Navigating the Challenges of Repeating 2nd Year
Mmapula Mokhabukhi shares her experience of repeating second year after failing a block and offers valuable advice for those facing similar challenges
In this edition of our newsletter, we’re excited to feature Mmapula Mokhabukhi, a medical student from Phalaborwa, Limpopo, who is sharing her personal experience of repeating an academic year after failing a block. Mmapula’s journey into medicine was driven by her passion for helping others — a calling she believes can be best fulfilled through the medical profession. For her, there’s nothing more rewarding than knowing she’s made a difference in someone’s life by helping them “live better.”
Though she’s still exploring potential specialties, Mmapula is focused on making a meaningful impact on her patients' lives through high-quality care. Outside of her studies, she enjoys singing, cooking, reading, and staying active through sports.
Mmapula’s year of repetition wasn’t just about academics; she used the time to grow personally and professionally. She ran for student leadership and is currently serving as the External Culture EC for Pulse. Additionally, she dedicated time to serving in her church community, where she’s part of the worship team and serves as treasurer for the church’s campus society.
In this feature, Mmapula reflects on how she turned the challenge of repeating a year into an opportunity for growth, both academically and personally. She shares the valuable lessons learned, including how revisiting tough subjects like Anatomy helped her build a stronger foundation for the future.
1. What was your initial reaction when you failed the block, and how did you cope with the disappointment? 🍃
I was really disappointed in myself. Failing was something I never thought would happen to me. I was really heartbroken. I was also a bit sad that my friends were progressing, and I was “staying behind“, thus a lot of imposter syndrome started creeping in. How I dealt with it was by first accepting that it happened, allowed myself to feel all the emotions and not try and compartmentalize them, I think that really helped me a lot. I had a lot of people who lifted my spirit up, who i was able to comfort in and made me feel better. I‘m Christian as well, so my faith also played a big role in helping me deal with this disappointment. I relied heavily on the verse Romans 8:18.
2. What did you learn from the experience, and how did it shape your approach to studying and learning? ⚡
The biggest lesson I learnt is that anything can happen at anytime to anybody. I knew that life could happen to anyone but somehow I didn’t think it would happen to me surprisingly. I also learnt to put my school work priority (not that I wasn’t), I feel like I committed myself to many things and didn’t give my school work as much time as it deserved. I also allowed myself to be distracted a lot (I didn‘t have any boundaries) so I feel that contributed a lot to the situation I found myself in. So now I’m learning to prioritise my school work, not to overcommit myself to things (as much as I want to participate in them), and to learn how to form better/stronger boundaries.
3. What strategies or changes did you implement to improve your understanding and performance in the block when you retook it? 🧠
One of the biggest strategies that helped me a lot was consulting. I wasn‘t one of those student who consulted with lecturers, I just wish I did it sooner because consulting helped me understand concepts better, how to approach certain regions better. Active recall/reciting also helped me grasp concepts better.
4. What advice would you give to students who have failed a block, and what encouragement can you offer?🗒️
The advice I would give is have people around you who will support you in this season, allow yourself to feel those emotions. My faith really helped me a lot as well so I would recommend that as well.
5. How did your perspective on failure and success change throughout this experience? 🔎
Failure helped me fully understand that it is not the end, failure is just a learning curve that will actually help you “succeed” better. It also helped in revealing/analysing things that were in me that I needed to deal with that I wouldn’t necessarily have seen if this didn’t happen. I learnt that failure can be good sometimes
6. What role did support systems play in your journey to successfully completing the module? 🫂
The support systems I had helped me understand that it is not the end, I feel like had I dealt with this alone, I wouldn't have come to this realization as quickly as I did with them on my side. I wouldn’t have bounced back as quickly as I did, had I not relied on them.
7. What key takeaways or lessons can you share with students facing similar challenges? 📌
If you believe in God, put all your trust in Him, fully rely on Him, surrender yourself to Him. Know that you cannot do it without Him, rely on His strength to keep you going because He says that His strength is made perfect in our weakness. ⚡
Have a support system. 🌿
Consult more and change study methods. Find a method that will work for you.📖
Ask your friends or colleagues (if possible) to help you breakdown concepts you don't understand. 🫂
If you are like me and you tend to overcommit yourself to things, remember why you are there in the first place. 🔗
How did you repurpose the year you repeated so that it is still valuable for you (i.e., volunteering, student leadership & more)?
During the year I repeated, I made a conscious effort to repurpose the time and make it valuable for my growth. I ran for student leadership and am currently serving as the External Culture EC for Pulse. I also dedicated more time to serving in my church, which allowed me to grow spiritually and personally.
In addition to these commitments, I took the opportunity to revisit and strengthen my understanding of topics I had struggled with in the past, ensuring I built a stronger foundation for the years ahead.
Do you have any helpful resources that helped you get through Block 3 and Anatomy? Please kindly share them on this Google Form (click here) because they will certainly go an extra mile for those who have to re-do the year. Thank you a BIG deal! 🙂🏆