NWU open day goes virtual
The North-West University (NWU) will host its first virtual open day this coming Saturday, 8 May 2021.
The online event is set to take place from 10:00 to 12:00 and will allow prospective students to watch live sessions, and take part in question and answer sessions where they can speak to academic personnel, current students and support staff.
“In about two hours we want to create a kaleidoscope of the NWU and give that to prospective students and their parents,” Piet Steyn, senior manager of student recruitment at the NWU, said.
The virtual open day will include speeches by the deans of each faculty, with discussions about the various courses the NWU has to offer. Guest speakers include deputy vice-chancellor, professor Linda du Plessis, and executive director of corporate relations and marketing, Mr Clement Manoko, who will provide information on the NWU’s research opportunities and academic achievements. Prospective students will also be advised on the application process.
According to Steyn the NWU is feeling positive about the virtual open day. “We have nice testimonials from students about their experience at the NWU. I think people will want to watch, it will give them something interesting to listen to and get them excited about their studies at the NWU next year,” Steyn said.
Along with the open day, prospective students can also go on a narrated virtual reality tour of each of the NWU’s three campuses.
Steyn said that despite the challenges of a virtual event, “it is an exciting opportunity for more people to experience the open day.” Thus far around 5 500 people have registered for this year’s open day. It is expected that between 3 000 and 4 000 people will participate in the virtual event.
Due to the nationwide lockdown, which commenced on 27 March 2020, the NWU explored new virtual tools and online channels for prospective students to access the university. Hence the shift to a virtual open day this year.
Students that used new virtual methods to learn more about the NWU during their remote learning under the lockdown last year, said that they felt it gave them a better idea of what to expect.
“It really helped give me an idea of what the university looked like, and we didn’t really know where anything was at the beginning of the year so it even helped us navigate a bit,” Sonique Nagel (19), a first-year industrial engineering student, said.
Lisa van Sitterd (18), a first-year mechanical engineering student at the NWU, added to this. “It was good to see that the NWU still went to the trouble of engaging with prospective students during lockdown,” she said.
Lesedi Motaung (18), a BSc IT student at the NWU, said “It was a bit weird because I was at my house and everything was virtual, but I could see they really tried to make it something enjoyable for people that are going to the university by showcasing what it looked like and the different activities, like what types of sport you can do at the university.”
For more information and to register for the NWU Open Day 2021, prospective students and parents can visit the NWU webpage.