Congratulations! You made it. You got to university. Um … now what? You have three years ahead of you, maybe more, depending on your course. What you do with them is up to you. By the time you leave, Future You will have bucketloads of useful advice for Current You, the person you are today. It’s possible they might be a bit annoyed at you too. You’ll have to wait for those unspoken words of wisdom, but the next best thing is to hear from others who have gone through the process. Here are some tips for new students, particularly those studying Journalism, from some of our recent prize-winners at DMU Journalism.
Khadijah Islam, Class of 2023
Winner of the Andy Plaice Prize
Say yes. Go to that society event. Try that new dish in the Food Village menu. Talk to that sleepy guy next to you at your 9am lecture (when he finally wakes up). You have no idea what a journey you’ll have and how much you’ll discover about yourself in those three years, just by saying one word. Yes.
Madi Bowman, Class of 2024
Winner of the Andy Plaice Prize
University isn’t just about getting a degree. It’s about the people you meet, the mistakes you make, the experiences you have and the person you become along the way.
Take your work seriously, but don’t take yourself too seriously. You only get this version of university once. Make it count.
There will probably be moments when you wonder why you’re even there. You might have personal problems, academic problems, financial problems or just days when everything feels overwhelming. Remember why you started.
Appreciate the time you have. University feels like it’s going to last forever when you first start, but suddenly you’re in your final year, wondering where the time went. Enjoy the small moments, the random conversations, the late nights, the stupid memories and everything in between.
Thomas Carter, Class of 2022
Winner of the Adam Redfern Prize
The idea of ‘getting stuck in’ sounds like the most obvious cliche going, but there is genuinely nothing I can recommend more than getting involved with societies, and for journalism/media students the Demon Media Society is by far the best choice. Host a show on radio, learn editing/filming techniques from behind the camera, write for the student magazine (I won’t be the only one at DMU who will be recommending this…). The creative environment is there for you to make your own.
If the opportunity arises, I would highly suggest any form of broadcasting and/or production in a live format. There’s something truly unique about testing yourself and operating in a space where there’s no chance for do-overs (trust me – I could have used a few), as well as getting the magic of seeing your work come to life.
Regardless of the future career you go into, I guarantee you’ll be drawing back to the skills you learned here.
Alice Wright, Class of 2024
Winner of the Outstanding Journalism Student prize
Take every opportunity that is thrown at you. You can only learn so much in the classroom but by throwing yourself into writing it will only help you improve. Listen to your lecturers because they’re not just saying this to inconvenience you!
Amina Ali, Class of 2025
Midlands Media Awards Student Feature Writer of the Year
To get your money’s worth, you should:
- Ask your lecturers all the questions, make them read everything you write and get them to send work experience opportunities your way.
- Start now. Make a blog, a TikTok, a YouTube channel, whatever you can think of. Even if it feels cringe, just do it.
- Join Demon Media (preferably the magazine, but I’m biased).
- Make use of all the free stuff you get on campus. (I’ll never forget when me and my classmates carried four bin bags of popcorn across campus to share with the rest of the department).
Molly Lee, Class of 2025
Winner of the Outstanding Journalism Student prize
- No question is a silly question! You’re studying journalism after all – we’re supposed to ask questions, so don’t be afraid to speak up and get involved.
- Volunteer for the Leicester Gazette. Hands down, one of the best things I did during university! You get published bylines, valuable work experience and the chance to work with such a lovely team.
- Heritage Café in the city centre is a lovely spot for lunch with friends or coursemates. We definitely spent way too much money there, but it was always worth it!
- Sign up to be a student ambassador and represent DMU Journalism at open days. You get to talk about all the amazing things you do on the course, chat with lecturers and, best of all, get paid – like Tesco says, every little helps!
- Absorb all the feedback you get. The lecturers spend so long to give you detailed feedback to help you progress and learn so use it!
Nanci Rawsthorne, Class of 2021
Winner of the Andy Plaice Prize
There are so many different types of journalism so don’t be afraid to put yourself out there and try new things until you find your niche.
Michal Okonski, Class of 2025
Winner of the Best Journalism Project
- Turn up. Simple. You pay for this.
- Every opportunity, take it. I did work experience for a documentary production company even though I don’t want to work in documentaries. I got to help on the documentary on Russell Brand. I was there helping film that. And I got to spend a week in London, which was cool.
- It’s also your education, so if something isn’t working, tell the lecturers. Obviously be nice, but they won’t bite if you come with actual feedback – it’s important that you get the most out of it!
- I picked up a part-time job alongside my studies, which was super handy. I worked nights at a Tesco, which was tough sometimes, but worked out for extra money and independence. Also keeps you from lazing about all day.
- If something is hard to write, read something similar. Or read a realllly good journalist. It’ll give you a start. Be a fan of a journalist like you’re a fan of anything else. Don’t ‘steal’ their writing….’borrow’ it….I hated writing complex features when I started, but now I write about 3,000 words daily, which is all feature writing.
- Be really annoying. Talk to everyone. Make people remember you. LinkedIn is good for this – I hate LinkedIn, but it got me my first job, so I need to use it. If someone isn’t replying, be persistent. Be nice, but email, call, text, anything. Use your contacts. You’re never further than five people away from someone. And lean on your contacts, because you WILL need them.
- Listen to your lecturers and be annoying to them as well, they know their stuff (usually…)
- Join societies, and try new things. I thought I wanted to be a music journo, then a tech journo, now I’m an auto journo. Uni is the time to experiment before you’re stuck in a job. Also don’t drink as much as people say. It’s overrated.
- Dress well – you never know who you’ll meet in journalism, and presenting yourself well is important.
- Invest in equipment – you can borrow a lot from AV Loans, but it pays to have your own stuff. And also, get a good battery bank. I have a 20,000 mAh one and it’s great.
- Remember that the people you’re interviewing are human – I’ve interviewed CEOs, racing drivers, and designers. They’re still people, whatever their position is so be nice and crack jokes with them, don’t be a robot.
- Find your niche – for me, it was magazine design. Now I’m an InDesign man. Love InDesign so much. InDesign is the best. InDesign.
- Get a portfolio, right now. Right now.