Health Science Reviews

by Megan Chimi

When I first received the admission letter from UCT to study Bioinformatics, I couldn’t believe my eyes. Firstly, I was applying just for the sake of applying (Yes, UCT, you were neither my first choice nor my second). And Bioinformatics? I was finally going to learn more about this mysterious course that had given PTSD to three-quarters of my former undergraduate classmates.

Since then, it has been a rollercoaster of emotions. I have been doing and learning things I never thought I wanted to do, like playing a strategy game as part of an assignment or modifying the code of an asteroid game without any previous coding experience. Other honours students have been saying that we have it easy in the Bioinformatics department with all our “free time.” But do we really? I know for a fact that I make it look easy, but deep down, I have no idea what I am doing. I am just here for the vibe, and it has been working. Probably because I always say that you do not choose bioinformatics; it chooses you. And when it does, no matter how bad you think you are doing, just keep going, and you will see amazing results in the end.

As this first semester comes to an end, I am going to keep the same spirit and keep doing everything to make it look easy because bioinformatics chose me, and we are going to be the best friends this world has ever seen. Good luck to all my honours
colleagues 🙂