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Good morning to my new fellow Rhodents,
I know how scared some of you may be feeling now with one thousand questions running through your mind: what subjects am I going to choose, what will my lecturers be like and will I make any friends? Which you will!
All these questions going through your mind are completely natural and this is what Orientation week is all about. It is to help you find answers to these questions. Ladies, gentleman and those who do not conform, I am proud to say that my name is Laura Eastham, and I am your SRC Academic Councillor. And I am here to help you answer those
questions.
Many of you have just completed high school, the recent release of your final results leaving you on a high! Now all of a sudden you’re finding yourself in this new place called university. Especially in a town as quaint as this, where a cow or donkey can almost always on the side of the road. You’ve now become a very tiny fish in a very big pond, having to start afresh. This is the reality you now have to face but worry not, it’s not as scary as it sounds.
Now I am not going to lie to you and tell you its easy, you will have many late nights in the library, many tears shed, you will feel like all hope is lost and there will be many times when you want to scream and shout but I can promise you now it will all be worth it when you walk across this stage for your graduation, whenever that may be. Just please don’t trip, because I promise that’s a real concern among us Rhodents.
As a final year law student, I can assure you that everyone has highs and lows about university, and there is not one story you can tell me about university academic work and meltdowns, that I haven’t been through myself or helped a friend get through because that’s what we do at Rhodes, we learn, we teach and we engage with the community around us.
In the next few weeks, you will submit your first tutorial or your first essay, then in the following months you will face the dreaded June exams, and that’s when you will be introduced to good ol’ Uncle ROSS. What Uncle ROSS has taught me personally is that balance is key. A well-balanced lifestyle is all about finding a good middle ground which allows you to maintain academic excellence while still living the life of a student.
Whether you choose to participate in community engagement, sports, or extramural activities is all up to you but participate you should. Time management is key, keeping healthy is a must and giving up should never be an option. In saying this, it is important to remember, that university is much more difficult than high school, and requires a lot more hard work and effort.
Remember that fire you had burning, the fire that fuelled you through your final exams? That is the kind of energy you need to bring to university. You need to stay determined, ask your lecturers questions or for help and most importantly attend all your lectures and tutorials because losing your DP ( which is your eligibility to write a subjects exam) is not a fun experience.
Now I know this has probably been a lot to take in, but don’t worry, Rhodes is special because it gives every student multiple platforms to better their academics, this is why I must stress; utilise your academic reps on house comm, utilise your class reps, elected in class and always, always seek help. Because help can always be found at Rhodes University, to those who simply seek it out.