Health Science Reviews

by Sharyn Van Der Walt

I came into this year with so much excitement, hope and motivation. I thought that this was going to be the year that I finally found the right career path for me – I was going to learn such cool new things and be exposed to some of the most interesting topics, surrounded by likeminded people. How naïve I was.

This is going to be a very honest reflective piece. It might not be what you want to hear, but it’s what you need to hear. Looking back on the year, I can see how my motivation and positivity was slowly sucked out of me, until all that was left was a longing to just get this degree behind me so that I can move on with my life.

Starting the year, I thought in our General Techniques module we would get hands-on, practical experience in the lab, which is really useful and necessary. Instead, we only got taught theory. How are we supposed to know what kind of project to choose if we don’t know what lab work we do and don’t like? Furthermore, how is that beneficial to our future careers? This was the first bump in the road, but I thought surely it would get better from here. Unfortunately, it didn’t.

From lecturers that have so little respect for their students that they give us an assignment 6 weeks after the module ended without an apology (which, by the way, we ended up having to do in our holiday), to lecturers so spiteful that they took time out of their day to remove slides with the work that we needed to know for the exams, and having to virtually get on our knees and beg for our marks (or, actually, any sort of communication) – this is not the kind of treatment I was expecting when the year started, I must say. I really thought that in postgrad, the staff members cared about their students – as they should, since we are supposed to be the next generation of scientists. But if we get treated with such lack of care and respect, how is our love and passion for science supposed to grow? The short answer is, it can’t – just like a plant can’t grow without water and sunlight. So, will I be staying in this field, in an environment so stifling that I feel like every day is an uphill battle? I don’t think so – and really, you can’t blame me (and I know I’m not the only one who feels this way). Also please just keep in mind – however unpleasant you are feeling while reading this, is exactly how I’ve felt the entire year.

Of course, there are staff members who care about their students (and they are much appreciated), but unfortunately these have been the exceptions in my experience. I truly hope that in the future, honours students are treated with more respect and given an encouraging environment where they can thrive and enjoy the work that they do. If they’re treated like this in future, UCT is going to have a serious shortage of Master’s students.

To end this rather negative reflective piece on a positive note, I thought I’d share some lessons I’ve learned this year that have made me a better, stronger person. Firstly, I have learned to accept that you can’t control your environment, but what you can control is your mindset – so I have learned to adapt and have a more positive attitude. Secondly, I have learned that having patience is very important, as I’ve had plenty of opportunities to exercise it. Lastly, I’ve realized that work isn’t everything – you need balance in your life, and I’ve succeeded in creating that for myself this year, which I’m really proud of. So, despite this mess of a year, I’m glad to have had all of these experiences, as they have helped my personal growth tremendously.