First year winners to bite the Big Apple

Big Apples: Attending the scholarship meeting were (from left) Penny van Zyl of IAPO, Nicole Malherbe, Hilary Lieberman Link, Jo'Anne Bartnicke, DVC Prof Jo Beall and Lisa de Waal.

Three UCT first-year students will be sacrificing the Cape Town sun for the freezing winter of New York City as they set off for a semester at Barnard College in 2011.

Winners of the scholarship offered by Barnard College, Jo'Anne Bartnicke, Lisa de Waal and Nicole Malherbe, met with Hilary Lieberman Link, associate provost and the dean of international programmes at Barnard College, on 15 October, who filled them in on what to expect when they get to the US.

"Barnard is a liberal arts college for women only, so our classes are much smaller than most," explained Link. "This means you can expect more attention from your lecturers."

Link also noted that because of Barnard College's relationship with Columbia University, also in New York City, the students would have the opportunity to take courses at either institutions.

"We want you to integrate yourselves into college life, so that you can learn as much as possible," urged Link. "And once your semester is done, you might also want to take the opportunity to travel the country before heading home."

The students will take on a full semester's course load, which will form part of their UCT degrees.