The Stellenbosch University (SU) Open Day on 6 May will be different compared to the last three years, said Magdel Pretorius, acting deputy director of the division of student recruitment.
“[Last year], the Open Day was held over three days [due to Covid-19 restrictions]. This year, there will be one day for the public to see what Stellenbosch University has to offer,” said Pretorius. This year will be “the first proper in-person Open Day without Covid-19-related restrictions”, since 2020, Pretorius said.
The Open Day will allow for prospective students to engage with faculty staff and current SU students, stated Pretorius.
As Stellenbosch University prepares for the upcoming Open Day, prospective students can expect “to engage with academic staff and current students”, according to Magdel Pretorius, acting deputy director of the division of student recruitment. PHOTO: Jan-Hendrik de Villiers
Faculty expectations
The Open Day will offer insight to prospective students regarding the various faculties and the degree programmes they have to offer, said Angelique Dreyer, communications and public relations officer of the faculty of arts and social sciences.
“At the Open Day, information sessions will be held by each department to provide insight into what our various [academic] programmes entail,” stated Dreyer.
“Each degree programme will have students engaging with more than one department,” said Angelique Dreyer, communications and public relations officer of the faculty of arts and social sciences. PHOTO: Jan-Hendrik de Villiers
Full residence participation
Many SU residences are participating in the Open Day activities, according to the residence social media pages.
Preparations have been made to ensure that prospective students are provided with the opportunity to create connections with existing residents of Erica women’s residence. This is according to Mbalenhle Shandu, primaria of Erica.
“We have appointed people to be tour guides and as a residence that puts forward inclusivity as a value. We want to allow for multilingual representation in the mix within our tour-guiding students,” said Shandu.
The residence will have a “more hands-on-deck [approach] and [involve] more people from Erica [instead of] only the house committee or mentors”, according to Shandu. This allows for a wider set of perspectives and experiences,” she added.
“As a residence with roughly 193 students, we hope to encourage about 80 to 90 people to join Erica, as that is often our average newcomer intake size,” said Mbalenhle Shandu, primaria of Erica women’s residence. PHOTO: Jan-Hendrik de Villiers