Our first week at the SDG Lab has flown by. Working in a team of enthusiastic students from such diverse academic backgrounds (spanning STEM to humanities) has made the research process both efficient and inspiring. We’ve divided up readings to tackle more together, and despite having broad group roles, everyone contributes across all areas. There’s a real sense of shared purpose as we all want this project to matter.

Some of the best moments have been outside the formal workspace, including sitting in Christ Church Meadow to discuss our brief, sharing pasta at our first team dinner, and learning from each other’s experiences. It already feels like a supportive and dynamic group, and I feel incredibly fortunate to be sharing this experience with my peers. 

I’ve picked up practical skills too. A critical thinking workshop introduced us to the CRAAP framework, which we’re now using to evaluate sources. An Excel session gave us tools for structuring and analysing data. Navigating team decisions has also been a learning curve—especially around defining “educational outcomes” and grouping co-curricular activities. After some debate, we agreed on three core categories: sports, arts, and educational activities, which we can analyse in more detail later.

One challenge has been narrowing our focus. It’s tempting to be overly ambitious, but we’ve reminded ourselves that meaningful change comes gradually, and our work builds on a larger research chain. We’ve also had to adapt our timeline as schools close soon, so interviews have taken priority over background reading. Lastly, we’re learning not to overcomplicate things; sometimes the simplest insights are the most important.

Overall, it’s been an energising start. I’m grateful to be learning so much, both from the project and the people around me.