Delayed results make university placements a nail-biting wait

As if university applications weren’t stressful enough, COVID-19 has made the anxiety worse for potential first-year students.

Matrics of 2020 have no choice but to wait for their results to be released late next month before they can finalise their plans for the year, leaving them in a very uncertain position.

Because of the pandemic, both the National Senior Certificate (NSC) and the Independent Examination Board (IEB) exam results will be released in late February.

While universities are still proceeding with first-year admissions, the delay leaves students little time to make alternative plans in the event that they don’t secure a place.

“The 2020 matric exam results are expected to be released on 23 February 2021 for both public and IEB schools,” Buhle Zuma, senior communications officer at the University of the Witwatersrand (Wits), told the SA Jewish Report. “Only once these results are released will the university issue firm offers to successful applicants. Unsuccessful applicants will also be notified.”

A provisional offer is made based on Grade 11 results, an indication that the applicant stands a good chance of being admitted to their chosen programme should they maintain their academic performance. However, a provisional offer doesn’t represent final admission.

Only final matric results determine placement. Once an offer has been made, prospective students are urged to accept the offer to study at Wits within two to three days. However, if the offer comes in closer to the commencement of term, matriculants need to secure their places within 48 hours.

The University of Cape Town (UCT) has adopted the same approach, offering conditional offers of admission based on Grade 11 results and/or trial exam results. According to head media liaison, Nombuso Shabalala, 44 600 prospective first-year students have applied to study at UCT in 2021.

“The overall number of first-time entering applicants for admission has increased by about 42%,” she says. “UCT has the capacity to enrol 4 200 first-year students in 2021.”

The academic year will commence on 15 March at UCT and on 8 March at Wits for undergraduates.

The situation leaves many students anxious about their study plans. Odeleyah Ozeri, who matriculated from Hirsch Lyons High School last year, applied to study law at Wits based on her Grade 11 results, but has no idea what the future holds.

“Since applying, I have heard nothing from the university,” she says. “My anxiety waiting for results to know if I have secured a place at university rivals the anxiety I had when actually writing the final papers.

“I can only hope that if I don’t secure a place to study law, there will still be enough time to apply for something else.”

Fellow Hirsch Lyons graduate, Tamar Levy, has applied to both Wits and UCT for a BSc Architecture, General BSc, and BSc Urban and Regional Planning. Although she hasn’t yet had a response from UCT, she says that she has been provisionally accepted at Wits and has potentially received a scholarship, subject only to her final results.

“I’m slightly nervous about not receiving an offer from UCT. However, I’m confident that I put my best foot forward when presenting my creative portfolio,” says Levy. “I don’t have a backup plan, but if I don’t get accepted at UCT, I will accept my offer at Wits.”

If accepted to UCT, Levy will relocate to live with her grandparents in Cape Town, another arrangement she can’t finalise yet.

“The delay has affected planning, as I can’t let my grandparents know whether I’m coming or not,” she says. “Still, it isn’t a major issue as it’s an easy move given that everything I need is already set up there.

“The delay in results has made me hesitant to get a job as I can’t commit to a period of work as I don’t know when university will start. Many tutoring jobs, which are in high demand as younger kids are learning on Zoom, require insight into your matric results, but I can’t give a potential employer that due to the huge delay.”

Atara Rudnick, who matriculated from King David Victory Park, applied for a Bachelor of Arts at Wits in October. She says the wait for results has been especially nerve-wracking.

“My acceptance is dependent on my final marks. Studying for finals in unfavourable circumstances certainly had an impact on my performance during these exams, and the possibility of not having reached my potential is definitely a reality,” says Rudnick

“I feel uneasy and panicky about university due to the weight of these marks and anxiety about having a secure place to be this year.”

Yeshiva College graduate Daniel Ralph also feels mounting anxiety, having applied to study accounting and a BCom Financial Science at Wits and at the University of Pretoria.

“As time goes on, I begin to get more anxious as my results are only coming in a while,” he says. “I’m confident I did well, although there is still a chance that even if I did well and get enough points, I won’t be able to get in.

“I’ve been accepted [provisionally] for the BCom at both universities, but I’m waiting for my matric results to see if I get into the other degrees and will then choose what I want to do. I know I have a place to go to and a degree if the worst comes to the worst.”

Although both universities will be adopting a blended approach to learning this year, much of the interaction for undergraduate students will take place online, a reality which is less than ideal.

“I’m not eager to study online as I found it immensely difficult this past year,” says Ozeri. “I’m most disappointed about the fact that I will probably not be able to have the experience of physically meeting new people in a university environment.

“After the stress of matriculating and lockdown, my mindset is that it can only get better.”

Ralph, Rudnick, and Levy agree. “I definitely feel a loss seeing we won’t attend first-year classes on campus,” says Levy. “I feel it will be harder to make friends at university and to get a feel for university life, given that it will be online.

“However, I value the health and lives of the people in my country, and would rather not risk increasing the infection rate by attending in-person lectures.”