I understand that most people are required to choose their courses prior to traveling abroad. UKZN is not as organized as most American universities however, and most of the international students that I went with ended up completely revising their initial schedule. If you have the chance to do so ask local students what courses they enjoyed or what professors they found to be good. Just like at your home university networking is key to having the best experiences, both socially and academically.
“It was very enlightening and the learning experience was so interactive.”
Rutendo J
South Africa, Graduate Sociology, 2010
Overall
My time at UKZN was the busiest I have ever been but also the most rewarding. The lecturers were hands on and passionate about their subject matter, they also took time to ensure that I understood the material we were covering. The lecturers in the sociology department were sensitive and yet pushed us to our highest potential. The courses offered were good and far reaching but I think they could add more courses to give more variety to the curriculum. The University in itself is a friendly environment where as peers we were encouraged to interact and share ideas. After my honours degree I felt like I had learnt so much and I would recommend this university to any one who wants to not only gain a degree but also a positive life experience.
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Pros
It was challenging and mentally stimulating
Cons
They was not enough variety of courses within the curriculum.
The academics are not as good as in America (from the perspective of a private university student). However, the people, the food, the weather, the attractions, the animals, the languages, and the overall atmosphere of the place more than make up for the academic shortfalls. Put simply, I learned more while in South Africa to advance my personal and academic lives than I ever could have in one semester at my home university.
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During my experience abroad, I ... (1) Never – (4) A lot
My research was based on the characterization of lignin yields from sugarcane bagasse pellets using two environmental friendly methods: liquid hot water and ionic liquids.
I started the first part of my research ( liquid hot water ) in Germany ( Tuhh). Through this research I was exposed to different instruments and techniques in the laboratory.
I worked very hard. I learnt from this research how to work within the research team.
This research was successfully. The outcome of this work is the different national and international conferences I did attend to present my results.
The research work will assist to valorize the sugarcane bagasse residue .
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Pros
Durban university of Technology really gives students opportunities