The graduate application journey can be incredibly challenging. However, what truly pushes us forward is our commitment to our goals and the perseverance to overcome obstacles that ultimately shape our success. My most important piece of advice is as follows: Your past is important but it’s your unwavering commitment to your dreams and the determination to overcome challenges and failures that will lead you to the remarkable destinations you aspire to reach. “It doesn’t matter where you are coming from, all that matters is where you are going.”

My top three tips would be: - Embrace new opportunities and experiences. You never know what you might learn or discover from venturing into the unknown or challenging yourself. Be ready to adapt and grow from different situations and perspectives. - Cultivate curiosity and eagerness to learn. Demonstrating that you can acquire new knowledge and skills in diverse domains and apply them effectively in your work will make you stand out. Seek feedback and guidance from others and always look for ways to improve yourself. - Take initiative and collaborate with others. Keep your eye out for interesting opportunities and be open to asking - asking questions, asking for support, asking for new opportunities. Show that you can work well with others and contribute to projects. Build productive relationships with internal and external stakeholders and develop as a respected subject matter expert.

Sometimes you're just ready for a change... and that's okay! Your body gets nervous around change. It likes the status quo (from a purely evolutionary point of view, the status quo has kept you alive so far so why change it!?) Even when we know that a change is what we need, we're likely to still feel nervous about it... even when we know it's the right thing to do. If you've thought it through carefully and it's still what you want to do... it's your life - never be too afraid to make yourself happy.