Week 4 of RSI is now behind us — and with it, most of our mentorship phase. This week was heavily focused on research progress, since the final two weeks of the program will be dedicated mostly to writing our papers and preparing for our presentations. I believe I’ve found some interesting results in my project, and I hope I’ll still have a bit of time to explore them further before everything is due.

We also submitted our second milestone paper and gave an update presentation in front of our tutor groups. These assignments were a real source of stress for many of us, but I think most students managed to get everything done in time — even if it took some long nights to get there.

Outside of the academic workload, we had a series of lectures from three RSI alumni, each now in very different careers. One is a renowned surgeon, another works as a quantitative research analyst, and the third is an AI expert advising the government. These talks were particularly interesting because they covered fields I don’t know much about. They also made me reflect more seriously on what I might want to pursue in the future.

On Saturday evening, we all dressed up in formal clothes and attended a concert by the Mercury Orchestra, whose music director is also an RSI alum. The performance took place in the stunning Sanders Theatre at Harvard’s Memorial Hall, an incredibly beautiful venue. The music was moving, and it was great to see everyone looking so polished. It was also a good reminder that even though RSI students often go on to pursue science, no doors are closed — and passion can lead us in many different directions.

As for me, things are still going well overall. Despite the academic pressure, I’ve managed to keep up with running and workouts. Sleep has been more difficult this week, but I did my best to manage it. I know the last two weeks will be even more intense, but I’ll try to keep a healthy schedule.

By the end of Week 5, we’ll have to submit a draft of our final research paper — one of the most important milestones at RSI. It’s going to take a lot of work, but with the support we have here from tutors, mentors, and peers, I’m confident that we’ll all get there.

More soon,

Aliocha Faurisson