I am 19 years old and come from Tembisa in East Rand. I passed matric in 1989 with aggregate symbol D with the following subjects Economics, Accounting, Business Economics, English, Afrikaans and North Sotho. My father is a driver at chemical services Ltd and my mother is unemployed she is a housewife. My father is earning R1200 per month. I have got a brother who is at Technicon and a sister at secondary school. We are staying with my grandparents who are also maintained by my father.

At this point in time I do not have a bursary, my father is the one who pays all of my fees. I applied for bursaries from different institutions but unfortunately I was not granted any. So to help my father with the expenses by working during vacations and also soft goods at home.

When completing matric I applied to different universities including university of Durban-Westville. I chose to come to this university because from the guidelines I received when applying, I found out that the fees of this university are still low compared to other universities. I was also impressed by its geographical location because it is out of town and the environment is conducive for studying.

Initially, I choose to do political science because I did not like geography, which was an alternative course. But however I do not regret my choice. I can say that I am lucky to be studying political science as it gives me insight to the political and social changes or dynamics in the world. Due to political science for instance I am able to argue reasonably as to why did we experience the Gulf War. It is through this course that we are able to enter the political arena of S.A. where we can direct or redirect the kind of changes or structures. It gives us clear understanding of the international arena as far as political development is concerned. It enables me to predict future actions by judging the present situation. So I can beyond reasonable doubt conclude that we are fortunate to be studying political science which is in my opinion a prelude to a better understanding of social, economic, and political change.