Health Science Reviews

by Nathalie Andersen

This year has been a pleasant and unexpected surprise. After last year – which was one of the toughest years of my life – I feel as though this year has been exactly what I needed.

I have always been fueled with a desire to excel in everything that I do. In my undergraduate degree, I drove myself too hard and ended up feeling burnt-out. Going into 2023 – into my Honour’s year – I was apprehensive about returning to academics. I had no idea what to expect and I feared that this year would leave me in a similar state as last year. To my pleasant surprise, it has in fact been the complete opposite. This year has left me feeling rejuvenated and it has reinstated my passion for learning. It has reminded me why I chose the route of academia in the first place.

As a keen student who loves to engage with lecturers, being in a smaller class has helped me work closer with my educational superiors and mentors which has been a wonderful experience. My Honour’s year has steered me towards finding the field I see myself working and growing in. After having felt uncertain about this, it is a huge relief as my path to the future is not so blurry anymore.

Some of the big lessons I have taken from my educational journey thus far, is that I have to trust the process, for everything will work out in the end, and that I am capable of more than I think I am.