The university of Johannesburg is more than just a varsity it's a community.

 You may wonder why I consider UJ as more of a community than just a varsity , well if you stick around a little longer I can enlighten you on how this institution transformed my life. 

FUN FACTS ABOUT UJ 

Allow me to bore you with a bit of history behind this amazing institution , so the university of Johannesburg was established in 2005 through the merge of Rand Afrikaans University (RAU), Technikon Witwatersrand (TWR) and portions of Vista University and it was founded on the principles of inclusivity and transformation no university in South Africa truly  represents the rainbow nation like UJ. This is shown in the student population of UJ of more than 50 000 students with more than 3000 being international students from 80 countries uj.ac.za. 

The university of Johannesburg has archived great things during this 20 years such as being the top university for engineering , technology and computer science in south Africa. It also remains number one in south Africa for business , economics and physical science, it has also been ranked the top producer of research outputs in south Africa for three consecutive years. You see not only is it an institution that encourages inclusivity , diversity and transformation but it is also an institution that thrives for academic excellence , it is the best of the best. 

Surely your asking yourself where’s the part that shows that my varsity is also a community well if you made this far let me tell you about it .Apart from being one of the best universities in south Africa my varsity  also cares about the extended community as well as high schools that are within and outside the Johannesburg province . This is shown in its many campaigns such as the (EYE GIVE BACK) campaign which is focused on improving access to essential eye care services by offering free eye exams ,education workshops and eye wear donations to under-resourced communities news.uj.ac.za  .For more fun facts check @uj_official_ on TikTok. 

There is also community engagement which also has a huge impact on the communities outside UJ , this involves UJ students volunteering for different activities such as campus clean up , tutoring programs in different schools such as the boys& girls  tutoring program in vrededrop and many uj.ac.za . This goes to show that my varsity goes beyond academics and that they care about the communities around it and does everything in its power to uplift and improve the lives of others. 

MY EXPERIENCE AT UJ 

You see being a student to such an amazing institution is an honor being that not everyone gets this opportunity so put some respect on my name 😄, anyway enough bragging let me tell you about how this institution transformed me .To be honest when i was in matric I planned on studying at the University of Pretoria I don't really know why but that's where I wanted to study but this institution chose me and I've come to realize that this is where um meant to be. You see this is an institution that motivates you to give your all to every assessment but most importantly it prioritizes the safety and mental health of its students.

 

For me this institution feels like a second family because I am surrounded my lecturers and tutors who go above and beyond every single day to make sure we thrive , they even become motivational speakers ,therapists and shoulders to cry on when needed . They even become comedians make us laugh a little bit before dropping the bombshell about studying 50 chapters for the upcoming test😅. The transformation from high school to varsity was hard you know.. I was in a new province that I didn't know , studying a course I had no background in .But because I had these lecturers that never got tired of explaining what this course was about and its importance I soon felt like I was exactly where I needed to be ,although surrounded by unfamiliar faces  the way I was welcomed by the lecturers , tutor's and my fellow class mates made it feel like I was home . I have hope that this institution will go great places and achieve more that it already has.

And those are the reasons why um glad that this institution chose me because for me this is a home away from home.