker: I'm very passionate about studying abroad.

Speaker: Classes are going great.

Speaker: And then obviously very involved with my sorority.

Speaker: I'm thriving.

Meredith Aliff 

Hi, I'm Meredith Aliff. And this is major insight. This is the podcast where we talk college life with amazing students about how to find your place and purpose on campus.

The deep connections between the brain and behavior are something scientists still don't fully understand. And it's a mystery that's always fascinated Cambria bein as a psychology and neuroscience major, Cambria is interested in studying therapeutic interventions for those struggling with trauma and substance use disorders. On campus. She is involved in the reward and addictive disorders lab, and has already presented research at the annual meeting of the Society for Neuroscience in Washington, DC. We'll also talk about how to find great research opportunities as an undergraduate about how rewarding it can be to mentor other students, and about how to overcome the fear of fitting in and the intimidation that so many students feel by simply saying yes to as much as possible. And by immersing yourself in absolutely everything.

Meredith Aliff 

And my first question that I'm going to ask you is who are you?

Cambria Beane 

I am Cambria Beane, I am absolutely obsessed with psychology and neuroscience. Those are my majors. And I'm really excited about how these fields can provide research and knowledge and ideas that really provide a lifeline to people and can improve quality of life.

Meredith Aliff 

I love that. I love that. So you introduced your majors. But before we dive into those, let's go back to before college. Talk to me about what brought you to Miami. And then maybe a little bit about ... because I believe you said you kind of had an idea of your majors before you got here. So maybe talking a little bit about that as well.

Cambria Beane 

I toured Miami, actually, when I was a sophomore in high school, which was early. My mom went here. And so she never pressured me to come. But she knew she wanted it to be my first college visit. And I stepped on campus and I loved it, it felt immediately like home. I think the biggest thing -- and this is what I tell prospective college students -- is that the objective pieces of finding a college are really important. It was important that I learned about the psychology and neuroscience programs here, that I knew what the curriculum was, and the professor's philosophy on teaching the subjects. But it was equally important, if not more important, the subjective feeling that I got when I stepped on campus, that I could picture myself in the student center getting something to eat, studying, I could picture myself walking around campus and hanging out with friends. And that it really felt like a place that I could call home for the greater part of four years of my life.

Meredith Aliff 

I love that. Okay, great. So then talk to me a little bit about your major choice and and why you decided to come in with that.

Cambria Beane 

Yeah, so this is also a shout out to my mom, she'll be very happy about this. But my mom is an occupational therapist, and she works on an acute psychiatric unit. And so I had sort of been exposed to the themes of psychology and therapy my whole life. But when I was in high school, my mom did this continuing ed, and the topic was broadly the impact of trauma physiologically on the brain, and how it can actually change certain structures in your brain. And she was just telling me about it as we were talking, I think in the car one day, and I was like, "Wait, this is fascinating. I want you to tell me everything about it. I want to read all of your packets that you got today." And I think that was the moment when I realized that there's this really cool biological basis of behavior and that the experiences that we have and the behaviors that we observe in people can really be modeled in neural correlates. We can see these changes physiologically in our body. So that was how I became interested in neuroscience specifically. And then psychology came pretty much because it goes with neuroscience. And I wanted to have the molecular chemical side of it. And then I also really wanted the holistic view that psychology gives of looking at observable behavior. And so I took an AP Psychology class in high school, and even though it's just that really an intro baseline level material, which isn't always interesting, I thought, "I really want to dig deeper into this and see if I could make this my area of study and my future career." And so I came in with those majors and I was fortunate to really love them. I took my intro level neuro and psych classes and just fell in love with the content. Not that it was easy. It was definitely difficult. But that's part of what makes these areas of study really fun and challenging.

Meredith Aliff 

100%. And I, you know, it's so nice when you come in and find what you love immediately. And you don't have to, you know, do all the searching or trial and error, and like, do all the Miami Plan classes and just scramble? And I've had my fair share of changing majors and things like that. But I've always stuck with psychology, it is fascinating. And you just... there's no job that won't benefit from a psychology major. And like just having that, like you said, observable behavior. Figuring out why people do what they do, and it can help you be a better boss, a better ... you know, literally anything super cool, super cool. So give me a rundown of maybe like, a day in the life of Cambria, by the way, I love your name. It is like truly one of my favorite names ever. Give me a rundown of like a day in the life, what you do, and potentially some of the extracurriculars that you dip into during your day?

Cambria Beane 

So a day in my life now towards the end of my senior year is a little bit different than the past few years. So I'll just mix and match to give you an idea of that. But normally, you know, STEM majors, so I have morning classes,

Meredith Aliff 

Which is 830s. They get ya.

Cambria Beane 

They do! They really do. But it gets me up and moving. So normally, I have some sort of morning class and I like to schedule that way. So I have my afternoons free. And then I work in the front office of the Psychology Department. And so I'm getting hours in there. I'm an undergraduate research assistant in a behavioral neuroscience lab. And so I spent many hours in the basement of the psychology building, doing research or data analysis or mentoring other students. I'm also president of Miami's chapter of Psy Chi, it's the international Honors Society in psychology. And so I spend a lot of time planning for that, exc meetings, planning events. Right now I'm getting ready to plan our spring induction. And so that's kind of an overview. A lot of different things. I've been a lot better about also resting this year, which is important.

Meredith Aliff 

100% 100%. And then I could be completely wrong about this. But were you on the dance team?

Cambria Beane 

Yes. So the past three years, I was on the Miami Shakerettes dance team here. So yeah, not this year. But the past three years most evenings would be filled with practice or some sort of game or performance appearance. And that took up a lot of time. It was fun. Did not have time for it my senior year. And that was, I think, good practice for me in figuring out what are my priorities? My priority was getting into graduate school. And so, a few things had to go, but it was worth it. And I absolutely loved the experiences that I had.

Meredith Aliff 

Yeah, that's so cool. And what a fun, like, outlet for you in college that's kind of far removed from what you're studying and the other things that you're involved in.

Cambria Beane 

Exactly, it definitely was good. I think I have a tendency to study until I can't possibly study anymore. And I'm a chronic over preparer. And sometimes that's helpful, but a lot of times it's just more stressful than it needs to be. And so having dance -- and this applies to any hobby or sports interest. When I was at dance practice, I couldn't be doing homework and I wasn't thinking about school or my other responsibilities. And so it ended up being a really positive outlet for me to just take a step away from everything else that I probably wouldn't have otherwise done. And just do something that really made me happy.

Meredith Aliff 

Are there any teachers or classes that you would like to shout out today?

Cambria Beane 

Wow, I've had an incredible college experience. I feel very grateful that I could shout out so many professors and classes, but I think the most important one would be Dr. Anna Radke. She's an associate professor in the Department of Psychology and she's the director of the Center for neuroscience and behavior here at Miami. And she's also my lab mentor, so I'm in her lab. She is the kindest person and she has pushed me to do things I never would have thought possible as an undergrad. And she's pushed me to present at really big conferences. And then we just wrote my first first author paper together, which is a lot of times unheard of for undergrads. So I think her motivation and really believing in me and supporting me the past three years that I've known her were one of the primary reasons that I've had such a successful undergraduate career, and that I was able to get into a graduate program right out of undergrad. So, she's wonderful. I just couldn't say enough about her.

Meredith Aliff 

That's amazing. I've heard of her a couple times on this podcast, she seems wonderful. I've never met her myself. But she's, I think, a star in the psych department.

Cambria Beane 

She is. She's brilliant. And just a wonderful educator, and scientist, but most importantly, just a really good person and really cares about people.

Meredith Aliff 

I love that. I love that, well, it's really important to have, I feel like, people that kind of helped mold your experience like that, especially within the field that you're trying to pursue. I think it's really encouraging and helpful to see somebody that's made it out the other end, like, it's gonna be good, you're fine and kind of have that motivation, for sure. Okay, so we talked about the dance team a little bit, because I forced you to. Tell me about other things that you're involved with. And we can dive into some of the other things that you do outside of class.

Cambria Beane 

Yes, so I think ... I'm glad you brought up the Shakerettes, because it was a huge part of my college experience. It's easy to forget some time since I didn't do it this year. But I'm glad you brought it up. But I think most important would probably be the undergraduate research that I'm involved in. I always tell people that if they're interested, or they think they might be interested in research, or going to med school, in most types of grad school research is essential. And having a breadth of research experiences, even if it's just in one lab, having multiple years is really important. And this is universal. And so I got involved my sophomore year. So I applied spring of my freshman year, and started fall of my sophomore year. So I've gotten three years in, which has allowed me to have so many experiences and be able to publish and present research at conferences. And so I would say, wherever you are thinking about going to college, look at what research opportunities they have. Miami's really good about this, one of their big things is undergraduate research involvement. And so I was able to get multiple research awards and grants through Miami, was able to fund my independent projects. But if you can go someplace that really values undergraduates in the lab space and lab environment, and they encourage you to not only work under graduate students or your professor, but they also encourage independent projects -- that's a place where you want to be. Because in all my grad school interviews, they wanted to hear my research story, what parts of the research process had I been involved in. And I could say, with my honors thesis here, that I was there from start to finish -- from coming up with the idea, to writing it up in a paper and submitting it to be published. And all of the good and bad things in between that inevitably happen with research. But I think that that's a really great opportunity to also just see if it's even something might like. A lot of people get involved in research, and they don't like it. And they realize they want to do a different career or a different major. And so getting involved as early as possible will let you know: This is what I want to do, and now I'll get the research experience to be able to do it. Or, I don't really like this, it's not my thing. And so now I have the time and the space to sort of see what my other interests might be.

Meredith Aliff 

100% And I really like what you said about: it could also kind of help you decide that you don't like that. And I think that's one thing that's really great about college is that you kind of have these helping hands and these people that are there to kind of walk you through the process. And now you have the experience of like literally start to finish, like you said, but you know, worst case scenario, you have that experience, and it's a great experience. And then you're like, I don't think I really liked that. But I think college is a really great time to decide what you DON'T want to do just as much as it helps you decide what you do want to do.

Cambria Beane 

Yes, I couldn't agree more. I think it's all about finding who you are, especially in undergrad, what are your interests? You, in theory, don't have parents or other people around to sort of tell you what they think you should be doing. And so it's really a time of discovery of yourself and what you enjoy and then also different things that you might be interested in, different career opportunities. So yeah, it's just as important to know what you don't want to do as it is what you are interested in.

Meredith Aliff 

What are some of the biggest challenges that you've had to overcome as a college student?

Cambria Beane 

This is a really good question. I think as a senior where I've had these great experiences, it can be easy to forget what it felt like first coming in to college and how absolutely terrified I was. I come from small town in rural Southeast Ohio. And so most people don't go to college. Or if they do, they'll go to a local university or community college. And so coming to someplace like Miami was very intimidating. And I think that this can be said for if you're from any small town, if you're going to a big university. And so when I first came, I certainly had those feelings of, "Wow, I don't have these experiences that other people have who came from cities or really nice suburbs, and they had too many AP classes to count and college credit."

Meredith Aliff 

Came in with like half of their college finished already.

Cambria Beane 

Exactly. And that was totally not my experience. I think we had maybe five AP classes. And so I think I took all but one of them. And that's what was offered to me. And so that's what I did. So there were certainly those feelings of "Do I belong here?" Will I be able to have a role in this academic space? And with these people who just come with, with so many more diverse experiences than I did? So I would say that was probably the biggest challenge that I had to overcome.

Meredith Aliff 

Yeah. And it's hard, it's hard to get out of your head, I think it's it's very mental to think like that. And it's obviously so easy to be in your head, especially, you know, coming from a small place. I came from a very small high school, and didn't know a single soul coming here. And that is so intimidating to, like you said, figure out your role here. Like, what am I going to do with my time here? And who am I going to meet and you kind of just have to go with the flow and and take every day as it comes, especially that first year. And I know we had a very unconventional first year. But, that first year is just a time that I like to tell people do not ever get embarrassed about anything. Go talk to somebody and don't care if they give you a weird look. Or go and find this organization. And if you hate it, you can leave it later. But join all the things, do all the things, try all the places to eat on campus, like, literally just do it all. Immerse yourself in classes, like, it will benefit you to just dive in wholeheartedly, and not worry about the consequences or like being embarrassed or anything like that.

Cambria Beane 

Yeah, the most important thing I did my first year was to say "yes" as many times as I could, which was scary for me. But nobody else was telling me you're from a small town, so you don't belong here, right? Like, that was my conception of myself. Right? And so I think that was really important -- was that my friends that I made, it didn't matter where I was from, or how many AP classes I had taken. Right? And I think that when you're in high school, you just kind of feel like you're in a vacuum. And it's like, what's your ACT score? And what colleges did you get into? And so, you get so used to that mindset that when I came to college, I realized, "Oh, these people haven't known me my whole life," like everybody that went to high school with me did, because it was such a small town. And so, they really just liked me for me and enjoyed spending time with me and made the active decision to be my friend. And once I realized that, it just made me a lot more comfortable to continue to meet other people to say "yes" to different clubs and organizations, to join a research lab. To apply my freshman year, I was so intimidated. But it was my same philosophy with grad school of like, it feels like a really big step. I'm really intimidated by this, but I never want to regret not doing it. And sometimes it's like fake it till you make it. Put yourself out there. And you'll be surprised at the different opportunities that present themselves.

Meredith Aliff 

100% You've given so many good pieces of advice throughout this entire episode. But if you could talk to yourself before you came to college, what would you say to little baby Cambria?

Cambria Beane 

First of all, I would tell her to take a big deep breath, because I know she's freaking out. So that would be the first thing. But then I would say... I would say this to little Cambrian, and I would say this to anybody that's considering coming to college, is that there is a space specifically for you in college, in the academic world. I think we just get tied up with being nervous and wondering if we're enough. And impostor syndrome is a big conversation we're having right now. And so I would say, your individual experiences are so important, you bring this perspective to the table that's totally unique. And that will bring this perspective that changes how you think about research, how you conceptualize courses and the content that you're learning, you'll bring something really unique and special to the relationships you have with other people. And so I think that's what I would say, is that your experiences are so interesting, the diverse perspective that you bring to the table is 100% valuable. And so just be as authentic ... authentically yourself as possible. Yeah, that would be my advice.

Meredith Aliff 

That is fantastic advice. Fantastic advice. And obviously, we're in a position where we can look back and say that and I'm ... it's obviously much easier said than done. But I think that you can sprout and grow wherever you're planted. And I think that no matter where you are, you just have to find your people. And you're orgs and your major, and it'll all work out. It just will. It will all be okay.

Cambria Beane 

I always say do what you're passionate about. I didn't come in to college, knowing I wanted to be clinical psychologist, or what type of grad school or research I wanted to do. And I think high schoolers put a lot of pressure on themselves these days to have it all exactly figured out, their four year plan before they even step foot on campus. And that's terrifying. You know, it's like, no wonder people are so nervous and anxious about the whole situation. I think you'll end up where you're supposed to be. I would just say if you're nervous about it, that's totally okay. But let yourself get a little excited also, right? And there are going to be challenges, but you'll learn so much from them. And as a senior sitting here, there's not one challenge that I'm not immensely grateful for. And it led to so many incredible opportunities.

Meredith Aliff 

Yep. Wonderful. Well, thank you so, so much for coming. And it has just been absolutely wonderful meeting you and talking with you. And I'm so excited for your graduate journey. Postgrad. And I can't wait to hear about all the amazing things that you do.

Cambria Beane 

Thank you so much. This has been great.

Meredith Aliff 

And done.

Cambria Beane 

That was so fun.

Meredith Aliff 

Yeah, it's a good time.

Cambria Beane 

I loved it!

Meredith Aliff 

We have a good time on this podcast.

Meredith Aliff 

Cambria Beane is a psychology and neuroscience double major at Miami University. After graduation she will begin working on her doctorate with the goal of one day working as a clinical psychologist. And thank you for listening to major insight. If you enjoyed this podcast, share it with your friends or anyone interested in navigating college life. Many more episodes are now available wherever podcasts are found.