If you’d rather listen to this newsletter, click here. I really hope you’re well in this first week of October, South Africa’s most beautiful month. I’m not just saying that out of habit or politeness. Your brain, with which you must learn and write exams, is part of your physical body. You must treat it in … 06 October 2025 – Healthy Body, Healthy Mind

If you’d rather listen to this newsletter, click here. You are studying at a unique moment in time, when the world as we know it is being changed by technology. Even last year this time, AI (artificial intelligence) was not nearly as generally available and user-friendly as it is now. Have you used it in your studies already? … 29 September 2025 – Using AI to help you study

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 your final push … 22 September 2025 – Into the Final Stretch

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 to help them go faster. Researchers estimate that in … 15 September 2025 – Find Your Flock

It has been a full year since we started this newsletter. If you’ve been following us the whole time, 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 only looking up half an … 08 September 2025 – The Temptation of Social Media

The challenges of higher education often generate very intense emotions in students. Many are tempted to pack up and go home because of them. Your brain says this is life and death. Fortunately, that same brain can understand why we feel the way we feel and overrule it by labelling and normalising the overwhelming emotions. … 01 September 2025 – Tie a SCARF round your emotions

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 that you’re not really as capable, intelligent, … 25 August 2025 – Feeling like an Imposter

At this point in the year, you’ve settled in, you’ve found your rhythm, so you may have time to take a breath and consider what campus life offers apart from studying and hanging out with friends. On the other hand, you may feel you’ve just got it under control, adding anything else will upset the … 18 August 2025 – Balance now, Build for later

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 first-year BCom student at NWU … 11 August 2025 – The Boring Essentials: Structure and Discipline

One of the most overlooked but essential skills for success – at university and in life – is the ability to set realistic expectations. It’s not flashy. It doesn’t get headlines. But it shapes your energy, your confidence, your wellbeing, and ultimately your performance. As the semester unfolds, and the pressure of assignments, tests, and … 04 August 2025 – Setting Realistic Expectations: The Power of Perspective