By Arantxa Blecher (@arantxa.04) You’ve probably heard this before: having a hobby while pursuing a postgrad degree is good for your mental health, it looks good on your CV and it gets you active, but all you’re thinking is: “ I don’t have time for this, I need to finish…

By Bianca Coulson As we approach the fifth month of the lockdown — awaiting the news of a Covid-19 vaccine — we sit contemplating what the future holds. Starring in our very own apocalypse movie! I don’t know about you, but when I imagined myself surviving an apocalypse, I pictured…

By Eloise Sarah Butcher (@eloisesarahbutcher) Ouch. That is one word to sum up the first time I went beekeeping. It was the first year of my MSc in Entomology and I needed to catch a few drones -the male honeybee - before I could start my project. Cut to a…

By Jacques de Satge (jdesatge.wordpress.com) Society has gone into underdrive, universities have become glorified call centres, and your colleagues are confined to Zoom’s prison blocks. In this dystopia, how on earth do you work on a PhD? From one postgrad to another, a PhD regularly feels dystopian. We are often…

By Tasha Oosthuizen (@tasha.oosthuizen.5) The small and curious, the cute and cuddly, the fluffy and sometimes ferocious small mammals of southern Africa have a way of plucking at your heartstrings even when you least expect it. Starting my degree in Zoology in a naturally diverse country like South Africa I…

By Maria Belotti As of January 2020, I’m in full “dissertation-writing” mode, which is like a roller coaster ride through our worst internal voices. Join me. “Why can’t I start writing the first draft? Does this mean I’m a complete failure? Have I been fooling everyone up until now? …

By Bruce Crossey @wildlifebruce_crossey In 2001 there were approximately 150 African wild dogs roaming what is now known as the Waterberg Biosphere Reserve in South Africa. Fast forward 17 years and only one pack remains. At the same time, I was at the start of my Masters Degree, researching factors…

By Onkgopotse Seabi As day one of postgraduate laboratory orientation/ training starts, you walk in bright-eyed and bushy-tailed. This should be a breeze right? You have aced so many experiments and the laboratory feels like home. You step into the laboratory and it looks like no other you have been…

By Alexandra Howard Conference and Workshop Experiences Be confident, smile and don’t be afraid to introduce yourself — this is much better than my habit of just talking to people and not knowing anyone’s names! Don’t be afraid to skip a talk/session that’s not relevant to you if it means…