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Monday 30 June 2014

Studying Abroad



Studying Abroad


There are many options when you decide to embark on studying for your future. Most students decide to study locally whilst others choose to study abroad. Harvard, Cambridge or MIT are a few great universities with excellent reputations where students could acquire their education. There are many students in the same field studying and eventually competing in the workplace for positions. It will be to their advantage should they acquire an education from a prestigious university. Profgrad will explore a few of these options with regard to cost and value.
Universities from around the world have rankings. It is interesting to know that most of the highest ranking universities are based in the United States of America according to Timeshighereducation.co.uk. There are many factors which determine a point score. The higher the point score amongst the universities, the higher its ranking would be. Teaching {30%}, Research {30%} and Citations {30%} make up 90% of that score. Industry/Innovation and the universities international outlook make up the rest of the score. The University of Cape Town in South Africa is ranked the highest university in the country. According to these rankings, UCT is number 126 in the world. Do you agree that UCT has a better ranking than UKZN or WITS?

Attending universities in a different country could be expensive. Unfortunately, the Rand’s value has depreciated recently against the dollar. This means that if the fees for a university was $10 000 per annum and the rand was R9.93 {01/07/2013} to the dollar, university fees for the year would have been R99 300.00. Unfortunately, the South African currency has been under pressure recently and as it stands, the rand is trading at R10.63 {29/06/2014} to the dollar. This means that just by movement is the currency, it could make studying abroad much more expensive. A year ago, without taking the increase in university costs abroad into account, just the movement in the currency, the same course would cost you R106 300.00, that is an increase of R7 000.00. With all that in mind, the cost approximately for studying at Harvard, based on the website link below, could run into hundreds of thousands of Rand’s.  If you had the money, would you study across South Africa’s borders?

Which international university would you attend?

Monday 23 June 2014

Life after dark as a student



Life after dark as a student


Hatfield Square…..Die Draak…….student life begins after 18h00….Where is the best “kuierplek” to be, eat or drink? You can go to a pub to catch the game or a restaurant for your date. At every university campus there will be a place or places that student’s frequent for a good time. Affordable drink, good tasting food and an enjoyable atmosphere where there is a buzz in the air is sure to attract students. Profgrad would like to know which places students recommend.
“Bambus”, “Jote”,”Jesus juice”, in South Africa, students know it as a “Katemba”. By mixing a papsak red wine, usually Tassies and coke, students seem to find a great mixture of taste and price to enjoy the evening. Have you ever tried a drink like this? Students from North West University claim to have started “Gummie Bears” the drink, taking brandy and root beer to create a very good tasting cheap alcoholic beverage. There are many other drinks from around the country which students love. Students love these drinks because they are cheap, their alcohol content is high and the drink is tasty. Have you ever mixed a drink with something unusual?
Every student knows where there is a great place for a party nearby. Campuses are usually flooded with upcoming attractions and events at pubs close by. Every business in the area will seize any opportunity for advertising their food specials or Saturday bands which will be performing. This will attract attention from students who will gather for a good time. There are unfortunately also many risks involved when having a good time late at night. Drinking and driving, fighting or even muggings could be common on these evenings. Students need to be aware that the threats are real. There could be a criminal around the corner or a car accident at the stop street. It is always important to be aware of the risks and act responsibly. Below is an article related to a popular nightlife location of a Tuks student in Pretoria, South Africa. http://www.perdeby.co.za/sections/news/2929-20-are-students-afraid-of-being-mugged-in-hatfield

Where would you enjoy going for a great night out?

Monday 16 June 2014

How to get through exams



How to get through exams


If you are a first year student exams at University might be a big adjustment. There is a big difference between writing exams at school and writing exams at University. Not only is the quantity of study work a lot more but the difficulty will also increase. If you do not come prepared for your exam you will most definitely not pass it. Profgrad would like to address some of the DO’s and DONT’s.

DONT’s - What not to do

  • Do not leave all the study work for the last minute. This is a mistake a lot of students make. Even if you do think you will be able to get all the work in your head in a certain amount of time, stress might get the better of you.
  • Do not think it would be a good idea to turn studying into a drinking game. One of the side effects of drinking is memory loss. How can you expect to pass an exam if you can’t even remember your own name, besides after the first few drinks you will not be interested in studying anyway.
  • Never trust friends during exam times. They might tell you they will help you study if you go drinking with them, but this won’t be the case. As soon as you get home, the hideous task of studying will be left in your hands and your friends would have forgotten about the promises made. Not to mention the time lost as a result.


DO’s – What you should do

  • When you have small tests during the semester, it is important to study for them as this will help you a lot when exams start. All these tests are relevant and you will know some of the work before exams start.
  • Make sure you have the correct course content and that you do not have outdated study material.
  • Always follow your study guide as this is very important. Universities give you study guides for a reason.


How do you prepare for the big exams?

Monday 9 June 2014

First Year Syndrome


First Year Syndrome and how to combat it



When starting a new chapter in your life as a student at a University, it is known that you can expect many changes. A very well-known term in South Africa is First Year Syndrome. Profgrad would like to explain what this entails and how to combat this Syndrome.

Student life is well known for late night partying and eating junk food. This is where First Year Syndrome makes its appearance. This Syndrome is said to have first year students pick up weight and drop their academic average by 25%. This could happen before you even notice it. Although not an actual medically recorded syndrome, many students experience this in their first year of university. Be very careful of how you spend your days and especially nights at university as this could have a huge impact on your weight and academic future. Some students claim to pick up weight because they do not have the necessary facilities to cook healthy food. Another reason is usually that students begin missing home and therefore begin eating because they feel sad.  A study has shown that student living on campus gain more weight than students who live off campus.
See the full study.

Now that you know what first year syndrome is and how you contract this terrible thing, it is easy to work on a way to combat it. It does not mean you would have to sacrifice partying or junk food; you can still enjoy all the fun things about being a student. Most Universities have gym facilities on campus that can be used by students at a very reasonable price. You will need to have an exercise plan in place, if you are not willing to compromise on the socializing. Always be aware of what you are eating and drinking. You should weigh yourself daily to ensure that you are not experiencing any weight gain. Eat three meals a day and snacks (yoghurt and fresh fruits) in-between meals to keep you metabolism going. These are just a few of the ways to combat First year syndrome. There are no easy ways for students to stay healthy; it takes hard work and good eating habits.

Are you scared of getting First year Syndrome?

Monday 2 June 2014

To Live in or out at University



To live in or out at University



Once you have decided which university to attend the next biggest question will be whether to be a day student or live in the university residence. There are many pros and cons with regards to either of those options. Profgrad will explore a few.

Living in a university residence allows for many social interactions with fellow students and most students will tell you that university life is lived at residence. You will never truly appreciate student life if you are not living at university. Living at a university residence could become expensive. Not only is it the accommodation that is paid for, but you would also have to look at buying food, washing your clothes and having enough money for entertainment. You would probably find that your entertainment bill could become large as there will always be something to do or some party to attend. It requires discipline from students as you could get carried away in this great student type lifestyle. It is a great opportunity to make friends for life and acquaintances in all fields of business going forward into your professional life. If you don’t like sharing, this is definitely not the way to go as you share basically everything as a residence student including bedrooms, bathrooms, food etc. Visit your university of choice at http://profgrad.co.za/institution.html

Being a day student means you would be on campus for class but leave for home afterwards. You would not stay at the university residence. Being a day student you can either rent a room in a student house/ flat close to campus or you might be living with your parents and driving to University every day. Living with your parents could work out much more affordable. You would have to use money for petrol to get to university but that is about it. Your parents will have food in the house and you can always make lunch. You can always do extra activities at the university to increase your social interaction with other students. Being a day student could give you a great start in life. You could start doing extra activities or start businesses on the side to try and generate an income as you have extra time. Many students would like to study this way as they have their own time and require their own type of discipline to be successful. Visit any property rental company if you are interested in renting a room in a student house/ flat. A good place to start is http://www.aida.co.za/aida

Which do you feel is better, university residence or being a day student?