No Rest For The Wicked

 

MemStone, Upper Campus, The University Of Cape Town

I have been looking forward to this short holiday since the beginning of the semester. This wasn't because I wanted to rest, I knew there will never be time for that until I finish with my year-end exams, but because I know I would need this time to tie up my some loose ends academically before the exams. How I spend my time during this holiday will have a huge impact on how ready I will be for the last term of the year. I am hoping that as much as I will work had to catch up on my schoolwork, I will also get a chance to rest properly. The fourth term will surely require me to be on top form, there's so much at stake.

First week into the term, it's going to be a test week in which I'll be writing all my four Final Year Accounting courses. I will be fighting for survival in some of my courses. There's this one I have never passed since the beginning of the year, my performance has dropped in some of them so going into this test week, my back will literally be against the wall. I'm hoping to pass all of them, as that will help me gain some confidence going into the final examinations later in November. We'll see if I'll be able to turn things around, for the better.

There's a Mergers and Acquisition(M&A) project in one of my courses coming, which promises to be an interesting task. There will also be an Auditing project coming up. Both of these are group projects. I don't see myself as much of a team player(it explains why I love running) but I am looking forward to developing my interpersonal skills and learning from the diversity of both teams I am in. Of course I will be out of my comfort zones doing these tasks but I guess it's true what they, you haven't started living until you leave your comfort zone. I really think I have not gotten the most out of my UCT experience so far and I think this will be my chance to grow as a person. I am really hoping to be that team member who adds value to the team. I get along quite well with my mates from both teams, that's a good start.

My biggest problem this year is not that I'm not working hard, but it's that I don't seem to get anything right. It's one of those moments in which I wish I knew what they mean by 'working smart'. I know I'm doing my best but my best isn't good enough. Dealing with constant failure, especially academic, isn't something I'm used to, I've always thought of myself as that guy who knows his way around his books. This holiday presents a wonderful opportunity for me to pause and think about what I'm doing and how I can improve. There's always so much happening during the term, which makes it almost impossible for one to sit back and reflect on what they are doing and how best they can do it. There's always a tutorial to do, a lecture to attend/watch, a deliverable to submit, a workshop to attend. In such an environment, it's easy for one to lose perspective and just go with the flow. Right now I need time to remind myself of why I am doing this and what it will mean for me if I do it right.

Unlike other holidays, this is not the time to just chill and watch Youtube videos. This is time to once again fall in love with my books & with my dreams and get my academic life back on track. I really have to regain my passion for Accounting, I can't keep on doing work 'just to get it done with'. My conversations about schoolwork shouldn't be focused on the doom and gloom, where's the hope?. I will work on reviving that positive spirit in me before we re-open. I will have to be very self-critical, I can't be in denial, my grades are showing that there really are things that I am doing wrong. I don't know if I am deceiving myself but I think there's still enough time for me to still get it right. Like I said, I need to be on my top form for the fourth term. Until then, there will be no rest for the wicked!