Health Science Reviews

By Kestrel Williamson

Looking back on my first semester in Honours, a few things stand out. My course convenor’s assertion that it was actually really great to work in the anatomy building because “at least if you’re inside the building, you don’t have to look at it”. Hiking up to the neuroscience institute from campus for lectures every day. Leaving far too many assignments to the last minute. My absolutely ridiculous decision to apply for a project involving a significant portion of bioinformatics despite the fact that I have not done any coding in 6 years.

In spite of some of my more questionable decisions, the first semester was incredibly enjoyable, and I felt myself learning more deeply and with more interest than I had previously. I also found myself enjoying assessments for the first time in a very long time – I hadn’t written an essay in an exam since high school, and I’ve realised that this is a skill which I had missed using, but which, once exercised, returned in full force.

My honours journey so far has been a study in relearning – essay writing, presentation skills, coding – but also in re-finding myself. I’ve found that the more relaxed schedule allowed me to slow down enough to relearn my own interests and hobbies, which I have neglected in the past 3 years because there just wasn’t time. I’m incredibly grateful for the opportunity the past 6 months have afforded me, both in developing my skills and broadening my education, and in slowing down and recentring to rediscover the aspects of myself which I had forgotten.

However, the work is only just beginning, and I look forward to the challenges which will likely arise in the next couple of months as I work on my research project and write-up my thesis.