Grasping the Stellies life

Justicia Shipena

Bubbly first-year accounting student Tylo Blaauw at the University of Stellenbosch in South Africa says she chose this programme because she likes working with numbers. Besides, having this degree would open many doors for her in the future.

Blaauw says she wants to be in a business leadership position one day and being a charted accountant is a good way of starting the long way up the hierarchy.

“I decided by going for an aptitude test and job shadowing, which gives you a good idea whether a certain work environment is right for you,” she says.

The main challenge she faced before being accepted to university was to get her marks high enough, as she had to compete with South-African students for admission.

One of the things she likes most about Stellenbosch is the freedom one has.

“You can literally decide who you want to be; it is a totally new beginning and you are free to be who you want to and do what you want to, but it also comes with a lot of responsibility. Secondly, I would say the friends and the memories you make. I have to say that I think you meet your bridesmaids at university. You make friends from all over; I mean one of my new best friends comes from Ermelo.”

Blaauw adds that she has been exposed to people from different cultures, different religions, different outlooks on life and a different way of growing up.

“I’m a first year and my phone storage is already full of all the memories I have made, from house fund dances, to Spoegwolf concerts, to painting Huis Visser’s anchor another colour at midnight,” she shares.

She added that walking down Victoria Street each morning to class, greeting everyone she knows, must be one of the most special things of Stellenbosch.

“I’m in Nerina ladies’ residence and all I can say is that it has become my new home. I love every second and made all my closest friends in my residence,” she says.

The biggest surprise in her study adventure was that the classes are three times as big, the workload twice as much and the feeling of not being up to date with your work an everyday thing.

Her advice to her peers is that they should be willing to explore as it is a whole new world, the most exciting time of one’s life.

“Apply as soon as the application acceptances open. They do not tell you that, but it really increases your chances of getting in. If you are to apply for a residence, search the residences on social media and see in which one you will fit in best,” she said.

Looking back, Blaauw says she would not do anything differently, except maybe not stress as much on the first day.

“I’m still a few years from graduating, but after that I will be doing my honours and applying for work. I would like to go and work abroad and gain even more experience.”

Blaauw says her favourite things to do in the university town are eating an ice cream at Gelato Mania, drinking brewed coffee and eating a carrot cake muffin and going for a swim at the Coetzenburg dam with her friends.

“You are not a real Stellenbosch student if you have not enjoyed the ‘closing time’ song in the bib (library). Having lunch in the Neelsie is also a must. Watching a movie in the pulp cinema in the Neelsie is also a very good idea and if you are accepted to Stellenbosch University, do not miss the Maties and Tuks Varsity Cup game, it is an experience worth having.”

Her favourite spot on the campus is the mountain-view balcony of Nerina residence, enjoying a cup of tea and watching the sun set over the mountains with friends.

Did you know?

The origin of the university can be traced back to the Stellenbosch Gymnasium, which was founded in 1864 and opened on 1 March 1866.

Fun facts about Blaauw

She is a tea’oholic.

She loves jogging and staying active.

Her new year’s resolution is to learn how to surf.

She named her dog Roger and she is a Federer fan.