Journalism Surprise!

LovelyLuke

Hey guys,

I just got my CAO offer this morning and was I surprised to find that it was for a BA in journalism. This year it dropped 50 points! to 425 from last year's 475.
I sort of had my heart set on Communications and did a load of research into the course since the leaving cert results came out.

I'm still really excited about getting journalism don't get me wrong, but it was just such a shock!

So I have two questions,

1. Information about the course online is hard to find ( other than DCU's little blurb) could anybody that has experience with the course please tell me their opinion? Any information regarding it's structure would be hugely helpful too.

2. What's the story with switching courses in DCU, if ( big if) I'm not happy in the journalism course? I have the points for Communications, it was just lower on my cao.

Thanks,

Luke

mehfesto2

I can only answer #2.

I've done the same thing myself - you have to do one year in Journalism, pass all your exams and then apply for the transfer next summer. It's a bit of a pain coz then you've to get fees sorted, but that's unfortunately unavoidable!

I'm sure there are other ways around it. You shuld ring the registry (number on site) and ask them what's the best route.

LovelyLuke

mehfesto2 wrote: »

I can only answer #2.

I've done the same thing myself - you have to do one year in Journalism, pass all your exams and then apply for the transfer next summer. It's a bit of a pain coz then you've to get fees sorted, but that's unfortunately unavoidable!

I'm sure there are other ways around it. You shuld ring the registry (number on site) and ask them what's the best route.

Thanks for the response, I might give that a go.

andyman

LovelyLuke wrote: »

Hey guys,

I just got my CAO offer this morning and was I surprised to find that it was for a BA in journalism. This year it dropped 50 points! to 425 from last year's 475.
I sort of had my heart set on Communications and did a load of research into the course since the leaving cert results came out.

I'm still really excited about getting journalism don't get me wrong, but it was just such a shock!

So I have two questions,

1. Information about the course online is hard to find ( other than DCU's little blurb) could anybody that has experience with the course please tell me their opinion? Any information regarding it's structure would be hugely helpful too.

2. What's the story with switching courses in DCU, if ( big if) I'm not happy in the journalism course? I have the points for Communications, it was just lower on my cao.

Thanks,

Luke

For no. 1, have you tried looking at Qualifax?

LovelyLuke

andyman wrote: »

For no. 1, have you tried looking at Qualifax?

yeah, I just checked it out thanks.

LongLiveQ&A

I can't f***ing believe that Journalism fell by 50 points, I was the last qualified applicant, at 475 last, year:D
The Journalism course is really interesting, but like any other third level course is only what you make of it. If you involve yourself in things like the college paper and the radio station you'll get much more out of it.

The first semester has a couple of really boring and pointless modules. You'll have six modules in all. The worst of them are Media Technology and Information and Study Skills, though I think the latter has been scrapped. Intro to Social Studies, Intro the Politics and Intro to Law are arguably the hardest and it will take considerable effort to achieve good results in them. News Writing is the last of the Semester 1 modules and this is to help hone your ability to write clearly and in a style appropriate to news.

Semester two has a further six modules, News Editing, News Reporting, Radio Newsroom, History and Stucture of the Media, Communication Theory and an elective module. There are three modules to choose from for the elective, American political System, Irish Constitution, and another one who's name escapes me, I think it was Media Analysis. You may get the impression that the last seems the easiest, but it's incredibly boring and there is a lot of effort required, but it is completely continuous assesment so there's no test. No one from our year chose Irish constitution. Beware of Communication theory, it's really boring and it's marked very strictly.

My best advice is to get involved in the college media. You'll learn as much through this as you would through the course itself.

Also, there is quite a rivalry between Communication and Journalism students. The main argument is about which has the better job prospects, our argument in Journalism was always that Journalism was higher points, now with a 50 point drop that's out the window, they'll be insufferable this year:D Give Journalism a year and then see if you still want to transfer, you will have missed a lot of the technical modules that CS do, but you'll have much more news writing and radio writing experience than they do.
Journalism is a highly respected degree and a large proportion of media professionals are DCU graduates which makes things much easier when looking for favours.

LovelyLuke

thanks for the reply, i appreciate the info.

postmeister

as a graduate of journalism in dcu i am sorry to inform you that the media is an industry where contacts matter far more than content. in spite of what you are told by the staff, and in promotional material, most graduates of the baj and maj in dcu, and indeed in other colleges NEVER work fulltime in journalism. the fiscal downturn will only make the situation worse. you will encounter many journalists on national newspapers and the likes of rte who are vague about where they did their journalism studies. many simply never studied journalism, but used personal or family contacts to get ahead. simply put, if you cannot call in a favour, you are very unlikely to get hired.
this is a subject seldom talked about, for good reason. those who might wish to raise nepotism in a debate will probably be the people who have broken rules - and even employment law - to get an inexperienced or "unqualified" siblings or friends into a media organisation.
i suspect that ryan tubridy would be the ultimate example of this. he was probably the best connected 22 year old in ireland as he left college: google his name and the word "connections" or "family" and you will see what i mean. he never studied journalism, and had no experience when hired as a reportor on the pat kenny radio show a decade ago, as far as i know. happy to be corrected on this if i am wrong.
for all young people coming into the various college journalism programmes i would say, enjoy your course and complete your degree, but dont expect that half of your class will ever work in the irish times or on national radio or television. sad to say, that is the way ireland works...:mad:

postmeister

regarding the reply by longliveq&a may i respectfully ask are you a graduate of the journalism degree in dcu? your remarks about the success of baj /maj grads is not correct, if you are being honest. i would say that as long as five years after graduation most graduates of these courses do NOT have a fulltime job in journalism. many of my classmates have left the profession. you could not pay rent, buy a house, a car, raise a family on the very occasional bit of freelancing you might get from a sympathetic editor.
regarding communications, the fact that it is not journalism matters not a whit if it connections that get your foot in the door of rte, say, though you are probably correct in thinking that the baj students would think of themselves as better than their communications' counterparts.
ryan tubridy studied Classics at UCD, and then Law, for a while, i understand.
i don’t want to damper enthusiasm here, but journalism is a profession dominated by families in ireland. that is the fact of the matter. a classmate of mine, now a section editor in a national daily, and a very talented journalist, finally landed a job through his close friend, a nationally respected journalist. i met him on o'connell st in dublin at that time, and he said "all that matters is kissing ass, and contacts".
his words, not mine, but accurate and succinct.

postmeister

longliveq&a: my mistake. you, are a second year BAJ, i see from rereading your reply. just one comment, in my time virtually none of the lecturers told us what the world outside the classroom was really like. they certainly didn't try telling you what i have, earlier. it came as a real shock.
why would they? they are paid to TURN OUT STUDENTS WHO PASS THEIR EXAMS. and they do a good job in that regard.
but don't expect the cold hard facts as well.
:cool:

LongLiveQ&A

Thank you for re-reading my post. Also, thank you for dredging up the old argument of whether Journalism is worth it or not, that little gem hasn't been trotted out endlessly this year already. I was telling the person who started the thread what he/she could expect from first year, not his/her job prospects.

I never actually guaranteed him/her a job, I said being a DCU graduate can make it easier in the media world as a large percentage of PR people are now grauates of DCU themselves. I said the course was highly respected, which it is, what I didn't say, which will become blindingly obvious to this person by Christmas, is that it no longer deserves that respect. The course is being dumbed down year on year to increase graduate turnout. The failings of the course was the very reason that I advised the poster to get involved in media on campus. He/She will have to teach him/herself many of the technical things that most lecturers either don't know or couldn't be bothered to show you.

I am not under the impression that my class will all qualify and become working journalists straight away, I am not even under the impression that half my class will be working in Journalism ten years down the line. The lecturers currently taking modules in Journalism are also continually at pains to tell us that most of us won't be journalists and that the whole profession is in a complete flux at the moment.

Of course it's about contacts, the media world has always been about contacts, but that doesn't mean that we shouldn't achieve academically as well.

I would have had much more respect for your little dig at my naivity had it been warranted or had you even bothered to cap the odd word. I have articles published in national papers and have been working extremely hard on my contacts. I was trying to answer the question not start posting about my regrets and bitterness.

postmeister

thanks for your response. sorry to offend you with my comments. you make some fair points. things may have changed since my day, i will bow to your current experience.
however...regarding my caps, that is a little trite, i might say. punctuate only before publication, and when you are being paid! I am a little worried that you see this as important, on a message board. a friend of mine went on INTRA to a Dublin tabloid. the editor threw a northside people at him, and told him to rewrite page one in 30 minutes. no new quotes, no new angle. good luck with the caps point, there…
regarding my perceived bitterness, that is something you aren't qualified to comment on, i would respectfully suggest, since you based your assumptions of a posting left on career options after college.
wait until, say, two years after your own graduation.
i seem to have hit a nerve with you regarding your future prospects. that was not my intention. i never suggested you were naive.
i don't know you well enough - or at all, if truth be told.
certain graduates from every year in dcu will wax lyrical about the course, and say how it is a great foundation, without mentioning that their dad/uncle/aunt is the editor/feature writer/publisher of a national newspaper. which is rather relevant, it seems to me. they did in my day, and i am sure some of your classmates will, too. many will not.
articles published in the national press? well done for your proactive attitude. clap yourself on the back. i had half a dozen before i graduated.
makes little difference to an editor being lobbied to give the job to a friend’s nephew.. as does a candidate’s being involved in on-campus radio, laudable though it is. nepotism is not limited to journalism.
fair dues to you, though, at least you are motivated enough to make you voice heard. I assume you are taking your studies seriously, with a view to working?
dcu sells a service. you enrol, study, get a degree. it is not in their interests to publicize ANYTHING negative about the university's courses. Tesco will tell you that they are the best supermarket, ford that they produce that best cars.
the average lecturer in any college is concerned with his life, his family, and his career, not in telling students about the realities of life after graduation. some are more motivated. after a few years in the system, very few remain so motivated.
as an experienced lecturer commented to me about an even more senior colleague a couple of years ago:-
"to be honest he (the other lecturer), couldn't really give a f*%k anymore about this course." nice. and i am talking a very senior member of staff, here.
most of us do degrees in order to get a job. if you cannot get a job in your degree area, it is a waste of time, money, and effort which would be better spent elsewhere. hence, no degrees in coalmining, alchemy, or professional hurling.
pity that q&a is gone. they were great for lashing the cheap wine into the audience before transmission. though, as an rte show, perhaps not so quick to promote the most talented researchers to the job of producers...

piggies

i got journalism too cant believe it went down by so many points! im trying not to think about my future career just yet...!

looking forward to starting though

giveliberty

I know some reporters in respectable print media who got jobs out of the BAJ......not many I might add, but some.

It is a good course, should have never been downgraded to three years.

Like all courses there are good and bad elements to them. It is up to the individual student to be proactive, to get out there and get their name noticed. There are a many household name who got noticed during their student journalism days.

Contacts are important. You would be an idiot to think otherwise. Talent will get noticed though. The industry is in turmoil at the moment, it never really changed its finance model, ie one based upon advertising revenue, and it is rediculously top heavy.

It's a good idea to start learning how to blog and make sure your blog gets noticed. Several senior journalists started their career simply by blogging.

As one senior Editor in the Indo once told me writing for the campus paper is one thing - it will help you refine your technique and style but the moment you get printed in the nationals your focus should be to continue that effort, with all primacy. Just because you are a student does not mean you can't get printed.

It is more difficult for students to get printed - you don't have the mainstream contacts that a full time journalist would have, and Editors often respect a student coming with a decent story, that is well written, they will remember you - and I can speak from experience on that, and so can several of my friends.

Good luck to you in journalism!

LongLiveQ&A

postmeister wrote: »

thanks for your response. sorry to offend you with my comments. you make some fair points. things may have changed since my day, i will bow to your current experience.
however...regarding my caps, that is a little trite, i might say. punctuate only before publication, and when you are being paid! I am a little worried that you see this as important, on a message board. a friend of mine went on INTRA to a Dublin tabloid. the editor threw a northside people at him, and told him to rewrite page one in 30 minutes. no new quotes, no new angle. good luck with the caps point, there…
regarding my perceived bitterness, that is something you aren't qualified to comment on, i would respectfully suggest, since you based your assumptions of a posting left on career options after college.
wait until, say, two years after your own graduation.
i seem to have hit a nerve with you regarding your future prospects. that was not my intention. i never suggested you were naive.
i don't know you well enough - or at all, if truth be told.
certain graduates from every year in dcu will wax lyrical about the course, and say how it is a great foundation, without mentioning that their dad/uncle/aunt is the editor/feature writer/publisher of a national newspaper. which is rather relevant, it seems to me. they did in my day, and i am sure some of your classmates will, too. many will not.
articles published in the national press? well done for your proactive attitude. clap yourself on the back. i had half a dozen before i graduated.
makes little difference to an editor being lobbied to give the job to a friend’s nephew.. as does a candidate’s being involved in on-campus radio, laudable though it is. nepotism is not limited to journalism.
fair dues to you, though, at least you are motivated enough to make you voice heard. I assume you are taking your studies seriously, with a view to working?
dcu sells a service. you enrol, study, get a degree. it is not in their interests to publicize ANYTHING negative about the university's courses. Tesco will tell you that they are the best supermarket, ford that they produce that best cars.
the average lecturer in any college is concerned with his life, his family, and his career, not in telling students about the realities of life after graduation. some are more motivated. after a few years in the system, very few remain so motivated.
as an experienced lecturer commented to me about an even more senior colleague a couple of years ago:-
"to be honest he (the other lecturer), couldn't really give a f*%k anymore about this course." nice. and i am talking a very senior member of staff, here.
most of us do degrees in order to get a job. if you cannot get a job in your degree area, it is a waste of time, money, and effort which would be better spent elsewhere. hence, no degrees in coalmining, alchemy, or professional hurling.
pity that q&a is gone. they were great for lashing the cheap wine into the audience before transmission. though, as an rte show, perhaps not so quick to promote the most talented researchers to the job of producers...

Please point out where exactly I waxed lyrical about JR? I am under no illusions as to how underprepared most JR graduates will be going into the jobs market. I have absolutely no relatives in any media organisation, should I give up on this career path oh mighty one?

Regarding punctuation and caps, surely it's only common courtesy to make posts as long and irrelevant as yours readable. I again go back to the point that you barely addressed the question being asked. Try to take your emotions, whatever they may be, and post them on a thread where someone cares. Wait, what's that, it's the sound of the world's smallest violin playing the world's saddest song just for you. I did not try to gloss over the bad parts of the course, I gave an honest review with both sides of the argument. Maybe we're wasting our time here, maybe our friend who started the thread is a relative of Geraldine Kennedy, maybe he won't even need to know how to write to get a job in the Times.

And with regard to Q&A, they gave wine to some of the audience after the show for the last few years, bad idea getting angry people drunk before a show.

giveliberty

LongLiveQ&A wrote: »

Please point out where exactly I waxed lyrical about JR? I am under no illusions as to how underprepared most JR graduates will be going into the jobs market. I have absolutely no relatives in any media organisation, should I give up on this career path oh mighty one?

Regarding punctuation and caps, surely it's only common courtesy to make posts as long and irrelevant as yours readable. I again go back to the point that you barely addressed the question being asked. Try to take your emotions, whatever they may be, and post them on a thread where someone cares. Wait, what's that, it's the sound of the world's smallest violin playing the world's saddest song just for you. I did not try to gloss over the bad parts of the course, I gave an honest review with both sides of the argument. Maybe we're wasting our time here, maybe our friend who started the thread is a relative of Geraldine Kennedy, maybe he won't even need to know how to write to get a job in the Times.

And with regard to Q&A, they gave wine to some of the audience after the show for the last few years, bad idea getting angry people drunk before a show.

Ah now, did you see the show with Nell McCafferty?

Amazotheamazing

LongLiveQ&A wrote: »

maybe he won't even need to know how to write to get a job in the Times.

You think the OP is Roisin Ingle?

postmeister

hmmm. you seem to be doing a little spleen venting here, but its kind of amusing in a juvenile sort of way. :mad:
you will see soon enough.
just trying to let you know what the work situation is for people when they graduate from dcu journalism.
i assume that is why you are in college, to get a job, otherwise we are wasting out time here. during the boom, about one in three of any maj or baj class had a fulltime job in this area, three of four years out of dcu.
with the downturn, that will be probably even less.
i would predict that quite a few of your classmates will not even have an INTRA placement next year. if you are to compete for a job, INTRA is vital, so anyone not getting a placement is really up against it. journalism INTRAs in the college will be useless in trying to impress an employer.
you dont have to be ms. kennedy's nephew to get ahead, but i can assure you that in the student body right now there are a few connected individuals, and i can assure you that all will do well in work from dcu.
with jobs almost impossible to find, this will leave the majority in a very difficult position.
good luck with that contacts list you are building up, my friend.
and if you want any reassurance that you are right in your opinions, have a chat to some of the lecturers on the course who are fulltime, and years out of a newsroom.
they will tell you all will be fine, and not to listen to those nasty people on boards.ie
NOTHING is more relevant to a college graduate than inside knowledge of work or the workplace, as you will soon see. why did you sit your leaving, and study so hard for it? to swan around at home impressing people because you are in a desirable programme in college, and will some day be a successful reporter, or because you want to earn a decent living after you graduate? you should enjoy college, certainly, but you are there to learn for the workplace. unless you consider that after doing your degree asking
“would you like fries with that, Sir?”
200 times a shift is a viable career option.:)

postmeister

now, there. all caps. that okay? good man.
a quick post script. i can assure you that the Q and A lads got any of us audience members well oiled before a show. twas a good nite out anytime i went along. a free food and drink is always good.
but i raise my two fingers to their cheap finger food.;)

LongLiveQ&A

postmeister wrote: »

now, there. all caps. that okay? good man.
a quick post script. i can assure you that the Q and A lads got any of us audience members well oiled before a show. twas a good nite out anytime i went along. a free food and drink is always good.
but i raise my two fingers to their cheap finger food.;)

I don't know how long ago it was that you were at Q&A, but I can assure you that no alcohol is offered beforehand. There is wine upstairs for the few who are invited:D

LongLiveQ&A

postmeister wrote: »

hmmm. you seem to be doing a little spleen venting here, but its kind of amusing in a juvenile sort of way. :mad:
you will see soon enough.

You'll be glad to know that in the same way that you find my juvenile venting amusing I find your patronising and condescending replies just as rib-ticklingly funny.

postmeister wrote: »

just trying to let you know what the work situation is for people when they graduate from dcu journalism.

Awh shucks, Mister, thanks. I'm just so dough-eyed and downright stupid that I am completely unaware of the economic strife and the media jobs market situation. We should all be so glad that we have hacks like you to enlighten us.
I never said that it was all gumdrops and lollipops, or don't you read the other posts before you reply to them with your witty little digs. I hope they keep you warm at night.

postmeister wrote: »

good luck with that contacts list you are building up, my friend.
and if you want any reassurance that you are right in your opinions, have a chat to some of the lecturers on the course who are fulltime, and years out of a newsroom.
they will tell you all will be fine, and not to listen to those nasty people on boards.ie

If you are the nastiest person I ever come across on this site then I'll have had little worry about. When in the name of God, did I say that I formed all my opinions on lecturers' views of the industry.

postmeister wrote: »

NOTHING is more relevant to a college graduate than inside knowledge of work or the workplace, as you will soon see.

You really need to read my posts, this is getting ridculous. I have been advocating people in the course to gain as much relevant experience as possible. I have no idea what your mind translates my words into, but it certainly isn't what is there for all the rest of us to see. I have said that the degree itself is not woth the paper it's written on and that most of the skill's you'll need for the workplace will have to be self-taught. I think if you spent more time reading my posts and less time scripting witty comebacks then you'd realise that we are singing from nearly the same hymn sheet.

postmeister wrote: »

you should enjoy college, certainly, but you are there to learn for the workplace. unless you consider that after doing your degree asking
“would you like fries with that, Sir?”
200 times a shift is a viable career option.:)

Again I'll ask when did I advocate just enjoying youself. You'd swear I said that the best thing to do was to just get by in the course, do no extra work and simply have a kegger. No course work for us, we're Journalism students. Actually make that no work for us, we're Journalism graduates.

postmeister

well, you seem to be sure about it all. good luck to you, grasshopper. you'll need it. and when all of this hits home, in three years or so from now, have a look at what you've typed over the last couple of days.:rolleyes:

Rosita

postmeister wrote: »

as a graduate of journalism in dcu i am sorry to inform you that the media is an industry where contacts matter far more than content. in spite of what you are told by the staff, and in promotional material, most graduates of the baj and maj in dcu, and indeed in other colleges NEVER work fulltime in journalism. the fiscal downturn will only make the situation worse. you will encounter many journalists on national newspapers and the likes of rte who are vague about where they did their journalism studies. many simply never studied journalism, but used personal or family contacts to get ahead. simply put, if you cannot call in a favour, you are very unlikely to get hired.
this is a subject seldom talked about, for good reason. those who might wish to raise nepotism in a debate will probably be the people who have broken rules - and even employment law - to get an inexperienced or "unqualified" siblings or friends into a media organisation.
i suspect that ryan tubridy would be the ultimate example of this. he was probably the best connected 22 year old in ireland as he left college: google his name and the word "connections" or "family" and you will see what i mean. he never studied journalism, and had no experience when hired as a reportor on the pat kenny radio show a decade ago, as far as i know. happy to be corrected on this if i am wrong.
for all young people coming into the various college journalism programmes i would say, enjoy your course and complete your degree, but dont expect that half of your class will ever work in the irish times or on national radio or television. sad to say, that is the way ireland works...:mad:

As a Master's graduate in Journalism who has worked with a national newspaper I find it very hard to disagree with this.

One of the problems for newbies is that the BA/MA is now entry level rather than anything that gives you a real edge in the job.

There also is a problem at the moment in that with advertising going down the toilet in newspapers they are inclined to take less people on. This might explain why the points dropped.

I would not say don't do journalism - if someone intends to pursue a career in it and does not have contacts, it does open doors to an extent - especially in that a placement gives you experience and profile that would otherwise be hard to get. But don't expect too much.

Personally I would advise anyone to go for an Arts degree first and pursue your journalism interests through the college paper etc. - then go for a Master's in Journalism if you are still up for it.

I would be concerned about how 'transferable' to other career options a BA Journalism is if someone decides that journalism is not for them (either through lack of interest or prospects) at a later stage.

LovelyLuke

Woah, flaming.

Well thank you all for your replies, I appreciate the time you've taken to respond to this thread.

giveliberty

LovelyLuke wrote: »

Woah, flaming.

Well thank you all for your replies, I appreciate the time you've taken to respond to this thread.

I think they responded to each other more than the thread

postmeister

thanks for your 'thank you.'
I hope what I have said may be of some use to prospective journalists. In relation to longliveq&A, good luck to him or her, genuinely. When you are starting out you should be full of enthusiasm and determined to take on the world. After a few years in this lark, being taken on by the Sunday World would suffice. Landlords just seem to keep coming down for this large sum of money every month...
There are - what - maybe 120 people with recognized journalism qualifications coming out each year from colleges in Ireland? There may be even more. Are there 120 vacancies? Even in 'PR'Are there 20 vacancies – leaving aside the whole nepotism/family contacts issue – or as longliveq&a adroitly put it “the world’s smallest violin” whinge.
So, we have in excess of 120 people working their backsides off, and just a handful ever earning a living out of their area of speciality.
That is not good enough, and it is something that needs to be addressed. I would say that if the colleges suspended ever programme for five years (and I am not suggesting that they should, for one moment), and graduated nobody, there would still be many baj/maj graduates on the dole in 2014. The NUJ in the UK ran a campaign about journalists working for half-nothing a while ago, with employers calling them ‘trainees’. Here is a prediction; I would say that, as of now, graduates are working for free in the media, just to get experience, and for extended periods (and I am not talking about INTRAs). It is already happening with solicitors.

The issue of churning out graduates where there are no jobs must be addressed.
I would say that Rosita makes a fair point about pursuing this as a career if you are really, really determined to do it through arts etc.
A classmate of mine, who did a lot of freelance stuff for the Irish Times finally lost faith in them when he heard that someone (maybe a teacher on holidays) had submitted a well written travel piece. She had a contact in the Times, which was fair enough.
Was it fair enough that they then offered her a fulltime job with the paper, though, due to her friend having a word in the right earhole? What about my classmate, and the countless others? John Connolly, the crime thriller writer, was strung along for years, and they never offered him a job there, for example.
I just feel that dcu and probably the other colleges also are being disingenuous in their dealings with entrants, many of whom will not realize the true situation until they have invested four years, and probably tens of thousands of euros – particularly when colleges fess are brought it - in a baj.
Indeed many maj students don’t know the full story until they are a year or so out of the programme.
What is the solution to this? I wish I knew. Get friendly with the right people after the rugby games in D4, depressingly, is the best one I have heard.:(

legendal

Hi Luke, welcome to DCU! Firstly, to echo what the others are saying: get involved with the paper and the radio station. Both are really stepping it up a few gears this year, so you're coming to the college at a great time. Don't make the mistake a lot of people make and leave it until second or third year before you get involved.

The paper's contacts are on this page http://www.thecollegeview.com/, so I'm sure you could even get in touch with them before orientation week to express an interest. You'll get great experience in radio too, as there are lots of live news, sport and music programmes that you can work on and build up a great portfolio. You've read the debate about what jobs will be available, so why not give yourself the best possible chance by getting some experience in student media?

LovelyLuke wrote: »

1. Information about the course online is hard to find ( other than DCU's little blurb) could anybody that has experience with the course please tell me their opinion? Any information regarding it's structure would be hugely helpful too.

I'm going into JR2 myself, some thoughts on the first semester are below. Bear in mind that your timetable will almost certainly be different, I've the times in just for your own knowledge and to celebrate the fact that we all had Fridays off The assessment details and even the list of modules themselves may be different for you too. Feel free to PM me if there's anything else you want to know.

Monday: 2pm to 4pm - Intro to Social Studies lecture; Thursday: 1pm to 2pm - Intro to Social Studies seminar
Continuous assessment with a presentation at some point after week three (30%) and one 3,000-word essay done in a group of three due by the end of semester.

You'll love Des, the lecturer. Going into this I thought it was about social issues in Ireland today (e.g. unemployment, emigration etc.), but it's actually about social theories that span the centuries from Marx, Weber, et al. It didn't really interest me to be honest.

Monday: 4pm to 6pm - Intro to Politics
100% Exam with 40 multiple choice questions (MCQs), one of which was "what's on the front cover of 'Power and Choice'?", the book we used. That's not to say the exam was easy, although most people passed it. Repeat students had to do an essay.

I found it interesting, wasn't overly keen on the lecturer's style, but the topics are relevant and can be applied to the real world. There are some interesting concepts too, like 'The Tragedy of the Commons', i.e. the more accessible something is, the less care is bestowed upon it. For instance, think about how mank a nightclub toilet is compared to your own.

Tuesday: 11am to 12pm, and Thursday: 2pm to 3pm - Intro to Law lectures
30% goes for a 3,000-word essay done in a group of four and due around the middle of semester. 70% exam where you do three two-part questions, so you end up writing approx. six A4 pages in two hours.

The lecturer's a barrel of laughs and brightens up what is an otherwise tricky module, and by far the hardest I've had in the year. Go to all of these lectures, you'll regret not having your notes taken when exam time comes round.

Tuesday: 1pm to 2pm - Media Technology seminar; Wednesday: 9am to 10am - Media Technology lecture.
50% goes for a weekly quiz that you answer online based on that week's lecture. 15% goes for a single-page website that you publish online by week five or six. 35% goes for a multi-page website (approx four/five pages) that you publish by the middle of January.

If you've got an above-average ability at computers and know your way around menus and toolbars, you should do well at this. Take good, comprehensive, and legible notes at the lectures and the weekly quiz will be a doddle. If you've a natural interest in how the internet came to be and if you've seen the inside of a computer before, this will stand to you to. There's plenty of help available in designing the websites, and if in doubt, ask a friend!

Wednesday: 10am to 12pm - News Writing lecture and seminar
All continuous assement, broken up into a grammar test (10%), essays (2x25%), writing an article (30%) and a current affairs test in mid-November (10%). Subject to significant change this year as you'll have a different lecturer.

If you've a natural interest in news, you'll do fine. Prepare for things like the current affairs test, as you may feel as though you've done well, but you won't get the mark unless 'Pamela Izevbekhai' is spelt correctly. Read newspapers, and stick to the style sheet. Ask yourself what the most important factor of a story is before you write an article, and remember the inverted pyramid - the most important info at the top, the least important at the bottom.

Thursday: 3pm to 5pm - Information and Study Skills
20% for two quizes on how to use the library and find a book, 30% for a diary detailing your experiences in college, 50% for a comprehensive plan that you make out before your Social Studies group essay.

Useful to an extent in that you find out where stuff is in the library and how to cite sources the DCU way (which is actually the Harvard way) in essays. But these could easily be done in one or two information sessions, rather than 24 hours of lectures. The fact that this module is marked as well is odd, surely how well you do at other modules reflects how good your study skills are. Miss the lectures if you must, but be advised that your absence will be noticed (only about 10 people turned up towards the middle of the semester last year from a class of 200). For information on citing and referencing, buy Julie Allen's book on DCU citations from the library helpdesk for €4 instead.

Sehnsucht

As a past student of Journalism at DCU, I'd like to totally go against Postmeister's pessimistic posts and say that I have found my qualification to be a great springboard for my career. Any job that I have been in since leaving college I secured on the basis of my qualification, my interview skills and importantly, my work experience background. I had no family contacts to pave the way for my career!

It doesn't matter whether you're writing for the college newspaper or you get a two-week placement in a newsroom, it's very helpful to go into any interview with a well prepared portfolio of work. If you spend four years studying and don't contribute to any college (and/or other) publication, this will raise eyebrows in an interview situation.

I have now worked in a wide variety of journalism/publishing/press roles since leaving DCU and, I find that there are as many media vacancies doing the rounds as ever there were, if you're prepared to diversify somewhat. Journalism can lead to all sorts of related careers in businesses, not for profit organisations, NGOs and in the public service, to name but a few.

You will find that the DCU course leans somewhat towards theory and they could probably do with beefing up the practical modules, but if you put in the work and are prepared to start out on some very low wages for a while when you do graduate, you'll be ok. Some people find that radio newsrooms, local papers etc., are quite poorly paid, so there's no harm in applying your skills in related roles, such as publishing, corporate PR, communications etc.

Best of luck to all those starting in the new semester!

As a side note, Postmeister, your grammar and puntuation are horrifying for someone who is a Journalism graduate!

postmeister

i will leave aside your personal comments about my lack of skills. praise, or criticism, from an anonymous poster on a message boards doesnt either sink for float my boat with more than a decade of experience in the irish and international media, and a masters in journalism, my friend.
you are entitled to post what you want to on this site.

but tell the truth.
i have tried to let new entrants know what to expect in a year or so, as fairly as i can. the picture you paint is inaccurate in the extreme, i would say.
it is up to the readers here to use their judgement as to whether i have been pessimistic. i am neither pessimistic nor optimistic. i am simply trying to be realistic.
perhaps you have your own reasons for trying to positively spin, perhaps you are a dcu lecturer on a damage limitation exercise, who knows? that is the joy of anonymity.
people study journalism, particularly at ma level, to be journalists. not to work in related fields. that is why i went through dcu anyway, and if alumni are honest, probably why they went there too.
layoffs mean more and more mature entrants to what is an already grossly oversubscribed marketplace. THERE ARE VIRTUALLY NO VACANICIES IN THE IRISH MEDIA AT THIS TIME. i cannot believe that you are telling young people that there are. You should be ashamed of yourself for doing this.
by spinning positively you are not helping anyone, unless you believe that deluding those already committed to their course of study is helpful.
i have said my piece on this. ask journalists you know what it is really like out there, and ask for the unvarnished truth. there is an excellent discussion on the irish times website on this subject from 2008 which paints a realistic picture.
i wish all entrants the best of luck in their careers. Just go into this with your eyes WIDE open.:cool:
and the sunglasses off.

Sehnsucht

I'm not sure how you can tell me that the picture I paint is 'inaccurate', it is simply my experience since graduating, which is as valid as yours. I can assure you that I have no professional ties to DCU and am simply giving an honest account of my experience.

My advice was simply to consider wider options upon graduation, and think about applying your journalistic skills in an area you may not have first considered, I don't think this is unreasonable. All jobs are thin on the ground but there are vacancies in related areas, I have seen these myself. I'm simply advising students not to be close minded in their career choices once they graduate.

My point is that you must cast a wider net, look at jobs that may be related, but perhaps not what you had envisaged yourself working at.

Anyway, as I say, this is simply MY experience. Take it as that and nothing more. I would just say that scaremongering students isn't going to achieve anything.

thusspakeblixa

postmeister- egads, cap your Is man!

legendal, your post is great for giving an overview of the course but I'd like to stress it is your opinion. Everyone will have different opinions. For instance I loved Social Studies.

LovelyLuke, work hard and don't be lazy. Get involved in The College View and DCUfm as much as you can.

All you can do right now regarding a future job is work your arse off.

Choc123

I have very little to add to this thread regarding advice to incoming jr1s as longliveQandA and legendal have done that perfectly.
I don't think anybody disputes the fact that this industry is one of the hardest to succeed in. I don't think anybody disputes that contacts are extremely useful.
However, with respect, the fact that postmeister is coming on to a college thread when he has qualified leaves many things to be desired as to what sort of life he has.
Incoming first years, work hard but also bloody well enjoy yourselves, the situation could be very different when you qualify.
I would respectfully ask postmeister to get off his high horse. There are several people studying journalism at the moment who have the talent, determination and bottle to succeed. Clearly you are very bitter about your progress in journalism, but don't take it out on the future journalists of this country.

legendal

How'd your first week go Luke?

LovelyLuke

Pretty great, thanks for asking. Journalism is quite fun so far! (except for social studies, not really my thing :])

legendal

What did I tell ya? Although if Des is still teaching that module you can't but like the guy, at least that was our experience last year anyway. I've heard ye've a new module instead of Information & Study Skills, hope that's going well for you.

LovelyLuke

Yeah, I think we have media practice/ media technology? whichever you guys didn't have. We do have Des, and I agree he seems like a nice guy.

There's just something about that subject that I don't like, oh well. Plus it's followed directly be a politics lecture, which makes for a killer four hour session in the same room. Overall though, it was a great week, can't wait for clubs and socs days this week. :]

legendal

Glad you're settling in well. Agreed about the four hours in QG-whatever-it-was. Whenever it began to grate though I just reminded myself of where I was that time a year earlier and smiled Funny to see how they've kept the timetable the same for so many subjects though, I kinda assumed they'd get moved around a bit!

Media Practice was the one we didn't have, what's it all about? Just from the name of it it sounds like something I'd like...

Feeky Magee

Will be doing journalism in college, caught between DCU and UL. I went to the DCU Open Day on Saturday, was impressed by the American guy giving the presentation.

Can anyone doing the course say if there is any leaning towards sports journalism at all?

monument

Feeky Magee wrote: »

Can anyone doing the course say if there is any leaning towards sports journalism at all?

I don't think there is, but a DCU student won best sports writer of the year at the 2009 student media awards.

The College View, the student newspaper here, is also always looking for good sports writers, and there are a load of DCU sports teams and clubs to be written about.

Feeky Magee

Cheers mate!

artanevilla

Didn't notice thread was three pages long and q's answered. Disregard this!

thusspakeblixa

Feeky Magee wrote: »

Can anyone doing the course say if there is any leaning towards sports journalism at all?

To be honest there isn't really, it's more of a general journalism course.
You'll learn how to report on events (which could be matches etc)

I'm the Sports Editor of the college newspaper, at present I'm gagging for reporters.

You'll get a lot of experience covering DCU matches and stuff out here, and we have good relations with a lot of local newspapers if you want t6o write more sport.


The journalism you want to specialise in entirely depends on you. There's plenty of us here that are passionate about sports, we can help you along.

Feeky Magee

thusspakeblixa wrote: »

To be honest there isn't really, it's more of a general journalism course.
You'll learn how to report on events (which could be matches etc)

I'm the Sports Editor of the college newspaper, at present I'm gagging for reporters.

You'll get a lot of experience covering DCU matches and stuff out here, and we have good relations with a lot of local newspapers if you want t6o write more sport.


The journalism you want to specialise in entirely depends on you. There's plenty of us here that are passionate about sports, we can help you along.

I'd be more than willing to write for the paper should I go to DCU next year. I've been covering GAA with the Evening Echo down here for the last couple of years, so I wouldn't feel out of my depth.

Cheers for the help bud.