Students at Wits University are protesting to express their dissatisfaction with university management.
Are you starting studies at a tertiary institution soon? Here are some tips that may or may not be useful. They are attitudes that helped me, and with hindsight I wish I had an older sibling or parent or mentor who could have told me these. Use them. Don't use them. Or share them with your child/sibling/mentee who is about to enter a tertiary institution:
- Join a debate club. Participate actively in extramural activities. Build an all rounder profile and CV.
- READ for your degree. Don't rely on lecture notes as your primary study or research material for exams or term essays.
- Do NOT be shy to put up your hand in lectures to ask for clarification or to engage lecturers critically even if others roll their eyes.
- University and other tertiary institutions can be scary, alien, lonely environments. Do not panic if you struggle in first year. Reach out for help early.
- How you finish a degree matters more than how you start it. Don't despair poor first year marks. Aim to improve every year.
- Controversial but a deep belief I hold: choose subjects that turn you on. Don't try guess what's employability maximising.
- Being nerdish is cool. Don't laugh with peers who say: "50% is a pass. 51% means you neglected friends". No no no.
- I got my degrees with distinction. Brag about excellence. Don't only celebrate winning drinking competitions (though do brag about that too if you're at Rhodes)
- Take risks, have fun and experiment. Kiss a boy, rugby lad. Walk barefoot, head girl.
- Tertiary institutional experiences are about more than academia: they are spaces where you can question your identity, beliefs, values. But "free at last" doesn't mean implode. Still, enjoy critical self-examination.
- Even distinctions don't guarantee employment. Build relationships widely. They are crucial after graduation. Boring academics call it "social capital". Develop plenty of it.
- Don't be afraid of failure. It's how you respond that matters; not having a student life devoid of anxiety, self-doubt, set-backs. The world remembers the output, not the back story.
- It's one of the most beautiful and privileged times of your life – enjoy it.