Post-application information

What will Unisa do upon receiving your application?

Your application will need to be assessed, and this process may take a few weeks and may only be finalised after the closing date for applications. Please be patient during this time and start preparing for your study journey.

What can you do while you are waiting to hear about your application?

• Discuss your intention to study with your family, friends and employer. They can support you in your studies.
• Prepare your study area. Allocate space at home, in a public library, at a community centre, church, your place of work or elsewhere.
• Plan your time. Write down how you are currently spending your time, indicating when you need time to study. Are there activities that you will have to move/sacrifice?
• Find a mentor who can provide you with advice and support for your studies, as well as for personal and professional growth.
• Work on your computer skills. It's important to understand a word processing programme (such as Microsoft Word or Openoffice Writer), how to receive and send e-mails, and how to search the internet. The Goodwill Community Foundation has over 750 free online computer classes available on their website at http://www.gclearnfree.org. In addition to the online lessons, there are mobile apps that you could download to your Android phone, iPhone or iPad to help you learn on the go. The online classes available cover aspects of Microsoft Office (Word, Excel, PowerPoint, etc), as well as internet and e-mail basics.

If you are still unsure about your career direction or you need to do more research about a specific field of study, there are a number of tools available on the internet to help you make effective career choices:

• Pace Careers: You can complete an interest questionnaire on the Pace Careers website (http://www.pacecareers.com/careercentre) to help identify specific job titles linked to your interests. Click on the “Questionnaire” link on the left of the web page to access the career questionnaire.
• Windmills Interactive: This programme helps you understand where you are now, where you want to be and the steps you should follow to get there. The activities in this programme can be completed (free of charge) on the website at http://www.windmillsonline.co.uk/interactive/index.html.

Further information about specific job titles:

• Pace Careers Centre (http://www.pacecareers.com/careercentre)
• National Youth Development Agency (http://www.youthportal.org.za)
• Career Planet (http://www.careerplanet.co.za)
• Prospects (http://www.prospects.ac.uk)
• O*Net online (http://www.online.onetcenter.org)
• Talk to people within the field to get views on aspects that you feel curious about.
• Get involved! Volunteer to gain workplace-related skills and to connect to people in your field of interest. Visit the Greater Good South Africa website at http://www.myggsa.co.za/ for more information about volunteer opportunities in your area and field of interest.

Preparing for registration

If your application is successful, register online, at a regional office with a self-help centre or by post during the relevant registration period. If you don’t register in time, you will not be able to study through Unisa in 2013.

If your application is unsuccessful, contact Unisa’s Directorate for Counselling and Career Development to discuss alternative options linked to your career vision and goals.