Latest News Archive

Please select Category, Year, and then Month to display items

Well done to Kovsies GradStar top 11!

08 October 2019 | Story Xolisa Mnukwa | Photo Charl Devenish

Gradstar UFS — The 2019 GradStar programme is all about producing well-rounded students and providing them with opportunities in the world of work, explained Head of UFS Career Services, Belinda Janeke.

Congratulations to the Kovsies top-11 students who made it into the GradStar top-100 programme for 2019!

Each year, 100 South African students are selected through a rigorous four-phase judging process to become part of the GradStar programme. The programme is designed to offer opportunities for employment to previously unrecognised students.

What makes the top 11?

According to the UFS Head of Career Services, Belinda Janeke, the GradStar programme is all about producing a well-rounded student. Approximately 6 000 applications were received from Kovsies, of which 500 were selected based on a personality test. Another test was given to the 500 students who passed the personality test, after which interviews were conducted to determine the top 100 from the UFS.

The students who were selected to represent the UFS exhibited the most potential as future leaders in their respective fields. Apart from academic achievement, contestants were evaluated according to their individual soft skills such as motivation, discipline, altruism, and attitude. This combination promised to deliver top candidates for future employers.

2019 GradStar programme experiences

Throughout the competition, Kovsie contestants were exposed to new people and opportunities to network with various companies in their preferred career fields, where they had the opportunity to share their CVs with potential employers. Contestants were also afforded the opportunity to develop critical problem-solving skills in the world of work. The GradStar top-100 students also have a WhatsApp group where jobs are advertised.

The programme was valuable for the Kovsies; not only did it prepare them for employment, but also provided them with an opportunity for learning and recognising their own strengths and weaknesses as individuals in the working world.

Congratulations to the Kovsies who made it into the GradStar top 100:

Mariné du Toit: Bachelor of Social Work
Nyiko Maluleka: Bachelor of Arts, Corporate and Marketing Communication
Bianca Malan: Bachelor of Accounting, Financial Accounting
Boitumelo Mancoe: Master of Business Administration
Kabelo Mashego: Bachelor of Medicine and Bachelor of Surgery (MB ChB)
Kananelo Moletsane: Bachelor of Agriculture
Mudzunga Mukwevho: Bachelor of Accounting, Financial Accounting
Neo Roberts: Bachelor of Science, Information Technology
Refilwe Maimane: Bachelor of Commerce, Accounting
Themba Makhoba: Bachelor of Public Administration
Mpolokeng Mmutle: Bachelor of Commerce, Accounting

News Archive

University welcomes new first-year students

2014-01-20

"Welcome to Kovsieland! The time of your life has just begun."

With these words Prof Jonathan Jansen, Vice-Chancellor and Rector, welcomed thousands of new first-year students. They attended a welcome ceremony with parents and guardians on the Bloemfontein Campus.

The arrival of first-year students saw the campus come to life, with the area in front of the Main Building turned into an open-air venue. A festive atmosphere prevailed, with live music filling the air and residences camping on the grass surrounding the area. Those who came out to welcome the new first-years, included members of the rectorate, the deans of all seven faculties and the student leadership.

"You are the smartest in the country," Prof Jansen told the new Kovsie students, informing them that thousands applied, but did not make it because of limited space. "We took the best students," he informed the large crowd, telling them that the more than 4 000 new Kovsies come from all over South Africa and the continent.

"This university is about high academic standards for its staff and its students. This is a place where we respect people, irrespective of where they come from, how they pray and how they love," Prof Jansen added.

Prof Jansen brought laugher to the audience, sharing tips for first-years from senior students, among them jewels like, "Wear flip-flops in the shower, you never know what the science students left behind" and "Don't keep your boyfriend back home, you never know what you will get at the university."

Phiwe Mathe, SRC President of the Bloemfontein Campus, added to the list of tips, telling first-years to have a hunger for knowledge and be open minded. "Participate in life on campus and ask important questions," he urged them. "There is plenty to learn at this university. "

Here is an idea where our students come from:
Eastern Cape: 395
Free State: 1701
Gauteng: 632
KwaZulu-Natal: 692
Limpopo: 333
Mpumalanga: 211
Northern Cape: 313
North-West Province: 243
Western Cape: 171

Back

Economic and Management Sciences

Education

Health Sciences

The Humanities

Law

Natural and Agricultural Sciences

Theology and Religion

Open Distance Learning

Business School

We use cookies to make interactions with our websites and services easy and meaningful. To better understand how they are used, read more about the UFS cookie policy. By continuing to use this site you are giving us your consent to do this.

Accept