Reddit reviews The Human Evolution Coloring Book

This is a little different, but I think it really give much more than simply reading. It looks odd sitting on the shelf in college bookstores next to the other text books, but it really is recommended in many university programs.

Okay this is going to sound lame, but its the greatest thing ever. [Coloring books](http://www.amazon.com/Human-Evolution-Coloring-HarperCollins-Childrens/dp/0062737171 "woohoooo!").

The human evolution coloring book has a whole section on genetics. It's college level overview. And it' super fun. My 2nd level professor made us all get this book as a supplement to our other texts.

YES. Omg I thought I was the only one.

I grew up LOVING science, but my main talent, from as soon as I could hold a crayon, was art. I loved science, read Carl Sagan in high school, and wanted to learn more, but I couldn't get into the science classes I wanted because I didn't have the math. I figured I couldn't do math and science, that I was "right-brained," so I went into art. I got a huge scholarship to one of the top illustration schools in the country, but I soon dropped out because I knew what it wasn't what I wanted. Once art became work, it wasn't fun anymore. It's been 11 years and I still haven't done art since.

I spent a lot of my 20's trying to figure out who I was and what I wanted, and I stumbled upon anthropology while working at Babies R Us. I had a strong maternal instinct, and a lot of my friends were having kids, and I spent a lot of time observing people's parenting practices and the consumerist culture that surrounds parenthood and infancy. One day I was reading one of the books behind the registry counter, and I saw that an anthropologist was referenced when discussing the controversial issue of cosleeping. I was like wow! I didn't realize you could use anthropology to approach these problems! Before long, I knew that I wanted to be an anthropologist, and that this goal would require that I go back to school.

I've had to learn a lot more science, but since my minor was psych I actually wasn't required to take that much biology, so now that I'm done, I still have a lot of catching up to do before grad school. I did not do that well in chemistry in high school, and IMO my biology class wasn't that great. Plus it was 11 years ago so I don't remember much. So I've been playing a lot of catch-up and will have to continue to do that before I head off to grad school. (Taking a year off.)

I also realize now that I was a victim of societal sexism that holds girls back in the sciences. Now that I have taken anatomy and neuroscience, I understand that there's no such thing as "right brain/left brain," and that I can learn math -- I just have to start at the beginning and be patient with myself, because I've got an entire academic career full of shitty teaching to make up for. I gained a lot of confidence when I took a medical statistics course to fulfill my quantitative reasoning requirement. (By doing this, I actually didn't have to take any algebra for undergrad...one reason I am taking a year off before grad school, because I really should know Algebra.)

One of the greatest things ever, and what helps me not feel regretful that I didn't "try harder" to learn math in my youth, is because now we have Khan Academy, which I cannot recommend enough. The reason it is awesome is because, if you don't get something, you can stop the video and watch that part over and over again until you get it, before you move on to the next part. This is important because math is structural -- it builds on itself. This explains why kids fall behind in math in school. All you have to do to move on to the next level is get a 60% -- A D- right? That leaves 40% of the information from the previous year that you are going into the next class not knowing. Eventually, those holes add up to the point where you have no idea what is going on at all, which is what happened to me.

So I don't know how you get into an anthro grad program with an undergrad degree in the arts, but I am sure it is possible because anything is. I imagine you'll want to start by learning some stuff that you would have learned as an anthro major in undergrad. It sounds like you are interested in bioanth -- right? Luckily, even if you are more of a "hard science" anthropologist (as opposed to a cultural anthropologist), you usually don't have to know a ton of math and science. Not at the undergrad level, anyway. It helps, and there are areas of biological anthropology -- such as epigenetics, endocrinology, nutrition, and taphonomy (how stuff decays) -- that are more technical, and will involve some biochem. My program did require me to take a 5-credit science seminar with a lab component, which most students fulfilled with a field school. But honestly, most of what you're going to be doing is reading journal articles. Once you get used to reading those, you'll just start absorbing stuff that way. They will teach you the more technical science stuff that you need to know for your field in grad school, and most of that is taught by doing readings and discussion. It's not at all like how they teach in biology or medical school.

I also want to tell you that your art background will be more valuable to you in science than you probably realize right now. The BEST scientists are the ones who can think creatively, are curious, and know how to follow a hunch or an idea through to the truth. There is something that artists and scientists very much in common about the way they think about the world, and that is that they are very, very observant. They (or I should say "we") notice things that other people don't. This is INVALUABLE. The next step is to harness that noticing and curiosity and organize it into a methodology that tests hypotheses and solves problems, and to learn a bit of critical thinking skills.

Also, something that I know that many people don't realize about artists, is that they know how to do big projects, and that is a huge part of doing science. One of the things that graduate schools want to see in a potential student is that they can form a testable hypothesis, design a good study, and follow through with the entire project. This was one of the other reasons I didn't succeed in art school. I didn't know how to start a project, break it down into manageable pieces, and persevere at it until it was finished. In art or in science, this part is honestly not about intelligence or talent, but about perseverance. Especially when you hit inevitable roadblocks. (Funding rejections, lost data, field site access problems, etc.)

And of course, your writing skills will help you a lot. So many students in the sciences never really learn how to communicate. Writing for science is definitely different than what you're probably used to, but personally I love it because it is very precise. And frankly I think it is a lot easier to go from creative writing to technical rather than the other way around. But then again, I'm a water color artist who has a hard time with oils, and everyone tells me that water colors are harder for most people lol.

Now, as far as integrating art and anthropology, this is something I've thought about but never done because it doesn't really appeal to me. I honestly just want to do research. However, I do think about ways in which I would incorporate art into my learning if I had the time. I have thought about asking my professors if I could come into the lab during my time off to just sketch the different skulls and skeletons in our collection. Doing this would really help imprint on your memory the differences in morphology that separate the gracile australopithecines from the robust ones, etc. I saw a series of sketchbook entries on tumblr a few months ago that were amazing and made me want to do the same.

You might also consider going into making recreations of the different hominids for museums. My background is in painting/drawing -- I've done pretty much NO 3-D art. But if this is attractive to you, and you get good at it, it could be really fulfilling!

http://scienceyfeels.tumblr.com/post/83483113653/theolduvaigorge-sculpting-science-by-alexa

Also, a great way for you to start learning, since you are a visual person, is to go pick up the Human Evolution Coloring Book and, if you are so inclined, the Anatomy Coloring Book. (There's a physiology one too, if you think you might go into one of the more cellular/chem-oriented subfields.) I know it sounds like a kid thing, but these books are college-level in terms of technical content, and get this -- You know where I first heard about them? I was listening to a lecture from Berkeley. I shit you not! lol! Ivy league kids are sitting in their classrooms, coloring in coloring books. Personally, I make copies of each page so I can do the same page as many times as I like.

Also, if you do the more hardcore bio route, I highly recommend Crash Course Biology and Crash Course Chemistry.

Good luck! I think this is awesome and definitely keep us updated on your journey!