The outcome of the ANCs long-awaited KwaZulu-Natal conference was a win for the Thuma Mina crowd. (Delwyn Verasamy/M&G)
What makes a person sit in the hot sun for a whole day, paint a Protea on their face and jump in the air every time a six is scored? What makes a person end up in an argument when it comes to which university is the best in the country?
The answer is loyalty. Loyalty that cannot be bought, which is cultivated in each person by a warm feeling around the heart, perhaps invoked by good memories of where they met their loved one.
A recent professional study that was conducted among alumni — working young people and senior professional people — brought interesting facts to light.
Current students from the North-West University’s (NWU’s) three campuses, with an average age of 21.2 years, as well as alumni with an average age of 30.5 years, participated in the study.
Nearly 80% of NWU alumni indicated that they would definitely study at this university again if they chose to study again, while the rest indicated that they would “possibly” make the same choice. Some of the factors that they regard as the biggest attractions are leading professors and academic staff, the emphasis that is placed on practical application, international recognition of their qualifications and the friendly, open environment.
Some of the top attributes that students link to the NWU are the excellent student life, Afrikaans, diversity, balance, innovativeness, excellence, pride, success and friends. Some of the alumni’s top associations are similar to these, with more emphasis on pride, quality, hard work, friendliness and “awesomeness”.
Satisfaction of NWU students and alumni also measured much higher in comparison to other universities in the country. Some of the satisfaction factors that were placed under the spotlight were lecturers and professors, administrative staff, choice of courses, student life, quality of tuition, administration of the NWU, availability of student accommodation and financial assistance.
The study also asked professional people how many of them would have preferred to study at the NWU, to which nearly 60% of the University of Pretoria’s alumni indicated that, if they could choose again, they would have preferred to study at the NWU.
To a question whether NWU alumni would recommend friends or family to also study at their alma mater, they indicated that they would definitely do it. This is above the average of other universities.
Nearly 91% of NWU alumni indicated that they were “very satisfied” to “satisfied” with their total university experience. Current students’ total satisfaction was 89%.
The importance of a network among alumni of the NWU was also highly rated.
The study was done by Universum, an international company that co-operates with nearly 1 500 universities worldwide to conduct research on the career and employer preferences of top talent. On an annual basis, the company surveys more than 500 000 students and professionals worldwide.