{"id":371,"date":"2019-02-04T11:12:53","date_gmt":"2019-02-04T09:12:53","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/ilizwi.co.za\/?p=371"},"modified":"2019-02-06T20:16:06","modified_gmt":"2019-02-06T18:16:06","slug":"surviving-your-first-year-at-su","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/ilizwi.co.za\/surviving-your-first-year-at-su\/","title":{"rendered":"Surviving your First Year at SU: Golden Advice from Golden Oldies<\/i>"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Danai Nyagani & Charli Kasumba<\/em><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

First off, congratulations on your achievement. Finishing high school means different things to different people but it\u2019s an achievement that should not be ignored. Many moons ago we were both in this exciting and nerve-racking phase of life, so we\u2019re here to give you the quickest crash course to guide you through it (though you\u2019ll probably learn much of this yourself after the first few weeks of your university experience).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

We want you to flourish, to own SU and make it your own because you are valid and you deserve to be there. Don’t let anyone tell you different.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Time to Rediscover Yourself<\/h4>\n\n\n\n

There\u2019s nothing better than the chance to reintroduce yourself to the world, and university is the perfect place to do just that. As you approach the new stage of your life, take a look at yourself \u2013 are you a free thinker? Are you someone who has collected other people\u2019s ideas and adopted them as your own? What are the characteristics that you love about yourself? What are the things you wish you could change? <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Now is the time to make those changes happen. You are now your own individual, carry yourself with that knowledge. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

There\u2019s always free food, Go to the free food<\/h4>\n\n\n\n

This is self explanatory. There will always be a Welcoming event, Valentine’s party or a \u201cwe like to eat and drink so let\u2019s do that\u201d event \u2013 go to them. They will fill you, and if they don\u2019t, file a complaint.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This is the first time you\u2019re going to be academically challenged \u2013 your success is determined by class attendance.<\/h4>\n\n\n\n

Let\u2019s get straight to the point: no matter how smart (or not smart) you were in high school, you will fail something. Don’t worry too much, you will be fine. Whether it\u2019s a test, a module or a year, first year consists mostly of introductory courses where attendance is key to success \u2013 make sure to attend at least half of your classes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Have an open mind<\/h4>\n\n\n\n

This is the best way to leave your university experience as a well-rounded individual. It\u2019s very easy to stick with your friends from high school, or individuals who look and act like you, but the result of that is not impressive or beneficial.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

You will meet many new people – you will completely disagree with some, be intrigued by others and encounter many with different religious beliefs and values. All of this is great. By the end of your degree, you will be amazed at the friendships formed and the knowledge gained from all the folks that you used to think were not your cup of tea.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

If you\u2019re not feeling your degree, drop it or change it<\/h4>\n\n\n\n

As mentioned above, most first year courses are introductory, which means that in second year your courses will increase in difficulty and quantity (trust us, first year is definitely not the hardest year). There is nothing more heartbreaking than seeing friends lose years to degrees that they thought<\/em> were the right choice, so if you have the privilege of changing your degree, it\u2019s best to do it in first year.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

If you are not able to change your degree, try to focus your follow-up years in a field of study that is most interesting to you (fam, your guardians won\u2019t be there to wipe away your tears when you end up with a job that you hate 5 years from now).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Don\u2019t sell yourself short <\/h4>\n\n\n\n

This isn’t high school where only seniors can lead and don’t let anyone lie to you (yes, first years can run for SRC, House Committee, even president of the country). If you are passionate about what you believe in and believe that you could make a meaningful impact, then get up and lead. If you see injustice, speak up. The worst thing to do is to turn your back and that decision will haunt you. Don’t be afraid of putting yourself out there \u2013 you don\u2019t know how you will change someone\u2019s life until you get out there.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Diversify your friends<\/h4>\n\n\n\n

Friend, read this carefully! The friends you meet on a Wednesday night are definitely not going to be the same friends that sign the register for you at your 8 am class. Friendships made during welcoming week tend to be fake, owing to the fact that it\u2019s a friendship based on convenience (you will be lucky if they still remember your name by March). It is important to realize that different people will like different parts of you (friends for when you\u2019re serious about academics and friends for binge-watching Netflix). <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Be Cultured <\/h4>\n\n\n\n

There is more to university life than just studying and partying. There are hundreds of spaces where you can learn about topics like art, transformation, environmental issues, and fashion. The transformation office, SRC, departments, societies, and residences love to host engaging discussions at SU Museum. The Art department tends to host the most interesting events – go learn something! Knowledge does not only exist in the lecture room. And even if you don’t want to go for the knowledge, at least go for the free food.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Challenge your leaders <\/h4>\n\n\n\n

During welcoming week, your HK (House Committee) members will give off the impression that they know everything and that their word is gospel. For the most part, they do but this does not give them the right to make you feel like shit. Running around campus at night in your underwear is not tradition, it\u2019s a demonstration of toxic masculinity. Downing bottles of alcohol with your seniors egging you on isn’t team spirit, it\u2019s an abuse of power. When you walk into res, you don\u2019t magically lose your voice as a person, so use it. Question all the activities that are done in the name of tradition. Demand to know what happens with your money. Challenge your leaders, because if you don’t, the next generation will have the exact same experiences as you. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

If you don’t see it, create it<\/h4>\n\n\n\n

There are many students on campus and it\u2019s impossible for all societies and initiatives to cater to everyone. If there is something that you\u2019ve always wanted to do and there is no initiative on campus, create it. Get a few friends who share the same vision as you (or do it yourself) and do it. You don’t need funding, equipment, or even a fancy business plan. You just need a platform, confidence, and motivation. If it fails, it\u2019s ok. If it doesn’t pick up, it\u2019s ok. Your desire to create doesn’t end when you fail, you just find alternative ways to create.
<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Danai Nyagani & Charli Kasumba First off, congratulations on your achievement. Finishing high school means different things to different people but it\u2019s an achievement that should not be ignored. Many moons ago we were both in this exciting and nerve-racking phase of life, so we\u2019re here to give you the quickest crash course to guide […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":8,"featured_media":375,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":true,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"spay_email":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_is_tweetstorm":false},"categories":[81],"tags":[47,82,36,83],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"http:\/\/ilizwi.co.za\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/02\/frame-harirak-563191-unsplash-e1549373380459.jpg","jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/pa0nwP-5Z","_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/ilizwi.co.za\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/371"}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/ilizwi.co.za\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/ilizwi.co.za\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/ilizwi.co.za\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/8"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/ilizwi.co.za\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=371"}],"version-history":[{"count":5,"href":"http:\/\/ilizwi.co.za\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/371\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":389,"href":"http:\/\/ilizwi.co.za\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/371\/revisions\/389"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/ilizwi.co.za\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/375"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/ilizwi.co.za\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=371"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/ilizwi.co.za\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=371"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/ilizwi.co.za\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=371"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}