Hello everyone,
I mentioned this in another post, but thought it better to post it individually.
I am thinking of studying at the University of the Witwatersrand in Johannesburg, South Africa.
Friends of the family who formerly lived in South Africa really didn’t like the idea because of safety and crime level reasons. They claim you cannot move around safely at night without taking a risk of being mugged.
I am looking people who studied recently in Johannesburg who can tell me of there experience and whether they recommend it, General information of how it is to live in Johannesburg (or the university dorms) and how studying there is like would also be appreciated. Really any information could help.
Thanks in advance for any help available.
Johannesburg is not safe, unfortunately. Cape Town is better but still not safe enough. I considered the University of Rhodes as a safety school when I was applying to college, since it is in a safe area in South Africa, but I wouldn’t have hesitated to go to UCT. You are going to be fine if you have enough common sense/
I think most major cities are unsafe to walk around during the night, though.
Hello there. I’m a South African so I would be more than willing to help you make the right choice. I have been accepted at Wits, UCT, UKZN and University of Pretoria
I think besides safety you need to make a decision on which university to choose based on what field you would like to go to. Some universities in the country just aren’t good at other fields. So, for example, Wits is primarily known as being the best at Engineering and the Built Environment while no other university in Africa could match Rhodes for its arts and Journalism programme. Only UCT can be said to be that university which seems to be the most balanced. I say this stuff purely as my opinion and that which our guidance counsellors also agree on, so perhaps take it with a grain of salt.
In terms of safety I think Joburg is probably the worst in terms of being not only a student but especially an international student. There is a considerably larger international student population in Cape Town and Stellenbosch down in the Western Cape so I think you’d find international students aren’t so much a novelty there and maybe may not be that attractive to curious criminals. I also need a bit more detail as to whether you’ll be staying in residence or outside cause that can be a game-changer.
As for living in Joburg well I think the metropolitan life is really cool. Considerably so I have to be honest that the Cape universities ( UCT, Rhodes, Stellies) just have a better “student life” in terms of the parties etc. Residence is fine and you’ll build a community of friends who will help you with everything and there will be activities etc and you’ll probably go out a lot. However, like any other SA university, I’ve heard the food is quite awful.
I don’t want to say I recommend any type of university because as I say universities here each have their own feel and since this post is so limited I can only share so much. Perhaps PM or email me and we can have a chat or even a Skype session where I could help you decide.
Finally, please apply to UCT, U Pretoria and Stellenbosch; just to keep your options open.