Health Science Reviews

by Kirsten van der Heyden

If my academic journey were to be described as a four course meal, my honours degree would be that cheeky extra slice of cake that I could have probably lived without. Yet, there I was, fork in hand ready to eat, because, well .. pride.

In my ever-hopeful imagination that started my year, I saw nothing but easy (yet well earned) A’s, a department that loved me and also occasionally rewarded us with ice- cream parties on Fridays. The bitter reality, however, is that exams will always humble you (because the house always wins), the only thing my department loves is calling meetings, and as fate would have it, I’m actually lactose intolerant.

But, it’s not all negative…

On this final stretch, I can’t help but look back and feel grateful for all the people that have been my lifeline this year.

Proudly, I am part of the only study group that has ever taken the word ‘study’ seriously, dedicating ourselves every night- no matter how hard I tried to steer it into a glorified gossip session. These are the people you are going to need when the photos you took of the slideshow the previous week stop making sense, and trust me, they will.

Then, my peers clocking in their 9-5 in our honour’s room. While your friends and family won’t understand or care what your degree is, within those four wall these are the handful of people that genuinely get it. And on especially tough days, I have found comfort to be surrounded by people who understand, because they have faced the same challenges themselves. There is nobody else I would choose to be stuck in a room for 8 hours with.

While at times I may have bitten off more than I could chew, you all have made my degree worthwhile- and that has made all the difference to me.

Thank you for being my secret ingredient.