AS A foreigner, it was a dream come true to arrive in the UK to further my education in a country with so much history and culture. English media is considered one of the best in the world, while simultaneously being the homeland for some monsters of the mass media communication field. As a journalist, I wanted to see the situation for myself.
So, when choosing where to study, the opportunity of the media hub of London was irresistible. Brunel University promised to show me these institutions, and to my pleasure it delivered. This has improved my career prospects in ways I had never thought.
The degree features so many positives that I could talk about it forever. The more I study, the more I fall in love with the subject, so I have reluctantly selected only the best five:
1. New set of skills
This may sound obvious, because this is the whole point of studying, but let me tell you something: as a journalist, I knew how to write articles and news pieces for newspaper, radio and TV, but I didn’t go beyond that. In my previous job, I had an editor who would put together the parts of the story to be broadcast on TV and radio. Now, I proudly say I can professionally edit clips for radio and television, produce my own journalistic stories, and design and create my own website. All these skills make me a more competitive professional and give me confidence.
2. A personalised approach
With the course only selecting a small number of elite students, it allows lecturers time to focus on each one of us individually, a luxury allowing better learning. So, I ask, who doesn’t like to feel important being part of a selected group of people?
3. The high quality staff
Our lecturers are all successful in their field, with many being journalists with plenty of experience and academic credentials. But they are also nice people; always very welcoming and willing to help us! And I must say that, with my classmates included, I have found a new family, with brothers and sisters from different countries, backgrounds and cultures, united by the desire of learning.
4. A mix of practice and theory
You could be forgiven for thinking the theory is not as fun as doing the journalistic aspect, but both are in fact complementary and help provide integrity in the professional, opening the possibilities to venture into other areas of the trade.
5. Connection with the industry and networking
As mentioned above, practice is the exciting part of journalism and with my course I have been able to witness it first-hand thanks to the visits to the BBC and SKY News, and the key speakers from the most important media outlets in the country. I’ve been to the filming of the “Andrew Marr Show” and “The British Journalists’ Awards”, and have had dinner, breakfast and lunch with the most influential people of the industry – all thanks to my course.
