Top 10: Why I Love Being A Student

Simply put, this is a compilation of why being a fulltime student is awesome.

 

• You are surrounded by young, like-minded individuals capable of engaging, intelligent conversation and discussion. That is not to say the people in this bracket aren’t fun to go out (partying) with too.
• Midnight snack runs. BP and McDonald’s make a killing between 00:00 and 04:00 in this town. There’s nothing quite like a late night ice cream after hours of slogging through psychology, or a cheeseburger for breakfast before you go to class, without having gone to bed.
• Organised social events, such as koshuis (residence) dances, a derby knockoff and numerous music festivals. I could really go on with the list of events we have on campus for a while… You get to dress up, and have fun with a horde of students as keen to be there as you are. 
• Having a random morning/afternoon off from class. Wine tour! Or you can hit the beach, or do pizza and beer at one of the local hangouts… Or just sleep.
• Having the energy to go out all night and still make all your classes the next day. Because those spontaneous evening that should never have happened are the best.
• Having the option to attend chemistry lab classes, or basically any lab classes. Who doesn’t want to have fun with ridiculously expense equipment, or make your own crystals made out of who-knows-what.
• Everything is a group outing. Voting. Eating. Class. There’s always someone around who’s on their way to go do the same thing you are.
• Half of the businesses in town cater almost exclusively for the students. As a result, every possible service, shop or preferred pub atmosphere can be found within walking distance.
• I’m a bit of a nerd. There’s a library.
• (Depending on whether you got your degree in a useful major,) you are set for life. Fairly good job, and salary on average 80% higher than a high school graduate. See: http://money.cnn.com/2006/10/25/pf/college/census_degree/index.htm

What’s not to like…

Far too accurate.

To Blog or Not To Blog.

Well here I am, and the blog title that sounded very “I’m-well-versed-in-literature” 30 seconds ago is redundant, since clearly the decision To Blog has already been made. Since this is my first time, (Do bloggers refer to it as losing your blog virginity?) I figured I might tell the world out there a little bit about myself, and this eponymous blog.

I am a 3rd year student at the University of Stellenbosch. It is probably not the best university in the world, not even in the country, but as a student, this is the most magnificent town to live in. Not only is the town and surrounding areas beautiful, there are also vineyards, and wine estates in every direction out-of-town. The central part of Stellenbosch consists of campus, student housing and businesses that cater almost exclusively to students. I have loved every moment here in the sheltered bubble that Stellenbosch is. It is likely that I will write about being a student quite a bit, I will also touch on some of the campus politics, and the challenges facing Stellenbosch students.

While here, I have been studying towards a degree in science. Whether I want to enter the industry that my degree is preparing for, is a question I am not yet ready to answer. This blog is also about investigating the career options which some of my other interests and hobbies provide. I will attempt to stay true to these interest in the blog, so expect world news, politics, the world of journalism and professional sports to feature.

I will not try to provide a play-by-play of what is happening in each of these sectors – CNN is sure to continually 1 up me – but rather to write relevant discussion pieces. I hope you will keep reading.

Schroeds.