The first thing worth saying is about my group — I am very grateful for the dynamic that we’ve found – everyone is very caring and hardworking, and I’m looking forward to both our collaboration on the project and just getting to know everyone better. The research topic we’ve been assigned is to investigate the impacts of co-curricular activities on students. Already we’ve encountered some challenges, particularly in the area of data collection, but I reckon that these constraints will bring the best out of us as researchers (and are honestly quite helpful in dealing with the sheer breadth of the topic!). I’m especially looking forward to conducting interviews – it’s something I’ve wanted to do for a while, and hopefully they will provide the insights we need to turn the project into what it can be.

Despite some initial ambiguity in direction, after our meeting with our supervisor (Ben, who seems to have had a very cool career), I think we all have a better understanding of what’s expected of us and what is achievable. The timeline is certainly tight, which may present its own pressures, but that just means we will have to work efficiently - which is something I was planning to get better at anyway.

Outside of the project itself, the most rewarding parts of this experience so far has been the people. Everyone brings something different to the table, and it’s been great to see how much people care about the work we’re doing. I’m genuinely excited to spend more time with the group, both in and outside of the project.

In writing this, I seem to be thinking more about what this scholarship might lead to. It’s given me a glimpse of what a future career could look like — working on interesting problems with bright, engaged people, while also building the kind of community where you can cook and drink together at the end of the day. That balance of meaningful work and a good social life is something I hadn’t really thought about as a genuine possibility in my later life - so that is nice.