If you’d rather listen to this newsletter, click here. Spring is upon us – in the north of the country it actually feels as if we’ve gone from winter to summer with no transition. That means that the final exams are around the corner. A friend who studied in Pretoria once said, “If you leave … 28 September 2026 – Into The Final Stretch

If you’d rather listen to this newsletter, click here. Have you ever watched a flock of geese flying across the open sky? They move in a huge V, each one in the slipstream (an area with lower pressure or less turbulence) of the one in front. Cyclists do it too, to make it easier and … 21 September 2026 – Find Your Flock

If you’d rather listen to this newsletter, click here. If you’ve been following the Thought for the Week for more than just this year, this heading will be familiar. I’m sure it is as relevant as it was the first time we talked about it.  Do you find yourself “just checking” social media … and … 14 September 2026 – The Temptation of Social Media

If you’d rather listen to this newsletter, click here. We’ve been talking about feedback from students, with the thread of anxiety and stress running through it. Here’s a quote from a first-year Engineering student at UKZN: “Everything was new to me and it was hard for me. I did not have any friends so I used to hide … 07 September 2026 – Tie a SCARF round your emotions

If you’d rather listen to this newsletter, click here. This is the second in our little series on keeping your body healthy so that your mind can relax and learn and even enjoy your time at university. Last week I gave you the reason for this focus. It came out of feedback from students in StudyTrust’s mentor conversations … 31 August 2026 – Staying Sane (and Healthy) 2

If you’d rather listen to this newsletter, click here. During the first semester, we at StudyTrust had a lot of conversations with students. One theme came through loud and clear: mental health is a huge issue. When we asked students to write about their experience, they referred to “mental breakdowns,” “panic attacks,” “imposter syndrome,” and feeling “numb”. One … 24 August 2026 – Staying Sane (and Healthy)

If you’d rather listen to this newsletter, click here. Have you ever sat in a lecture, looked around the room, and thought, “These people are all so smart and capable. I’m not. I don’t fit. I don’t belong here”? If you have, you’re not alone. That feeling even has a name: imposter syndrome. Imposter syndrome is that nagging belief … 17 August 2026 – Feeling like an Imposter

If you’d rather listen to this newsletter, click here. Here’s a rude wake-up call on a Monday morning: there are only three months left before the final exams. But … breathe out, relax, it is very doable. Your course was designed to fit into this window of time. All it takes is for you to do your part. Here’s what a … 10 August 2026 – The Boring Essentials: Structure and Discipline

If you’d rather listen to this newsletter, click here. In your coursework, you are often confronted with big, intimidating blocks of information. Especially if you’re not a great reader, it may feel overwhelming and impossible. But just as we suggested in our discussions of how to use your study time, things become more manageable if you break it … 3 August 2026 – Understanding is like building a puzzle