BOIKANYO NTSIMANE
MY UNIVERSITY EXPERIENCE
After a fun and fulfilling high school experience in which I thrived, the transition to university was far from easy. Going from easy As and lots of extra-murals to struggling to pass in a difficult engineering program and doing almost nothing but study in the library was rough, and really challenged my mental health and deeper sense of self worth.
But after 3 years of finding my feet, getting used to the independence of living a flight away from home, finding friends to brace through the struggle with, and reflecting on the ways in which I can bring value to myself and to the world outside of a report card, I have grown far more than I ever could have before. I may not be the easy flowing straight-A student I once was, but I have grown to be far more capable of challenge and proud of my own efforts than I ever have before, pushing myself to limits I never could have in my earlier years.
(Highlighted sections include links to some certificates received upon completion of these activities)
2022
FIRST YEAR
I struggled to adjust to the new work load and being far away from home. I considered switching to the 5 year program but ended up not heading in that direction.
I quickly learnt that unlike in high school, working with other people to learn and build projects is not only helpful but crucial to surviving in engineering and in the real world.
I also joined a few societies such as Women In Computer Science, where I participated in their mentorship program as a mentee.
I did successfully receive a full merit bursary from Vodacom, which gave both a great financial relief to my family, but also added pressure to achieve a minimum 65% average in order to retain the bursary.
At my res, I was selected to be a Senior Mentor for 2023, but decided to move out and not accept this role.
2023
SECOND YEAR
This year is where I finally felt adjusted to being away from home, but the work load was also ramping up. I wrote my first (and hopefully last) supp exam for a physics course.
Continuing my active participation in societies, I participated in the Engineers For the Future online Workshop.
Meeting the E4F Chairperson, Zahraa Essa, she told me about the Wits Chapter of the society, and how she was looking to start a new chapter at UCT. I loved the idea, and decided to take on the role as founding chairperson of the E4F society at UCT for 2024.
I also made probably the best decision of my university career and went to the University of Leeds in the UK for their Leeds International Summer School Program for 2 weeks, where I completed a Management in Organisations course, met some incredible people, and got to broaden my horizons by going overseas alone for the first time.
2024
THIRD YEAR
Third year is notorious for being possibly the hardest year in the engineering program, so I knew that getting through it meant I could get through anything.
This year, founding E4F was my proudest achievement. Despite having no funding of our for any events for the first year, we managed to host 4 speakers in our Tech Talks series, with student entrepreneurs talking about their journeys, challenges and successes in pursuing entrepreneurship in the tech space as past or present students. We also hosted a collaborative Games Night event with the EBE Student Council which was a rousing success. In 2025, I look to play a less prominent but still helpful role in the society, handing over the role as Chairperson.
Academically, I managed to pass all of my courses this year, including Controls Systems with a previous failure rate of over 50%. This was a huge achievement for me and I couldn't have done it without the support and teamwork I had built with my friends.
2025
FOURTH YEAR
So far, this year has been about exploring opportunities that could help guide my future beyond university.
I applied and was accepted into the JSE Portfolio of the Investing Society's Trading Club, and I've learnt so much about fundamental investment analysis through this program and their events.
I've also been attending many of the UCT Consulting Society events and activities, including placing in the top 5 in the UCTCC x BCG Consulting Competition.
I cannot wait to see what the rest of 2025 has in store. :)
