Study Report: Exchange at University of Pretoria July 2019-December 2019 Louise Kroon
S3335631
Study Programme
I study International Relations and International Organizations. During my exchange I was registered under the Faculty of Humanities at the University of Pretoria. My courses were History of South Africa (GES 220), Sociology of Religion (REL 320), Visual Culture Studies (VKK 220), and Political and Moral Philosophy (FIL 221). In total this amounted to 40 ECTS.
I had to do 5 extra ECTS as I am part of the Honours College. The level at the University of Pretoria is slightly lower than at the University of Groningen. I very much enjoyed the History of South Africa and Visual Culture Studies courses. The ways of testing were mainly papers and exams, similar to the way of testing in Groningen. The teachers were good and the exams were at a correct level.
Language
South Africa has 11 official languages. However, the language spoken at the University of Pretoria is mainly English. Some course guides also have an Afrikaans version so as a Dutch student it was also possible for me to understand the Afrikaans. However, do not worry as everyone speaks English too.
Finance and other Conditions
I applied for the Marco Polo fund as I was going on an exchange outside of the EU. Flying to South Africa is quite expensive and living there is not necessarily very cheap although it is cheaper of course than the Netherlands. The rent is about 1300 euros for the entire time which for me was cheaper than the rent I pay in Groningen. Adding to that, I spent a lot of money on traveling. To be able to go to South Africa you have to organise a visa which is a bit of a hassle. You need to go to the Hague at least twice and the people at the embassy will not really help you. But in the end I managed to do it and got my visa on time.
Preparations and Contacts with the Faculty before, during and after your stay
The application for the University of Pretoria is a tiring process as it takes time for them to answer your questions. In Groningen they also often could not help me with my questions before my stay. However, in the end you do manage so don’t be too worried. As the semester in South Africa already starts in July you will not really have a summer holiday. The faculty and study advisors are also on holiday there are are some people still at university who can answer your questions. Personally, I had to change some courses and had to get these approved by the study advisors which worked out in the end.
Housing
I lived in Tuksdorp in a house with 15 other girls who were also on exchange. There were two other exchange houses like this. I would really recommend writing down Tuksdorp as your preferred housing when signing up at the University of Pretoria. Because we all lived together it was very easy to get to know people, study together and organise trips. Some of my friends lived in other houses including Hatfield Studios. I know that they had rather been at Tuksdorp too. There are eight rooms on each floor with two showers, two toilets and a
kitchen. The room might remind you a little bit of a prison cell as they have bars in front of the window. But the room is nice enough. You have a bed with a mattress, a desk, a chair, a heater, a sink, a big cupboard and a lamp. When you arrive you will have to buy some bed sheets as in July/August it is still quite cold during the night. In the kitchen everyone has their own cupboard for their stuff and there is a big fridge. There is a big table to sit around. In Tuksdorp there is a small swimming pool which is not very clean but nice enough if it gets very warm. We did not spend a lot of time inside the house as the weather is nearly always very nice. There is enough space outside to sit down and play games and read books in Tuksdorp.
Culture
South Africa is a beautiful and interesting country. I experienced the place where I lived as safe and there was a very big student culture which I enjoyed. When I was in South Africa the Springboks won the world championships of rugby so that was amazing. There is a lot to say about the South African culture. It is a beautiful country but it has serious (political) problems which you will also experience. Sometimes you will not have electricity due to loadshedding and things are not as efficient as in the Netherlands. However, it is always good to experience different countries and understand that some things aren’t as normal as we think they are.
Free Time
As the level is a bit lower than at the University of Groningen we had a lot of free time in South Africa. During our free time we would go to the gym, to the swimming pool, go out or just sit outside and enjoy the nice weather. But most of the time we would be travelling.
Travelling
I traveled a lot during my exchange. I saw most of South Africa and would really recommend going to the Drakensberg, doing the Garden Route and visiting Cape Town. I also went to Mozambique and Namibia. Most of the time we rented cars and drove ourselves but you can also use public transport. In Pretoria we used the Gautrain a couple of times but also other public transports are safe and cheap options. I would not necessarily say that travelling is very cheap. This also depends on the way you travel and where you stay. Sometimes we would stay in the cheapest hostel available,sometimes we would stay in nice Airbnb’s and sometimes at people’s homes.
Other
- It’s really important that you start on time with the visa as you will also be busy with exams at the same time. Applying for the visa is very difficult and the South African embassy does not make it easy for you but do not stress too much because in the end it will work out.
- Make sure you apply for your credit card on time.
