Study Destinations Series
Times Group and the South African Student Cities Network will run the Study Destinations Series as a special feature targeted mainly at matric students and their parents/guardians to guide them towards choosing a study destination for their post-secondary studies in 2020 and beyond.
With the first term of the 2019 school academic year coming to an end on 15 March 2019, the Autumn Break and the second term is an opportune time for matriculants to start with their search for an ideal study destination for their tertiary education journey in 2020.
Research shows that most of the students who are the first in their families (so called “first generation” students) to go to college or university often delay their application to a college or university of choice and ultimately struggle to find a place of study after successful completion of their matric. The delay of application also affects the delay to apply early for financial aid, thus affecting the prospect of funding their studies if they are lucky to find a space to study through the late application process.
So in initiating the Study Destinations Series, Times The Pulse of the Community Media Group, (the owners of Moretele Time, Student Times and Soshanguve Times) and the South African Student Cities Network seeks to reach out to matric students and their families and communities, to take immediate action without delay, to think about their study options and destination in 2020.
By now, most institutions have opened their online registration portals for new applications for undergraduate to postgraduate studies. And spaces for study are often allocated on a first come first served basis until the target for the enrollment quota for each study discipline is reached.
Submitting application as early as March or April is an added advantage because it will immediately allocate a student number (often called a reference number) which you can start using to apply for NSFAS or any bursary or financial aid as early as May/June until your funding is sorted for your studies in 2020 and beyond.
Remember that matric is the crossroads of lives that determines the trajectory of lives beyond high school. If there`s one common denominator in lives, is that piece of paper (or lack thereof), called a matric certificate (and the quality thereof: that is how well you have passed matric). And the one thing you cannot afford is to let the basic education you have acquired in the last twelve years of school, not be used to open new possibilities in your life by NOT applying for that college or university space now.
So share articles on this series with your family and community to encourage every matriculant to apply as early as now. Educators, parents, guardians, families and the community must provide the necessary encouragement and support for our matric class of 2019 to apply for their tertiary studies now, until every matriculant in every home, street and community has secured a place of study at an institution of higher learning timeously.
