Big news. I saw snow for the first time. Back in Mexico, I got sleet and cold water, never snow. And as if Nijmegen was not picturesque enough, I got magical, white snow to make it ever more beautiful. I could not believe my luck. The truth is that Nijmegen does not get as much snow as I thought, so when I figured that out, I took even more pleasure at throwing snowballs at my friends.

The other big news is that I missed a whole week of lectures and workgroups – Yes, the guy who traveled nine thousand kilometers to study is now skipping his courses. But I know that the all-nighters I will have to pull, the oncoming stress, and the extra studying will be worth it. That is the feeling that we, the mentors of the IJSO 2017, proudly share. As a little background, IJSO (International Junior Science Olympiad) is a major academic competition held annually. It gathers the top six students from more than fifty countries, 15 years old and under, with the purpose of encouraging further development of scientific knowledge in Biology, Physics, and Chemistry, and of allowing them to socialise and cooperate with each other. As this was the first time this event has been held in Europe the mentors who guided these students put everything aside to ensure they had an amazing journey in The Netherlands. Fifteen hours worth of travel time through Dutch roads and rivers, more than twenty-five hours worth of excursions, and more than enough time to get attached to these bright and special students – sniff sniff.

But now it is on, I have to catch up with three courses, hand in five assignments, finish a survey paper and prepare for an exam. Thankfully, I took some precautions before departing: I had a friend use a stopwatch during the lectures to help me mark the most essential bits of the lecture, so I could jump to the highlights when watching them online. With my programming partner, I divided the assignments. Finally, I bought a slow-cooker to reduce cooking time; dinner is served for the next four days. It will probably feel awkward to attend the workgroup with my team for the survey paper, but hopefully they will understand why I have not finished my part.

And hey, speaking of workgroups, if you are like me, you will be surprised of the gravity your program gives to them. As I mentioned, in coordination with two other students I am writing a review paper about the state of AI in the medical field. A workgroup sounds like work, and it is, but allow me to explain why they are a good idea: On the current job market, whether you aim for a corporate job or the academia, academic and professional skills are treasured. And it has been proven that collaboration, speaking, writing and independence skills will accentuate your CV.

As you can imagine, workgroups are tremendously good opportunities to practice or to learn these skills. So take them seriously!

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