How to get around at University

How to get around at University

Students do not always have the luxury of living right next to a university of their choice. Therefore it is important for students to make a decision with regards to transport. Students need to get from A to B and this can be achieved in many ways. Students that live in Res might need to go home to their parents every now and then and this might be far away. Not all students can afford to have a motor vehicle and will therefore need alternative solutions. Profgrad would like to discuss the various options available to students who have certain transportation requirements.

If you live within a few kilometres of the university you are studying at, the cheapest solution to your travelling conundrum could be a bicycle. A bicycle does not require much maintenance; it is an easy way to get from A to B. You will not need to fill it with fuel and it is an excellent way to keep in shape. By driving to and from University, depending on how far you stay, you will be able to get some daily exercise. One of the very few maintenance requirements on a bicycle is a puncture repair kit. This is not expensive and easy to be performed at home by you. If you are working on a tight budget, a pre-owned bicycle may not be a bad idea. For new and pre owned bicycles, see link below:

http://cyclefactory.co.za/

Students understand financial pressure. Earning a salary usually only starts once you have completed your studies. Money is usually spent on student loans and living expenses. It is not common for students to be driving the latest BMW or Mercedes and therefore finding a second hand car is usually your best solution to purchasing a vehicle. Choosing a motor vehicle is an important decision. They say that it is the second biggest financial decision a person can make after purchasing a house. Many factors need to be considered when choosing an automobile. Distance is most probably the most important consideration. A few things to consider might be how often it needs to be serviced, how much fuel it uses and the costs involved with insuring the vehicle. For affordable cars, see link below:

http://www.mycars.co.za/  

If you study within Gauteng, the Gautrain is a good option. It has busses which can pick you up and drop you off close to your desired location. To view the different Universities in Gauteng see http://profgrad.co.za/institution.html.  There are also regular trains and the inconvenience of sitting and waiting for a train is minimised. The Gautrain runs close to nearly all the major universities in Gauteng. If you use the train often, certain discounted rates and plans are available to help with the costing. To see this option and view the train stations, see the link below:

http://www.gautrain.co.za/

There are many other means of transport. If you plan on going home over the weekend or holidays the option of a lift club is also available. Make friends with people who might take the same route as you. This can be an affordable option for both the driver and you as fuel and other costs can be split. If this option is not available to you, you can always ride the bus. To see the costs involved with riding the bus as well as the different destinations the bus goes to, see the link below:

https://www.greyhound.co.za/

Which mode of transport suits you best?

Should Students have pets at University?

Should students have pets at University?

Being a student can be lonesome when you are used to staying at your parents where there is always someone to talk to. To fulfill this need, some students choose to have a companion in the form of a pet. This can be a cat, dog, fish, budgie, mouse snake or even a tortoise. When choosing the pet you want as your companion you need to take a few things into consideration. Profgrad will explore the different options and determine if it is viable to keep pets whilst you are at university.

As a student you normally do not have a full time job and therefore you might not earn an income. Having a pet is an on-going cost. Whilst a pet is still young, usually you would need to take your pets to visit the veterinarian on a regular basis. This cost can be quite large for a student and will most definitely put you back. Aside from the visits to the vet, pets need to eat on a regular basis. This is probably going to be the largest cost throughout your pet’s life. Some pets will also need additional products for example a fish will need a pump in its tank, a cat will need a litter box, a dog might need toys and a snake might need a heating pad. For more information, see link below: http://petpep.ava.com.au/different_animals_different_needs

Choosing the right pet is important as you need a pet that will not only fit in with your lifestyle but one that will suite your personality. If you are a very active person you might want to choose a pet that will be able to exercise with you. In this case a fish would probably not be the way to go. If you are studying towards a degree that requires a vast amount of time, you will need a pet that will fit in with those requirements. There are many things to take into account. Visit the link below to see which pet suites your personality.  http://animal-world.com/encyclo/information/types-of-pets.php

As a student you do not own your own home. When it is time for holidays, you might have to go home to your parents. It is important to make sure that the pet you choose will be able to travel with you or you will need someone to feed it while you are not there. If you are renting, your contract term might end and you will need to find alternative accommodation. If this is the case a pet could limit the options available as many places do not allow pets. Before you make the decision to get a pet, you need to take all of the above into consideration and not make a hasty decision as this will affect the next few years of your life.

What pet would you get?

What Profgrad is all about - Part 3

What Profgrad is all about – Part 3

Last week Profgrad gave great insight into the possibilities available to students who would like to study in South Africa. There are many career choices and paths students can follow, Health, Law, Commerce……What about a career in the Arts, Sport or Hospitality.  http://profgrad.co.za/proffesion.html . Students need to follow their passion and choose a field that they think will bring them happiness. Once you have decided which career path you would like to choose, there are a few questions that need to be addressed; How long will the degree take, where can I study that degree, do I have a community service commitment? Profgrad has sourced all this relevant crucial information and provided it to you on www.profgrad.com . It is important for students in South Africa to know the information set out in this website before they begin their journey as students and study towards a certain career. Profgrad has a significant amount of information available to these students in order for them to plan their future. This website will be able to answer a lot of the questions you might have.

When you leave school you might have a very good idea of the line of work you would like to enter. It is then important to determine where in the country this degree is offered. If for instance you would like to become a veterinary physician, the most important thing to realize is that the degree is offered at the University of Pretoria. Therefore, if you are not residing in Pretoria, you might have a logistical nightmare.  http://profgrad.co.za/proffesion/vet/VETERINARY%20PHYSICIAN.html   Profgrad has linked your chosen occupation\professions to the various universities that offer the degree.  

How many years will you have to study to become a recipe developer?  http://profgrad.co.za/proffesion/food/RECIPE%20DEVELOPER.html .Time is critical and therefore Profgrad has added duration of study to its content. Profgrad aims at the undergraduate level. It is important to note that you might need to study for more years than indicated on this website as you might want to choose postgraduate courses.  

Community service has an impact on your profession choice. It is important to realise that it goes hand in hand with your chosen degree. Before you qualify, you will first have to do community service\internship\apprenticeship \pupillage or any other form of service before you are recognised in your particular profession. Many students set their sights on leaving the country once they have acquired their degree. It is important to make sure if the qualification is recognised abroad when the service requirements locally have not been met. Community service plays a critical part in not only the community, but in your own level of experience and skills. You might learn and see things which you have never been exposed to or never will be exposed to. It is a good learning curve for any graduate and must not be taken lightly. It is important to realise that this will add on time before you are recognised in your profession.

Once you become a professional, you usually belong or have to be recognised by a professional institution. Some professions have to register at two or more professional institutions. If you would like to become a civil engineer, you would need to be registered with The Engineering Council of South Africa. http://profgrad.co.za/proffesion/engineering/CIVIL%20ENGINEER.html . It is important to understand what the professional institutions stand for and what your obligations are toward them. The more regulations that are placed upon professions, the more need there is for these professional institutions. You ideally do not want a civil engineer who is not competent or has not attained the correct level of qualification. These professional institutions keep a high level of standard in an industry which protects members of the community.

What career do you want to follow?

What Profgrad is all about Part2

What Profgrad is all about Part2

It’s week 2 of Profgrad’s insight to www.profgrad.co.za Last week the site aimed at how to get into university. See previous post on the blog to view article. This week Profgrad would like to focus on the various opportunities available to students at South African Universities. There are many different fields a student could look to study in. Profgrad has done extensive research, not only to compile information of all the South African Universities but also to give a brief description on duration of undergraduate degree, location and jobs applicable to that line of study. It is important for students in South Africa to know the information set out in this website before they begin their journey as students and study towards a certain career. Profgrad has a significant amount of information available to these students in order for them to plan their future. This website will be able to answer a lot of the questions you might have.

There are always students who do not know which degree they would like to study. If you are unsure of the degree you would like to study but have an idea of which industry field you would like to enter, then the opportunities page on Profgrad is relevant to you. Profgrad has compiled all the relevant degree’s in an industry and listed it for convenience. Example; if you would like to study in the financial industry, but you are unsure which degrees are available, you could click on Commerce degrees and a list of various options could be chosen. This will allow you to make an informed decision with the degrees available to you.

http://profgrad.co.za/opportunities.html

There are many factors which are taken into account when choosing a specific degree. Duration, Jobs applicable, APS Score {this is extremely important as you need to know if you qualify for the specific degree} and Location are critical when choosing a degree. If the degree is only available at the University of Cape Town and you live in Durban, you would need to look at additional funds as you would need to move and live in Cape Town.  You also need to understand the duration of the degree. It is important as you need to know what you are in for. You need to commit to the entire degree. If the degree’s duration is 6 years and after 3 years you are tired of studying, you will drop out of university, will be many thousands of Rand’s worse off without anything to show for it.

Once you have acquired your degree through dedication, commitment and perseverance, you can start looking for a job. Everybody is different and therefore Profgrad has taken time to research and identify the most related jobs for a specific degree. You can find that people who have studied the same degree might have completely different jobs. The world is full of opportunities and this is what makes choosing a degree extremely important. A good example of different jobs related to a specific degree would be a Bachelor’s degree in Chemistry. This is a degree which allows you to enter many different lines of work once completed. Your occupation could range from being a food chemist to a drug analyst. The important thing to remember is to study what you passionate about.

http://profgrad.co.za/opportunities/science/Bachelor%20of%20Science%20in%20Chemistry.html

Are you studying what you are Passionate about?

What Profgrad is all about!

What Profgrad is all about!

Profgrad would like to take the next few weeks to discuss what the website is all about. It is important for students in South Africa to know the information set out in this website before they begin their journey as students and study towards a certain career. Profgrad has a significant amount of information available to these students in order for them to plan their future. This website will be able to answer a lot of the questions you might have. This week we will discuss how to get into University.

This question might sound simple but there are a lot of things to take into account. Firstly the website will be able to assist you in your APS calculation. By entering the subjects and symbols that you have achieved, the system will be able to automatically calculate what your APS is. Using this information you will be able to see whether you qualify to study a certain degree. To calculate your APS Score, use the link below.

http://www.profgrad.co.za/martriculants/aps.html

If you are unsure on what you would like to study, it is important to do a career aptitude test. The test will take a person’s interests, personality, skills and aptitude into account and will give an outcome of which career path the individual should be looking at. The website will provide you with links you can go to in order to do a quick and free career aptitude test. To see examples of the questions in a career aptitude test please use the link below.

http://www.profgrad.co.za/martriculants/career.html

There are a lot of terms that are used at University that are not part of the normal terms used in everyday life. The website will be able to provide you with frequently used terms as well as the relevant definitions. At school you are used to calling the educator a teacher. This is not the correct term to use at university and many students will laugh at you for using just that. The correct term to use will be dean, lecturer or professor. For more terms used at University use the link below.

http://www.profgrad.co.za/martriculants/slang.html

 Getting a degree can be very expensive and not all students have the means to fund this out of their pockets. Profgrad has discussed the different ways of funding further education on the website. On the website you will be able to get knowledge on the different options available. These examples range from student loans, bursaries, part time studies, University Financial Aid and National Financial Aid. These are all options worth taking a look at. To see an explanation on each use the link below.

http://www.profgrad.co.za/martriculants/funding.html

Do you think this section of the website is helpful?