Health Science Reviews

By Aluwani Nemutavhani 

It was my first time at UCT, and everything felt new. I was unfamiliar with the environment and the people around me. Stepping into these premises, initially, I had a fear of not belonging, questioning myself if I was smart enough or whether I’d be able to cope. At our first meeting, I felt reassured, everyone was so welcoming, and connecting with my fellow classmates felt easier than I expected.

 Our first lectures were on general techniques. Even though some material was new to me, I was still familiar with some content, so it wasn’t that terrifying. The first test we wrote was on calculations, it gave me a confident boost because the last time I did similar work was in first-year Chemistry, and I still managed. Also end of March, we wrote the general techniques exam, which was fair, and I really did try to give it my all.

When we split into our mainstream, things started feeling exciting and scary at the same time. I felt like I didn’t know what I was doing every day, but I was wrong. Looking back at everything now, I was really learning new things every day, my fear was just distracting me. My course is so amazing, we do cool stuff, and I’ve found joy in what I do. I am so happy I chose this program because every day of this course, something clicks in me, or I can feel myself growing.

Also, one thing I like about doing honours is the connection you build, it can either be your supervisor, co-supervisor or anyone in your field or department. It’s so amazing how you are just surrounded by intelligent people, and you get to learn a lot from them. I’ve learned that I don’t need to figure it all out to be here, you learn as you go. Yes, it does get challenging, but it does get better with effort and hard work. Now heading to the last semester of this program, I am just proud of myself for pushing through. Lastly, to anyone thinking about doing bioinformatics, come, you will thrive :).