Finalist: Matric Fever All Over Again!

My UCT academic journey so far has been almost perfect: passing all my courses at first sitting and enough to qualify for subsequent ones, failing only a few tests in-between. This means that I was able to get to 3rd academic year of study in my 3rd year in UCT. I can safely say I've survived. My scholarship guys are very impressed with my performance and I too have become more realistic, I celebrate every victory, no matter how close it was to a loss. Thou shalt not be deceived, you must claim even easy victories in UCT, 'cause they can be very few.

Mine is a very good start for someone from a school/background like mine, who was never part of the Academic Development programme. But I'm not so much interested in how much/little I have accomplished, I'm more interested in the road ahead. It's good to reflect on all the good things I have achieved but it becomes of no use it that which I achieved is not going help me in the road ahead. The journey continues and I hope I have built the foundation I laid in the last two years will be strong enough to sustain me as I continue the building. So many lessons learnt, which I hope are relevant for the future.

I have never been this fearful going into an academic year, I have never doubted myself this much. 'Do I have what it takes to be a UCT Bcom graduate in normal time?' is the question that has been bothering since attending the introductory lectures this week. I have just moved into a self-catering residence, I have the highest number of courses in a semester ever in my UCT career, I have to look for a sponsor for postgraduate funding etc. I am really being tested and my survival in this will say a lot about my character. I am teaching myself how to keep my cool even in the middle of a storm, hoping to have learnt that by year end. With all these, it's so easy to get overwhelmed.

I live by faith, and because of that, I don't look at the strength/magnitude of what I have to come across, I look at the power of God who has my back. I strongly believe that God will finish what He has started in me. There's so much to learn and many more to unlearn. Graduation in December is the main goal, if that doesn't motivate me to 'survive' this year, I don't know anything else that can. Graduation, just like appearing in a newspaper with some brackets, will hopefully motivate me to bring out the best in myself. If not me, then who?