UCT

Howzit!

So now that classes have officially started I thought it would be appropriate to write about school here. I am attending the University of Cape Town for the semester and am in the Commerce faculty (=college, similar to the GW School of Business). The process for registration is pretty lengthy, especially for SSA (semester study abroad) students, not to mention the fact that none of it is done online. First we had O-Week (orientation week), where they “explained” the process to us (only leaving out a few crucial details). Thursday of that week all of us had to go to campus for pre-registration. We stood in really long lines so that they could make sure our fees were paid and we are legitimate students. After that they gave us a sheet that we had to bring to actual registration.
Registration for most students was the next day. I had to go to campus at 9 in the commerce building, luckily there were no lines really because most SSA students are in humanities. However, no one there really knew what was going on. When I first applied to Arcadia I had to send them a list of classes I wanted to take so that they could get pre-approved (which I think is the university just checking to make sure I had all the prerequisites). If I wanted to get a different class pre-approved then I had fill out a form and go to the head of department to get it signed. So back to registration day, all of the SSA students had a list of classes we already had pre-approved but the registration people didn’t realize they had the list and so they thought we all needed the forms. Once they sorted that out they finally started signing our forms saying we could register for certain classes. Once I got my formed signed I asked the main guy where to go next and he just took my form and said I would have to wait to get my student id until everything went through. I was about to leave campus but thought better of it and decided to try to get my id anyways because that’s what they told us to do at orientation. So I went back and was able to get my id. Once I got back to my house and was talking with my flatmates they were saying how after they got their id someone told them to go and get their student accounts and passwords set up. By then it was too late to head back up to campus so I had to wait to do that until I got back from my trip. Luckily the commerce computer lab is open 24/7 so I was able to do that the Saturday before classes started. However, once I did that I logged into peoplesoft (where you check your schedule) and vula (kinda of like blackboard at GW) to make sure they registered me for the right classes. I originally wanted to take Business Finance, Marketing, Xhosa, and Comparative Politics, but Comparative Politics and Business Finance were at the same time and they put me in Comparative Politics when I need Business Finance more.
This brings me to the next part of registration, which is the add/drop period. Once again this can’t be done online. On the first day of classes I got to campus an hour early to try sort out a new schedule. I first went to the commerce building but realized that I had to have already printed out the change of curriculum form. So from there I headed to the international student office to see if they had any. While there I found out that I needed my unofficial transcript. Once I got that back I headed to my first class (but more about that later). Then I went to sort out the rest of the changing of classes. I first had to go to the library and set up my student card for printing and then I had to print out the form. Then I headed back to the commerce building and waited in the line with my form. I was almost at the front when I realized I needed an advisor’s signature on the form. So I headed to an advisor but once I got there she said I also needed an unofficial UCT transcript to show what I am currently registered for. So I went to the commerce lab and printed that out and then went back to her. She was only able to sign off on the two business classes I wanted to add. For the Italian class I had to head to the Italian department in the humanities building. Once there the guy was super nice but said I had to take an entrance exam first, so I did that and then he signed my form. Finally I headed back to the commerce building and waited in line, only to turn in my form and say that they would process it in a few days. Sorry that was kind of a whirlwind of a description, I guess it fits with the process. It was definitely crazy at the time but it is rather comical looking back at it now that all my classes are sorted out.
Now more about the actual classes and the system at UCT. UCT is a pretty big school that has around 20,000 or so undergrads. The actual campus itself is split into 3 campus (lower, middle, and upper). It is about a 25 minutes walk to get from my house up to upper campus (which is where most undergrad classes are) and there is a gorgeous view from the top because the school is on the side of the mountain. But it is cool to be on a more traditional campus but definitely takes some getting used to. For one thing campus is super crowded because most people are there all day. I usually don’t go home between classes because the walk back up would not be worth it. Classes here last only 45 minutes. They all start on the hour and then there is 15 minutes between periods. Most classes have 3-4 lectures a week though, in addition to 1 tutorial (around 20 students, you have to sign up for them). Also for each class offered there is only one section, which means that you don’t really have a say of what time your classes are. This also means that classes are really big. My three business classes all have over 200 students in them. My only small class is Italian, which only has 7 students. In most classes we haven’t really started learning the material yet, but I’m pretty excited to. My marketing class is taught by a professor that just graduated (I’m pretty sure from his undergraduate degree) but his lectures seem like they will be interesting and engaging. My business finance class seems a little intense but I’m hoping I will learn a lot. I am also taking people management, it’s interesting because the course is taught by 4 different lecturers. My italian class is intermediate Italian but we focus on literature and poetry. It is nice to hear and speak Italian again because it has been so long. I had Italian for two hours today and I felt like I was just getting lost in a world of Italian. Random but food on campus is super cheap (most sandwiches are between $2 and $3)!

Also my blog posts maybe be changing a little bit from now on. I have to blog once a week for my contemporary issues in Africa class through Arcadia, but it is more about observations and interactions with locals, which means that hopefully I will be able to convey to you all a little bit more about the culture and life here.

Cheers!