Top-performing matriculants get a glimpse of student life at Wits
- Wits University
Wits VC, Professor Zeblon Vilakazi, hosts the best of the class of 2022 matriculants to become part of the future at Wits University
Wits University welcomed some of the country's top-performing matriculants to its illustrious campus recently for the Vice-Chancellor's Top Applicant Event.
This annual event is aimed at matriculants who have applied to study at Wits, with an admission score of 53 to 56 points calculated using final Grade 11 results.
The would-be Witsies got an opportunity to explore student life, with an added glimpse of some of the impactful and progressive courses offered in the institution's five Faculties.
The Vice-Chancellor and Principal, Professor Zeblon Vilakazi was among Wits leaders speaking at the event, a gathering of the best of the class of 2022.
"We believe that people in this university have different social classes, but they will emerge here as citizens who will be among the greatest in the world," said Vilakazi.
He told learners and parents about some of Wits University's pioneering research in medicine, science, commerce, engineering and the arts.
"We are ranked among the top 100 universities in the number of alumni who have become CEO's of fortune 500 companies. We were among the first to model the evolution of the Omicron virus strain in November last year, using the most sophisticated algorithm done by our physicists and data scientists."
During the event learners engaged with Faculty leaders and staff who helped to answer individual questions from the top achievers and their parents.
Learners were able to interact with some world-class resources like the retired Mirage Fighter Jet located in the Barlow Laboratory for aeronautical engineering studies. They also got to experience The Adler Museum of Medicine on the Parktown campus which preserves the history of the health sciences in Southern Africa.
Those interested in the Humanities made a quick visit to the William Cullen Library on East Campus, which houses some of the country's most prized historical records like that of the Nelson Mandela trial papers, containing preparatory notes by Mandela himself, together with annotated typescripts that relate to the trials 'State vs Nelson Mandela' in the Pretoria Regional Court from 1962.
Learners concluded the day with a light lunch and networking session to better understand what it is they want to pioneer as future Witsies.
"I would like to study Actuarial Science here at Wits. I've learned so much, Wits has exceeded my expectations and I really can't wait to study here," said Rethabile Moeketsi, a pupil from Sasolburg High School in the Free State.
Limpopo matriculant Salmondia Nethengwe applied to study in the Science Faculty once he matriculates from the Northern Academy.
"The most interesting thing about my visit today was Wits' computer and robotics lab. They are doing such cool things there. I would consider Wits because of their academic excellence and how diverse this place is," said Nethengwe.
Psychology lecturer Enid Schutte reflected on how both learners and parents appeared to be wowed by the offerings at Wits during their morning tour.
"You could see the excitement build in the learner's minds when they interacted with the professors. The types of questions they asked were really deep. The more information they got, the more in awe they became as if they wanted to do everything. You could also see parents' faces light up as the day went," said Schutte.
The Top Applicants' event is organised by the Wits Schools Liaisons Office, responsible for recruiting student talent.