1. South African students in the 21 st Century : towards a holistic understanding of the First Year Experience Presentation by André van Zyl First Year Experience coordinator

2. Who are our students? diverse excited expectant proud hopeful confident unrealistic anxious community hope 1 st generation anxious high achievers FYE Seminar 20/10/09

3. And what do they find? information overload strange languages sharp responses new friends friendly faces crowds institutional silence unfamiliarity scary staff difficult accents incomprehensible texts FYE Seminar

4. Many go from this...

6. Some stark facts We are working with the top 10% of our countrys young people Less than 50% of SA students achieve a qualification after 5 years Up to 30% of students drop out in their first year of study

7. What is the FYE? … a holistic programme which encompasses all aspects of first year student experience in the context of an invitational and equitable institution. It comprises both curricular and extra-curricular initiatives, and is far more than a single event, programme or course. It attempts to establish an ethos and a way of life, through which all first year students will experience the transition into university life

8. FYE initiatives for 2010 Placement testing Orientation Extended orientation Tracking students Tutors Co-curricular activities Residences as centres of academic excellence

9. Who are our students In groups of three to four, describe a typical UJ student Demographically School background Home background SES background Expectations

10. Some pre-entry attributes…

14. First Generation Status

15. Family HE history

16. Grade 12 performance

20. Commuting students

21. Previous study habits

24. English rating

25. Understanding our students Is it important? Who are they? The concepts of cultural capital and habitus The role of the FYE

26. Questions and/or comments X 3285 andrevz@uj.ac.za