What I loved about uni

Annabelle graduated in July 2014 after studying Broadcast Journalism in Hastings. She now works in TV and has worked on the BBC’s Gareth Malone’s All Star Choir and Channel 4’s First Dates, to name a few. She’ll soon be starting a new Production Secretary role on the next Gareth Malone series. Here in her guest blog she tells us what she loved about being at uni.

“Uni was the best three years of my life, not just because of the university itself but because of the experience gained and friends I made. When I started the Broadcast Journalism course it was only in its second year, so there were kinks within it that needed ironing out. The lecturers worked closely with us to make the course better and teach us what we wanted to know, I love that I’ve helped to shape the course for new students.

When I first got to uni I almost dropped out because of how much I missed home and my family but the absence makes you appreciate it so much more when you go back in the breaks. I am so glad I stuck it out because it was so much fun and really did prepare me for the world of work. I thoroughly enjoyed every bit, even the deadlines! Most of all I loved living with my friends, going out during the week and having pizza the next day together in our PJs.
Once you start working you can’t do that anymore,
so enjoy it whilst it lasts!                             

The skills I learnt on my course have directly helped me in some of the TV jobs I’ve done. Before I started university I had a fear of phone-bashing and picking up unknown callers but studying a journalism course meant that when there was a story to be investigated, I had to pick up the phone, which helped me become a more confident. If you work in TV as a runner you are constantly on the phone, so having the confidence made a huge difference.

I don’t think I would have got into TV if I hadn’t done my work experience module. I did my work experience on Mary’s Silver Service in 2013. I gained so much by working with Mary Portas and met lots of contacts that helped me get my next job on Sunday Brunch. It was a huge confidence boost for me and I think that everyone should do at least one work experience placement before they graduate.

In the future, I would like to be producing TV shows based around politics because that’s where my passion lies. We did a few modules about politics and law during the course and I based my dissertation on the political influence that the media has. I’d specifically like to make programmes about youth engagement and voter apathy because they’re the current and most prominent issues with the voting public of today. I know that if I hadn’t been to uni, I wouldn’t believe I could ever do this but now I know I can.”