The first step in your experience as a new first year Wits student is the compulsory three-week Gateway to Success (GTS) programme. It integrates academic content and skills, student life, health and wellness and orientation to Wits. GTS will run in a blended format, with some activities taking place on campus and some run in an online mode.

Every first-year student is assigned to a mentor group for the whole year. Mentors are senior students from the same faculty as their mentor group. Your assigned mentor will help you find your feet and get support you may need. You will meet your mentor when you attend the on-campus sessions.

The main components of GTS are:

Online academic courses:

• Climate Change and Me – a topic of critical importance integrated with key academic skills. Students receive an official Wits short course certificate on completion.
• Faculty-based courses dealing with important topics for specific degrees

Online academic support courses:

• Digital abilities – includes Microsoft applications, searching the internet and digital security
• Academic integrity – helps students learn how to adhere to high ethical standards and avoid academic misconduct

On-campus activities:

• Student wellness, holistic personal development and support, appreciation of diversity, culture, social responsibility, community-building, fun and recreation
• Faculty-specific support and orientation

Online courses will run on ulwazi, Wits’ Learning Management System. To learn how to access ulwazi, click here.

To find out where you need to be each day during GTS and what support and resources are available, go to the FYE ulwazi site. 

For more information please visit; Development and Leadership Unit, 1st floor, Matrix (Student Union) Building, University of Witwatersrand
Tel: 011 717 9234 | Email: witsfye.dlu@wits.ac.za

Click here to find out more about the First-Year Experience, a year-long programme designed to help you orientate to university life