It's a nail biting wait for university applicants

11 January 2017 - 18:34 By Petru Saal
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Matriculant Dayner Ruiters is anxiously hoping to get a letter of acceptance from a university knowing that if one does not arrive she will be forced to look for a job.

Matriculant Dayner Ruiters has applied to study at the Cape Peninsula University of Technology but knows if she is not accepted that she will have to work because she cannot afford to stay at home.
Matriculant Dayner Ruiters has applied to study at the Cape Peninsula University of Technology but knows if she is not accepted that she will have to work because she cannot afford to stay at home.
Image: Supplied

The 18-year-old prospective information technology student from Atlantis near Cape Town is among tens of thousands of people who have applied to fill a limited number of available spaces at universities across the country.

“I have sent a few CVs out but I am hoping for the best that I will receive an answer because I don’t want to work‚ I want to study‚” she told TMG Digital.

She has applied to study at the Cape Peninsula University of Technology but knows if she is not accepted that she will have to work because she cannot afford to stay at home.

Following a tumultuous 2016 at universities many students have chosen to defer their exams to January and February resulting in a backlog of students who did not complete the academic year.

Nikheel Jugdawooh‚ 18 from Ladysmith in KwaZulu-Natal is still waiting for a reply from the University of the Western Cape. Finishing his final school exam was a huge relief but the anxiety of waiting for an answer from the university is getting the better of him.

“The past couple of weeks have been extremely stressful‚ filled with lots of sleepless nights‚” he said.

The prospective pharmacy student says that even though he still hasn’t received an acceptance letter he is confident that he will be accepted and is looking forward to his move to Bellville in Cape Town.

Matric exams were the most stressful period of his life. He said that he would get a maximum of five hours sleep before each exam. Asked about the impact of Fees Must Fall protests that have become a defining feature of universities on his future studies‚ he said his main focus would be on studying and to finish his degree.

Taine Agnew‚ 18‚ from Pretoria is waiting for a letter of acceptance from the University of Pretoria. “My final exams were difficult but my results were better than expected. I am excited to start university‚ to make new friends and gain new experiences.”

The former Lyttleton Manor High School matriculant says that studying is his main priority and not knowing whether he made it into university is extremely stressful but he tries not to think about it too much.

- TMG Digital/Sunday Times

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