By Josh Hendricks
My honours year so far has been a roller-coaster of emotions from balancing work, cramming for exams and endlessly staring at my screen waiting for the words to type themselves (kind of like right now). I should probably start at the beginning; I was originally wait-listed for this course (Biomed Forensic Science) which was then followed by a sad rejection. At the time I honestly didn’t mind as I already accepted my admission into the MCB honours course. However, in the same weekend I received my rejection letter I was later called by the Forensics Department asking if I was still interested in joining the course.
So, I was in a dilemma…. either continue with MCB or accept the admission for Forensics mind you this was all a week before classes were set to start. It took me less than a day to figure it out and my choice should be no surprise to you. In hindsight I probably should have put more thought into that decision but if someone were to ask me if I had any regrets, it would be a hard no. While it was shows like Dexter, Bones and CSI that initially sparked my interest in forensics, it was the practical and course work that solidified my love for this course.
One thing that has surprised me the most is how different my honours experience has been compared to my undergraduate years. During undergrad I was working while studying, so most of my university experience revolved around rushing between work and home, catching up on recorded lectures and trying to keep up with assignments. I rarely had the opportunity to spend time on campus or really get to know the people in my classes. Honours has been the complete opposite. Spending every day with the same group of people has meant that I have actually made friends within my course, and I honestly don’t think I would have survived this year without them.
There is something oddly comforting about looking around the room before a test or practical and realising that everyone else is just as stressed as you are. Honours has definitely reminded me that everyone struggles at some point, regardless of how confident they appear to be. One moment that really stands out was during our Techniques practicals. We performed a DNA extraction that was meant to produce a DNA profile, but after spending so much time away from the lab, it seemed like everyone was a little rusty. One lab mishap after another followed, and in the end none of us managed to obtain a DNA profile. Normally that would have felt like a complete failure, but strangely it didn’t. There was a shared sense of relief knowing that we had all struggled together. Instead of getting discouraged, we laughed about it, helped each other figure out what went wrong and came away with a reminder that mistakes are part of learning. Looking back, that practical probably brought the class closer together more than any successful experiment could have.
Another adjustment has been moving from Upper Campus to the Medical Campus. The two campuses have completely different personalities. Upper Campus always felt alive, whether it was students relaxing on the Jammie Plaza steps, societies hosting events or the Thursday activities that somehow managed to distract everyone from their work for a little while. I definitely miss that atmosphere. Medical Campus, on the other hand, is much quieter. At first it felt strange, but I have grown to appreciate it. The quieter environment reflects the seriousness of the work being done there and, in many ways, makes it easier to focus. While I still miss the energy of Upper Campus, Medical Campus has its own unique character that suits honours surprisingly well.
Of course, honours would not be honours without a research project. Walking into the laboratory for the first few weeks was intimidating. There were unfamiliar techniques to learn, equipment I had never used before and the constant worry that I was about to make an expensive mistake. Like most things this year, though, it became easier with practice. As my confidence grew, so did my enjoyment of the laboratory work. There is something satisfying about seeing an experiment come together after carefully following each step, even when the results are not exactly what you hoped for.
Looking back over the first half of the year, honours has challenged me far more than I expected, but it has also been one of the most rewarding experiences of my university journey. It has pushed me academically, helped me grow in confidence and introduced me to people who have made even the most stressful weeks enjoyable. There is still a long way to go before the year is over, but if the first half has taught me anything, it is that the best way to get through honours is one cup of coffee, one assignment and one day at a time.
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