Making the move to tertiary education as a first year student is stressful at the best of times, but it’s even more so in a pandemic-dominated world where students are isolated from their peers, mentors, and lecturers.
That’s why it’s more important than ever for first year students to include moving into a purpose-built formally structured student residence that offers them the academic, social and emotional support that they need to make a successful transition into academic life.
“With many tertiary institutions still offering online learning, it’s tempting for first year students to stay at home, rather than move closer to campus when the academic year starts,” says Millet Nkanyane, ResLife manager at Respublica Student Living. “However, living far away from campus means that they’re isolated from all the support structures that they need to make a success of their first year.”
Nkanyane adds that students and their parents should interrogate each potential residence’s offerings to make sure that there are no hidden surprises. “Look for a residence that offers everything that a student needs, including clean accommodation, quiet study areas, unlimited Wi-Fi, uninterrupted power, entertainment areas, and where all utilities are included in the monthly charge,” she says. “Excellent security and access control are also non-negotiables, as is a comprehensive COVID-19 screening and management protocol.
“Most importantly, make sure that the accommodation provider offers academic and social support, and that it facilitates connections between students who are in the same faculty, so that they can connect in real life even if they can’t connect in lectures and tutorials,” she adds.
The benefits of this kind of networked support extend far beyond the obvious, with experienced student accommodation providers – and the students that stay with them – being able to offer simple day to day hacks that help newcomers make the most of student life.
“These personal connections help avoid some of the anxiety that first year students face – a particularly important consideration given that nearly three quarters of UCT students alone cited mental health, anxiety and depression being their greatest challenges during the COVID-19 lockdowns in 2020,” Nkanyane adds.
With NSFAS grants including an accommodation allowance, there is a wide range of affordable accommodation options available in Johannesburg, Pretoria, Midrand, Bloemfontein and Cape Town that are not aligned to particular tertiary campuses. This means that students studying at any tertiary institution, including those offering correspondence courses, can benefit from the likes of Respublica’s ResLife programme, which offers a wide range of academic and social support programmes.
