Reading science literature to shape PhD program choice

[JJ96]

Hello, I'm currently in 2nd year undergrad biomedical sciences in the UK. I have an interest in exercise physiology, nutrition and metabolism but they are not taught directly in my course. Is it a good idea to read science journals to get an overview of what the contemporary scene looks like? It just seems like there is so much info out there, where does one begin so that they can narrow down for when applying to a masters/PhD? I would only do the PhD so that I can work in academia, but it seems like I'm not in a good position to make that choice right now (I will be applying for an undergrad research position for the summer and that's all). Any advice about helping to inform this decision would be great too thanks.

[CoffeeFueledAnxiety]

I'm an international student and like you, I could not find specific classes of interest in my department. In my university I can not even take classes offered by another department. What I did was enrolling myself to online courses in places like Coursera or EdX. They have vast numbers of courses ranging through many different fields. Some of the courses that I found was even taught by very well known researcher and professors from very prestigious schools. They usually also let you know the journal articles or references that everyone with interest should read. Since money is an issue I mostly enrolled without earning certificate, but since the purpose was to know more about the subject, they are pretty much worth it. I don't know if there are any courses in your area of interest but you could try looking at them.