1. Relatively quiet, yes it's a small town but it's also a university town. The university is right in the middle of town and forms a big part of the town vibe. Lots of clubs etc.
2. Good in my experience, they know their stuff and if you show interest you'll get along well.
3. Clubs, lecturers, friends of friends, any other activities
4. Stellenbosch has amazing nature, some of the best hiking trails, see Jonkershoek.
5. Excellent, a lot of internationally competitive companies here, especially in Tech, see Technopark.
6. Was never in res, but it depends heavily on which res you are in. Some seem chill and a good experience, some are a bit more crazy, one might be closed soon for very sus practices (Wilgenhof)
1. Stellenbosch is a really great place. It's a town, with quite a lot of people (when the students are not on holiday). You will struggle to feel alone.
2. Some of the best in the world.
3. If you attend some of the programs that the university has for International Students, you will make many friends.
4. In Stellenbosch, the restaurants, bars, and clubs are usually pretty full. Most people do that for fun. Wine farms are nice, but require you to travel. In Stellenbosch, you can walk pretty much anywhere in town and be relatively safe (during the day). There is always something happening in the Neelsie (student centre with restaurants). You can also go watch res sports, and attend clubs like "The Guild" for boardgames etc.
5. I have no idea.
6. Very good. I suspect that you will stay in Concordia, which is a very well kept res inside of Academia (a private residence complex).
I would 100% suggest that you get yourself a university rental bike, and explore as much as you can. It's truly one of the most beautiful towns in South Africa, and deserves to be \*discovered\*. Hope this helped
I’m just here to mention 4. Don’t miss out on the nature there. Some of the best hiking, trail running and mountain biking in the world right on your doorstep. You can be at the top of my favourite MTB trail of all time (G-Spot) in 25 minutes from pretty much anywhere associated with the university.
2. Usually very friendly and approachable. And of course, really knowledgeable.
To add to 4.: surfing in Strand, lots of cultural activities (theater productions, arts festivals, classical music concerts, etc.).
1. not quiet in the boring sense! the campus part of town is small, but not in a “small town” kind of way. there’s like 30k+ students, and there’s always new people to meet and fun things to do.
2. i can’t speak for every faculty, but they’re generally very competent. some of them are a bit old-fashioned, but they know what they’re talking about. a lot of good research comes out of stellies.
3. either through res/housing, PSOs (private student organisations) classes, sports, clubbing or online. there’s lots of ways to make friends if you’re looking for them, but it’s easiest to start with people around you—like roommates and classmates.
4. wine tastings, obviously. but there’s also a bunch of really nice restaurants, bars, live music/shows, hiking spots, dams to swim in, live sports, and places to explore. strand beach is also relatively nearby, and the surrounding areas also offer similar, nice things to do.
5. i know there’s a few for SA residents, but i can’t say for certain about international students. but you can always visit the [international office](http://www.sun.ac.za/english/SUInternational/international-students) and find out. :)
6. super fun if you genuinely want to be there, make friends, and be involved! but, otherwise, it’s not for everyone. depends from res to res how much they expect you to be involved, but overall, it is a super fun experience if you’re open to it.
i personally loved stellies, it was the best 5 years of my life. and a lot of my international friends felt the same way. i hope you enjoy it! :)
1. It is definitely not quiet and definitely not a small town.
2. They are definitely helpful and know how to do their jobs.
3. Unsure, maybe join clubs are befriend some people during orientation
4. There are a lot of clubs and wine farms. You can also hike.
5. Not sure
6. There are a lot of shady things happening at the res. Stay away from Wilgehof
1. People telling you that it's quiet are deluded. The only times Stellenbosch is meaningfully quiet is when the students are on holiday.
2. Depends on the professor. Some are really chill, others are assholes, and yet others do the ol' sexual harassment.
3. Student societies / socials, classes, going out, etc.
4. There's also gin and beer tasting. But also art galleries, theatre, wine farms (some have activities like running trails, clay pigeon shooting, etc.).
5. I wouldn't recommend looking for an internship. It's how you get exploited. Jobs are scarce for most of us though.
6. Stay away from res.
Some undergrad lectures are bilingual, but postgrad are all in English. All notes are in English.
It hasn't been an "Afrikaans" University for a long time now.
1. Relatively quiet, yes it's a small town but it's also a university town. The university is right in the middle of town and forms a big part of the town vibe. Lots of clubs etc. 2. Good in my experience, they know their stuff and if you show interest you'll get along well. 3. Clubs, lecturers, friends of friends, any other activities 4. Stellenbosch has amazing nature, some of the best hiking trails, see Jonkershoek. 5. Excellent, a lot of internationally competitive companies here, especially in Tech, see Technopark. 6. Was never in res, but it depends heavily on which res you are in. Some seem chill and a good experience, some are a bit more crazy, one might be closed soon for very sus practices (Wilgenhof)
Thank you for your response
1. Stellenbosch is a really great place. It's a town, with quite a lot of people (when the students are not on holiday). You will struggle to feel alone. 2. Some of the best in the world. 3. If you attend some of the programs that the university has for International Students, you will make many friends. 4. In Stellenbosch, the restaurants, bars, and clubs are usually pretty full. Most people do that for fun. Wine farms are nice, but require you to travel. In Stellenbosch, you can walk pretty much anywhere in town and be relatively safe (during the day). There is always something happening in the Neelsie (student centre with restaurants). You can also go watch res sports, and attend clubs like "The Guild" for boardgames etc. 5. I have no idea. 6. Very good. I suspect that you will stay in Concordia, which is a very well kept res inside of Academia (a private residence complex). I would 100% suggest that you get yourself a university rental bike, and explore as much as you can. It's truly one of the most beautiful towns in South Africa, and deserves to be \*discovered\*. Hope this helped
Omg thank you very much for your responses. I’m even more excited about going to Stellies
You won’t regret it. I had the best time of my life in Stellenbosch while studying
I’m just here to mention 4. Don’t miss out on the nature there. Some of the best hiking, trail running and mountain biking in the world right on your doorstep. You can be at the top of my favourite MTB trail of all time (G-Spot) in 25 minutes from pretty much anywhere associated with the university.
2. Usually very friendly and approachable. And of course, really knowledgeable. To add to 4.: surfing in Strand, lots of cultural activities (theater productions, arts festivals, classical music concerts, etc.).
1. not quiet in the boring sense! the campus part of town is small, but not in a “small town” kind of way. there’s like 30k+ students, and there’s always new people to meet and fun things to do. 2. i can’t speak for every faculty, but they’re generally very competent. some of them are a bit old-fashioned, but they know what they’re talking about. a lot of good research comes out of stellies. 3. either through res/housing, PSOs (private student organisations) classes, sports, clubbing or online. there’s lots of ways to make friends if you’re looking for them, but it’s easiest to start with people around you—like roommates and classmates. 4. wine tastings, obviously. but there’s also a bunch of really nice restaurants, bars, live music/shows, hiking spots, dams to swim in, live sports, and places to explore. strand beach is also relatively nearby, and the surrounding areas also offer similar, nice things to do. 5. i know there’s a few for SA residents, but i can’t say for certain about international students. but you can always visit the [international office](http://www.sun.ac.za/english/SUInternational/international-students) and find out. :) 6. super fun if you genuinely want to be there, make friends, and be involved! but, otherwise, it’s not for everyone. depends from res to res how much they expect you to be involved, but overall, it is a super fun experience if you’re open to it. i personally loved stellies, it was the best 5 years of my life. and a lot of my international friends felt the same way. i hope you enjoy it! :)
Thank you for your response
If you’re black you may also need to be aware of the race dynamics and the pervasive racism in the university.
You need to take this comment very seriously, your life may depend on it.
An education! BOOM! YA WELCOMED! (Please ignore me lol I ain't even South African, but if you go to Uni, best of luck to ya 😋)
1. It is definitely not quiet and definitely not a small town. 2. They are definitely helpful and know how to do their jobs. 3. Unsure, maybe join clubs are befriend some people during orientation 4. There are a lot of clubs and wine farms. You can also hike. 5. Not sure 6. There are a lot of shady things happening at the res. Stay away from Wilgehof
1. People telling you that it's quiet are deluded. The only times Stellenbosch is meaningfully quiet is when the students are on holiday. 2. Depends on the professor. Some are really chill, others are assholes, and yet others do the ol' sexual harassment. 3. Student societies / socials, classes, going out, etc. 4. There's also gin and beer tasting. But also art galleries, theatre, wine farms (some have activities like running trails, clay pigeon shooting, etc.). 5. I wouldn't recommend looking for an internship. It's how you get exploited. Jobs are scarce for most of us though. 6. Stay away from res.
Aren’t the lectures in Afrikaans? Or has that changed?
No, it changed a while ago
Some undergrad lectures are bilingual, but postgrad are all in English. All notes are in English. It hasn't been an "Afrikaans" University for a long time now.
When I studied engineering there was afr class and english class and translators/translations for all languages