Hello!
I am going to tell you all about the college I attended and the Journalism course.
For months, I had been looking for a place to study Journalism but all I could see were online courses which I didn't want. I was almost ready to give up and keep going with the job I had at the time but then my friend Lauren invited me into her radio studio. While I was there she asked me what my dream job is and I said I would love to write or take photos for a magazine or newspaper. Then she told me about Macleay College where she had been studying Journalism. It sounded so good! That night I discussed it with my mum and registered to attend the college's open day.
A few days later, I was called into the college for a meeting with the head of Journalism, Stephen Davis. That gave me the opportunity to ask all the questions I had. After speaking to him I was given a tour of the college which, to my surprise, was so small! After the meeting I still was not sure if I really wanted to study this Journalism course so I attended the open day. There, I spoke to students and listened to all the seminars. After all that I decided that I really wanted to do it and enrolled right there and then. I began the course in September 2014.
Journalism classes at Macleay are held Wednesdays, Thursdays and Fridays. Every Wednesday morning, a lecture is held for all Journalism students. We go in, sign the rolls and get ready for the start. In these lectures, announcements are made and almost every week, there is a guest lecturer, usually someone working as a Journalist. Some of my favourites from my time at the college were a channel 7 news presenter, Nova radio host and photojournalist. These lectures are informative. We get an insight into their jobs and at the end, we to ask questions and possibly make contacts.
We then go to work in the news room which is real! When I first heard about it, I thought it was just somewhere for us to practice in class but we actually get to go out and work on real stories. Students are divided into teams which have different roles - News writing, Photography, Digital Media, Features and Macleay TV In my first trimester I was in the news writing team. Each morning we have a team meeting in which we pitch story ideas and then do research, call people for interviews, find photos and write articles which are published on the Macleay Newsroom website. My favourite article I wrote was on the Lindt Café Reopening. It was the first story I actually went out with a photographer and camera person for and presented on location so I was nervous. It was intimidating seeing so many other news networks there but I think I did well with it. You can read my article and watch my report here - http://newsroom.macleay.net/lindt-cafe-reopens/
I was always a shy person but learnt very quickly that there is no shyness in Journalism. You have to be able to speak well and confidently approach people on the street for interviews.
For my last two trimesters I was in the photography team. I took photos for other students stories. I have always enjoyed photography and my skills have improved a lot since being in the team. I was lucky that I had my own camera to practice on.
When we are not in classes we have to be in the Newsroom till 4pm with breaks in between. It is almost a full working day and in this course, we are taught every aspect of journalism - radio, news and features writing, video and digital journalism and presenting. Internships are needed to pass the course, There is a coordinator who helps us secure an internship at a media company of our choice. A few of my classmates had been studying at University but came to Macleay for the practical experience, which they did not get there.
What I love most about the college is the teamwork. It doesn't matter what level we're at or which news room team we're in, we all work together in various ways. For example, news writers tell the photographers what images they need for their stories and the photographers go out to take it. The classes are small, allowing the lecturers to give each student individual attention. The lecturers are all journalists themselves and they are experts in their fields so we already have contacts and they can offer us advice. Everybody knows each other and we all get along well.
I graduated earlier this year and I am now working for Lauren as a writer for her entertainment news website Rave It Up. I still keep in contact with my classmates and some lecturers who still call to see how I'm going and offer to help me in any way they can. I have been back to the college a few times to visit and I know others have too. It's nice that we can do that.Through Macleay and this course, I have become a more confident person.
I highly recommend Macleay College to anyone who is wanting to study Journalism. You will learn a lot and have so many experiences you won't get anywhere else!
Thank you Macleay for a wonderful year!
Vishi xoxo
I am going to tell you all about the college I attended and the Journalism course.
For months, I had been looking for a place to study Journalism but all I could see were online courses which I didn't want. I was almost ready to give up and keep going with the job I had at the time but then my friend Lauren invited me into her radio studio. While I was there she asked me what my dream job is and I said I would love to write or take photos for a magazine or newspaper. Then she told me about Macleay College where she had been studying Journalism. It sounded so good! That night I discussed it with my mum and registered to attend the college's open day.
A few days later, I was called into the college for a meeting with the head of Journalism, Stephen Davis. That gave me the opportunity to ask all the questions I had. After speaking to him I was given a tour of the college which, to my surprise, was so small! After the meeting I still was not sure if I really wanted to study this Journalism course so I attended the open day. There, I spoke to students and listened to all the seminars. After all that I decided that I really wanted to do it and enrolled right there and then. I began the course in September 2014.
Journalism classes at Macleay are held Wednesdays, Thursdays and Fridays. Every Wednesday morning, a lecture is held for all Journalism students. We go in, sign the rolls and get ready for the start. In these lectures, announcements are made and almost every week, there is a guest lecturer, usually someone working as a Journalist. Some of my favourites from my time at the college were a channel 7 news presenter, Nova radio host and photojournalist. These lectures are informative. We get an insight into their jobs and at the end, we to ask questions and possibly make contacts.
We then go to work in the news room which is real! When I first heard about it, I thought it was just somewhere for us to practice in class but we actually get to go out and work on real stories. Students are divided into teams which have different roles - News writing, Photography, Digital Media, Features and Macleay TV In my first trimester I was in the news writing team. Each morning we have a team meeting in which we pitch story ideas and then do research, call people for interviews, find photos and write articles which are published on the Macleay Newsroom website. My favourite article I wrote was on the Lindt Café Reopening. It was the first story I actually went out with a photographer and camera person for and presented on location so I was nervous. It was intimidating seeing so many other news networks there but I think I did well with it. You can read my article and watch my report here - http://newsroom.macleay.net/lindt-cafe-reopens/
I was always a shy person but learnt very quickly that there is no shyness in Journalism. You have to be able to speak well and confidently approach people on the street for interviews.
For my last two trimesters I was in the photography team. I took photos for other students stories. I have always enjoyed photography and my skills have improved a lot since being in the team. I was lucky that I had my own camera to practice on.
When we are not in classes we have to be in the Newsroom till 4pm with breaks in between. It is almost a full working day and in this course, we are taught every aspect of journalism - radio, news and features writing, video and digital journalism and presenting. Internships are needed to pass the course, There is a coordinator who helps us secure an internship at a media company of our choice. A few of my classmates had been studying at University but came to Macleay for the practical experience, which they did not get there.
What I love most about the college is the teamwork. It doesn't matter what level we're at or which news room team we're in, we all work together in various ways. For example, news writers tell the photographers what images they need for their stories and the photographers go out to take it. The classes are small, allowing the lecturers to give each student individual attention. The lecturers are all journalists themselves and they are experts in their fields so we already have contacts and they can offer us advice. Everybody knows each other and we all get along well.
I graduated earlier this year and I am now working for Lauren as a writer for her entertainment news website Rave It Up. I still keep in contact with my classmates and some lecturers who still call to see how I'm going and offer to help me in any way they can. I have been back to the college a few times to visit and I know others have too. It's nice that we can do that.Through Macleay and this course, I have become a more confident person.
I highly recommend Macleay College to anyone who is wanting to study Journalism. You will learn a lot and have so many experiences you won't get anywhere else!
Thank you Macleay for a wonderful year!
Vishi xoxo
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