I’m not a journalist

Hello sweet potatoes!

Semester 2 has officially begun (three weeks ago, actually). Woo!

I’m doing my Masters in Global Media Communication and my entire family and extended relatives believe I’m gonna be a journalist one day and appear on TV shows. Wha-

I don’t try to correct them anymore. My family has zero idea about what I’m really doing.

I chose this course because I strongly believe in pursuing what I’m passionate about. Semester 1 was sluggish, but Semester 2 is making all the difference.

Semester 1 consisted of Understanding Media & Communications, Researching Media & Communications and Legal Issues in Media and Publishing.

Not gonna lie, Understanding Media and Communication is a heavy subject and requires regular reading. You can’t float your way through; you have to swim all on your own. On the bright side, the lecturers are terrific and they make the journey much simpler by explaining concepts, providing word-to-word guidelines for assignments and answering questions to literally everything. I’ve always looked forward to tutorials where the class used to indulge in compelling conversations about the topic of the week.

Researching Media & Communication is a breath of fresh air. If you’ve previous experience working on research projects, this is going to be a breeze. If you don’t, it’s still gonna go swimmingly well because the purpose of the subject is to instill an understanding about the process of research. Also the lecturers are exceptionally supportive and quite easy to talk to. If you put in enough efforts, the subject is an easy A.

Legal Issues in Media and Publishing was the most interesting one in my opinion because the subject was new to my knowledge and the lecturer was purely entertaining and engaging in class. BUT I almost passed out after receiving my final grade. Failure to quote sufficient academic references in the essay cost me greatly.

Having said that, these subjects really helped me get the hang of the course. And being in a class with students from diverse cultures and background promote fascinating perspectives about things. It breaks manifold stereotypes too. Although this program comes with a lot of writing, it never gets boring.

Don’t be afraid to ask questions. This applies to both future aspirants of UniMelb and the current students. I can’t emphasize how important this is. And trust me when I say this, there are no right or wrong questions at UniMelb. By asking questions, in addition to getting answers, you are also directed towards opportunities for further help.

The best part about this program is, every subject is connected around the current global events. I never used to read newspapers and I had zero idea about what was happening around me or the world. But the subjects I’ve taken up really inspires me to take that extra step and stay informed. This development is certainly a first and makes me look forward to the next two semesters as well.

I have a huge student loan hovering over my existence, but I know for certain that this course will be worth it!