Julia is an undergraduate student studying Journalism, who likes listening to old music and watching sunsets.
The move
I am originally from Poland and have lived there my whole life, so to study at City, I had to move countries – which was a huge step for me (and for anyone really)! In high school, I fulfilled the International Baccalaureate Programme, known for its variety and open-mindedness, and this was one of the reasons why I wanted to study abroad. I have now finished the second year of my course and I cannot describe how fast that time has passed! I remember being stressed about the move, and now, London is basically my second home!
BA Journalism
When it comes to my degree, I would say it is quite different from other academic-based courses at university. A major part of journalism is practical work, that is why instead of spending hours studying, I spend hours writing articles or producing TV and audio packages.
I usually have three to four days of teaching a week, with some of them being shorter than the others. When I have time, I usually go to the library and work on my Spanish tasks or start drafting some of the written assessments I need to finish.
I would say one of the most interesting classes I took was the Power without Responsibility module in my second year. It focused on the power that the fourth estate (so the media, and thus journalists) holds over the audience and what responsibility comes with it. I enjoyed working on the presentation about gender stereotypes in media we created for this class, where my group compared the media coverage of Theresa May and some male politicians.
Student halls vs. private accommodation
The two years of university varied from each other. During my first year, I lived in student halls and in my second year I lived in private accommodation with my friend. In both of the cases I was really lucky – it took me about 5 minutes on foot to get to school (which was a blessing in the mornings).
I enjoyed both of those options a lot. It was nice to live in a place with many students, which has a guard and a front desk (who will always take the packages you ordered, even when you’re not there). But it was also an interesting experience living alone and having many adult responsibilities.
I think it is a nice transition – to live in the halls in your first year and keep some of the care-free life, and then try to live alone (or with friends) in a private accommodation later.
Part-time job?
I knew early on I would need to work to sustain my life in London, and didn’t really mind it at all. I actually came to work in London three months before university started, to get to know the city and find a job which I could continue to work at while studying.
I was very lucky and started working as a waitress in Farringdon, an area very close to the City campus. I managed to work there for a couple of hours two or three days a week for my whole first year of university.
However, in my second year, I decided to try out Unitemps at City, where any student can sign up and get ad-hoc jobs at the campus. This was great as I was able to choose jobs only for the time when I was available and focus more on my studies and university life in general.
This is my life at City. What will your experience be?
Find out about journalism student Sam’s experience and how to boost your journalism personal statement.
