Hitting the books and other tips on how to adjust to tertiary education

The Lone Ranger

If you’re a first-year student at university or college, this may be your first experience living away from home for an extended period of time. It is a definite break from your usual home environment.

It’s normal to have concerns about forming friendships. When new students look around, it may seem that everyone else is self-confident and socially successful. The reality is that everyone is having the same concerns.

If you give yourself sufficient time, you should find new friends in the university to provide structure and a valuable support system in this strange new environment. The important thing to remember when meeting new people is to simply be yourself.

Meaningful, new relationships should not be expected to develop overnight. It took a great deal of time to develop intimacy in high school friendships; the same will be true of intimacy in university friendships.

Cry freedom

Increased personal freedom can feel both wonderful and frightening. You’ll find that you can now come and go as you choose with no one to criticise you. At the same time, things are no longer predictable. The strange environment with new kinds of procedures and new people can create the sense of being on an emotional roller-coaster. This is completely normal and you’ll find your own balance sooner or later.

Sharing your space

Living with roommates can sometimes lead to intense problems. Negotiating issues around personal property, personal space, sleep, and relaxation needs can be a difficult task. It becomes even more difficult when roommates are of different ethnic/cultural backgrounds with very different values. Communicating your legitimate needs calmly, listening with respect to a roommate's concerns, and being willing to compromise to meet each other's most important needs can go a long way towards finding peace in your living environment.

It is unrealistic to expect that roommates will be best friends. Roommates may work out mutually satisfying living arrangements, but the reality is that each may tend to have his or her own circle of friends.

Worrying about workloads

University classes are a great deal more difficult and involve more responsibility than high school classes. There are more reading assignments, and the exams and papers cover a greater amount of material. Instructors expect students to do more work outside the classroom. In order to survive, the student must take responsibility for his or her actions. This means you need to follow the course outlines and keep up with the recommended reading. Everything is up to you as the student. If you miss a class, it is up to you to borrow lecture notes from someone who was present. If you are having difficulty with course work, don’t be afraid to ask for help before it’s too late - ask to do assignments from previous years for practice, request an appointment with a lecturer, or ask a student counsellor for advice and support.

February Frustration - why the time to start putting your career plan into action is now

The beginning of the year is the time most people consider making a change. Whether you’ve just finished school and are making those first few steps towards tertiary education or you have been working for many years, it’s possible that you are wondering if you’ve made the right decisions and asking yourself if it’s too late to make a change towards finding your passion.

Today, more than ever, people have to take the responsibility for building their own careers, but the good news is it’s never too late to try and make a change for the better.

If you have plans to further your education, getting a better job or starting your own company, you shouldn’t view your current job as a comfortable place to wait for it to happen. Your job will get busier and busier, you’ll get caught up in the rat race, and you could burn up the energy you should be using to realize your dreams.

First, ask yourself these questions and put your answers down on paper:
 
What do I love?
What are my dreams?
If I could do anything, what would I do?
What matters to me?
What do I believe in?
What brings me joy?
What do I find beautiful?
Who am I?
How do I want to spend my day?
Where do I want to live?
Who do I want to be around?

Take some time to get to know yourself. Themes will begin to appear, and your passion will start to emerge if you take the time to find it.

Whether you are just starting, or you have several years of experience, these tips might help you advance your career:

1. Never stop learning

Life-long learning is of key importance. The world is constantly changing, and everybody is looking for new ways of doing business. If you have decided that your current skills are good enough, you have also decided that your current job is good enough, but if you want to build a career out of your current profession, you should add regular updates to your skills and knowledge.

2. Ask, listen and learn

A good listener can learn a lot. Listen to people who you look up to. You can learn a lot from their experience. Ask about issues that interest you, and listen to what they say. Let them tell you about how things work, and what you could have done better. Most people would love to be your mentor and tutor if you ask them.

3. Fulfill your current job

If you’re lucky enough to be in employment, your current job might be best place to start your career. It is often very little that separates successful people from the average. But nothing comes for free. If you do your job well and fulfill your responsibilities, this is often the best way to start a new career. Talk to your supervisor about things you can do. Suggest improvements. Offer your help when help is needed. In return ask for help to build a better career. It is often possible - right inside your own organization - especially if you have proven yourself as a valued employee.

4. Build your network

Your next career step might arise from your contact network. Did you know that more than 50% of all jobs are obtained from contacts? If you have a good network of friends and colleagues, it is also a good place to discover future careers, to explore new trends, and to learn about new opportunities. Spend some time building new contacts, and don't forget to maintain the ones you already have. One of the best ways to get serious information from your network is to regularly ask your contacts how they are, what they do, and what’s new in their careers.

5. Be productive now

Make sure you don't fill up your days doing tasks that won’t bring you closer to your career goals. This is waste of time and talent. When you start in a new job, talk to your superior about your role’s priorities. If you're not sure about what is most important, then ask him or her. And then ask again. Often you will be surprised about the differences between what you assume, and what is really important.

6. Identify your ideal job

Your dream job must be identified. Before you start planning your future career, be sure you have identified your dream job. In your dream job, you will be doing all the things you enjoy, and none (or very few) of the things you don't enjoy. What kind of job would that be? Do you like or dislike having responsibility for others? Do you like to work with technology or with people? Do you want to run your own business or be a manager? Do you want to be an artist, a designer or a skilled engineer?

7. Prepare yourself

Your dream might show up tomorrow. Be prepared. Don't wait a second. Update your CV now, and continue to update it regularly. Tomorrow your dream job may show up right before your nose. Prepare for it with a professional CV and be ready to describe yourself as a valuable commodity to anyone that will try to recruit you. If you don't know how to write a CV, or how to describe yourself, start learning how now.

8. Equip yourself for the job

You can build your future career using a lot of different tools. You can add a lot to your career by studying books and tutorials. Doing short time courses or diplomas at FET colleges might add valuable weight to your CV and make you the ideal candidate for your dream position.

9. Get professional

Your employer may not tell you exactly their own view of what being professional means. Make sure you finish tasks or projects timeously and provide feedback. Be prepared when attending meetings. Avoid gossiping at work with colleagues. Make sure you always treat people (both co-workers and customers) with respect, do what you promise and don’t keep them waiting unnecessarily.

The more you put these principles into practice, the better your chances will be to create a positive reputation for yourself. This can ultimately translate into raises and promotions, chances to work on more assignments that you enjoy, and the respect of peers and senior management. You also benefit from feelings of increased self-worth and confidence, plus you keep yourself marketable for further career opportunities in the future.

10. Realize Your Dreams

Put your dreams into action. Don't let a busy job kill your dreams. If you have higher goals, put them into action now.

“Your attitude, not your aptitude, will determine your altitude.” - Zig Ziglar

Struggling to pay the bills? Five tips on how to manage your money while you study.

You’re off to university or college this year, and your mind is buzzing with thoughts of your studies, making lifelong friends and getting to know a new city. 

It shouldn’t be all work and no play, but having a decent social life comes at a cost. Managing your personal finances doesn’t have to be complicated nor impossible, even if you’re just starting out. You just have to know how it works.

When you become a full-time student you receive new sources of income (loans, grants and bursaries) as well as have new costs for essential living  study fees and  entertainment. Now that you’re on your own, you might be tempted to spend money on all the things your parents wouldn’t let you have before. Go slow. If you play it smart, you can avoid the sort of money troubles that plague many young adults.

Here are some essential tips on making it in varsity without breaking the bank:
 
1. Don’t just sign up for a random bank, offering seemingly great deals. Do some research into student loans to find out which financial service provider will offer you the best options. 

2. Don’t get a credit card unless you absolutely need one. If you have a relative or a bursary provider who has allocated funds to you for accommodation, food, books and other living expenses, consider getting an Eduxtras card from Eduloan – it doesn’t cost you anything and the funds are allocated into different “pockets” for different types of expenses. This way, you get to manage your funds wisely and you won’t be able to overspend. 

3. Avoid non-academic debt. It might seem like a good idea to put clothing or food on account with a store card, but it’s not. Focus on developing good money skills with cash. Worry about credit later. 

4. Save and then splurge. If you decide you must have that TV or sound system, then save for it. Wait until you can pay cash. 

5. Pay your bills on time. Basic advice, but it’s surprising how many people lose track of things. If you pay your bills as they arrive, you won’t have to worry about forgetting them.

Taking control of your finances during your studies and taking the time to think about your spending can make a real difference to your financial situation.

What are the right questions to ask when applying for a student loan?

Many of us will need to borrow money from time to time - and some of this may be needed to help finance our studies. The world of credit can be a scary and misleading journey.

There are several factors to consider when borrowing money. Most of us only consider the monthly instalments when taking out a loan but the interest rate and repayment term have a far bigger impact on our bank accounts than we realise.

Here are some guidelines to aid you in understanding how financing works:

When you borrow money the bank will give you on option on terms, and will charge you interest.

The term is the period you have in which to pay back the money. The interest rate is the cost of borrowing money, and on short-term loans is typically expressed as an annual percentage. Despite this, it is often calculated monthly or even daily. Both the term and the interest rate help to determine the size of your monthly repayment, and the amount of time you'll spend in debt.

SHOP AROUND

With a higher interest rate, your monthly payments will increase. If you borrow R10 000, for 12 months at 9% interest, your monthly instalment will be R874.51. But if you borrow the same amount of money, also for 12 months, at 11% interest, you can expect to pay R883.82. These differences seem incremental but consider that this variance is accentuated for larger amounts, and longer time frames.

COMPOUND INTEREST

Compound interest adds a further complication, and applies to most situations when we borrow money. This is interest on interest. It is when the interest of a sum of money is added to the principal, and then bears interest. It occurs when the interest we owe is added to the sum of money we borrowed (principal amount) and itself earns interest.

LONG-TERM COMMITMENTS

We also have to think about the term of the loan. If you have a longer term, your monthly payments may be lower, but will end up paying more money over time, based on the interest being charged over a longer period. It's better to borrow money over a shorter term, and to get the lowest interest rate one can.

Paying off debt affects your ability to save money and achieve financial goals such as buying a vehicle, a house or travelling overseas, so you should always aim to pay back loans as soon as you can. If you default on a loan, it will be harder for you to get credit in the future.

SOME MUST-ASK QUESTIONS BEFORE TAKING A STUDY LOAN

1. What will my monthly instalments be?
2. How long will the repayment period be in years or months?
3. How much is the interest and how is it calculated?
4. Is the interest rate competitive – could I get a cheaper rate elsewhere?
5. Will you be charging compound interest?
6. How much will I be paying by the time I graduate and start working?
7. If the interest rate goes up by 1%, how much more will I have to pay monthly?
8. Do I have to take compulsory life insurance with the loan?
9. What will happen if I can’t pay the loan back?

When it comes to borrowing money, student loans are the cheapest option compared with commercial loans or short-term credit solutions.

Eduloan offers education financing, cost associated with starting the loan and monthly service fees at very competitive interest rates. A key advantage with 
Eduloan is that we offer pay-as-go study loans at an affordable interest rate. This means you get to repay your loan as you study leaving you debt free on completion of your course.

Your 24-hour adventure starts now!

At Eduloan, we know that the choices you’ll make today will affect your tomorrows in ways that you sometimes only realise later.

That’s why we’re committed to enabling you to follow your dreams today instead of delaying them due to your financial circumstances.

Play the 24-Hour Adventure game with Eduloan and stand the chance to win your share of R15 000 worth of airtime, Pick n’ Pay vouchers or books for your studies from Van Schaik!

The concept is simple… you are in a game where the player is placed in a “day in the life” situation of a normal varsity student who has to make certain choices based on the situation presented. You’ll soon realise just how important it is to make the right choices to get the desired outcome.

The competition will run from 7 January to 17 February 2013 and we’ll be giving away prizes every week – click here to start playing on Facebook or here to play from your phone. Good luck!