It is true: being a first-year student at university is one of the most exciting and stressful transitions you may ever experience! It is therefore only natural that you might find yourself feeling overwhelmed with your new surroundings, the responsibilities associated with personal freedom and the pressure to live up to the high standards set for academic achievement.

In light of this, the North-West University’s (NWU’s) Faculty of Economic and Management Sciences on the campus in Vanderbijlpark recently embarked on an intervention programme aimed at empowering first-year students by introducing an academic and social support network.

The intervention – dubbed the First Generation Project – was rolled-out as part of a pilot project. According to the coordinator, Kgomotso Malinga, the success of the intervention will henceforth see the implementation of the project on the campuses in Mahikeng and Potchefstroom as well.

Kgomotso says the project stems from the outcomes of several focus groups conducted with the new intake of first-year students during the annual Registration Orientation and Reception (ROR) Week.

During these sessions many new first-year students indicated that they feel overwhelmed and as such find it difficult to navigate their new environment – both socially and academically. 

“During the focus groups students indicated that they were worried that they will fail and disappoint their parents,” says Kgomotso. She adds that the students were also concerned about aspects such as time management, the impact of stress, budgeting and how they will cope under pressure.

More about the First Generation Project

During the recent project workshops, five topics were discussed at length:

1. Handling failure and having a winning mind-set.
2. The importance of effective relationship management.
3. Budgeting and financial management.
4. How to stay calm and flourish in stressful situations.
5. Effective time management and work-life balance.

According to Kgomotso the next phase of the project will see first-year students in the faculty being paired with senior students for one-on-one mentoring sessions. These mentors – all members of the School of Industrial Psychology and Human Resource Management – will provide the first-year students with academic and social support.

“From the feedback we received after the workshops, I am happy to say that the students appreciated and benefitted from the intervention,” says Kgomotso. She adds that the students now fully understand the demands that come with being a university student.

“By means of the workshops and the mentoring sessions we believe that our students will feel less overwhelmed and have more emotional reserves to deal with the associated stresses. Having dealt with these fears and perceptions the students can no enjoy university life to the fullest,” explains Kgomotso.

Kgomotso Malinga.