An important decision
I have just signed up to do a Diploma in Freelance Journalism at the British College of Journalism, Oxford. It's a short course by distance learning, aimed at those who want to make a career as freelance writers.
Now, being a full-time freelance is not my ultimate career-goal, but I hope to gain useful contacts from this course, and get published in a wider number of publications. The decision wasn't easy, though.
I wanted to get my NCTJ qualification. However, the NCTJ itself only offers a complete Diploma in Journalism, in which I'd have to start from scratch and would basically have wasted the last three years doing my B.A. (Hons) degree. And there was no way to just do the modules I needed. Besides, I don't really agree with having to do extra studies and spend money for something I should have been provided with while I was studying towards my B.A. at the University of Central Lancashire. The course is quite expensive, and I already have all the books. So what I'm going to do instead is study for the NCTJ's by myself - luckily my boyfriend has done all the modules, and can help me when I get stuck - and apply to sit the exams when I'm ready.
But until then, I'm doing the British College of Journalism course, which will give me a tutor from the field of travel journalism (FINALLY!), help me pitch to everything from local weekly papers to national magazines, and provide me with useful contacts, all aimed at getting published and paid for it! I'll have my articles published on the International News Syndicate website, get the INS media pass and they guarantee that I'll have my course fees back within my first three paid assignments or they'll refund the difference!
Distance learning will be tough, no doubt, especially as I have to fit a full-time job, creating Shoestring and study sessions for the NCTJs into my week as well. But the British College of Journalism is based in Oxford, so I'll have this reputable city on my CV. It's not the University of Oxford - I could not afford to do a proper Master degree from Oxbridge or any university for that matter, although I'd really quite like to - but it's based in the same city, and, as we've learned, perception is a powerful thing.
Out and About in Oxford
Oxford - what a great place! I only got to spend a weekend there, but I absolutely loved it! On my weekend break from Wanderlust, I had to move out of YHA Jordans, and decided to go to Oxford. New hostel, city centre location (unlike the "middle-of-the-forest" location of Jordans) and a place I've always wanted to go to.
I spent my first morning not in Oxford at all - instead I decided to drive down to Stonehenge for my assessment and have a look around at their managing techniques. But Oxford's pull was stronger, and the whole city, at least to me, more intriguing. The ancient buildings of the halls and colleges that make up the University of Oxford reflect the city's rich history, not only in architectural terms.
As a place of learning and knowledge, I shouldn't have been surprised by the amount of books in the Bodelian library or the amount of booksellers throughout the heart of the city. Over 6 million books! And my own university couldn't even maintain it's three miniature libraries in Carlisle...
Sunday morning I was up early. I was the very first person to climb Carfax Tower that day, even before it officially opened. Not advisable for people afraid of heights (narrow, steep spiral staircase, through which you can see the ground below) and asthmatics, the tower offers views over Oxford's city centre and its Dreaming Spires. 360° Panorama views of most of the colleges, churches, chapels, medieval buildings and the city bustling underneath make it worth it all, but I was glad when I was back on solid ground as I suffer from both problems outlined above. However, I'm also such a keen photographer that I tend to ignore them until I have to turn back down...
On nice days, punting on the Isis (as the Thames is called in Oxford) or on the Cherwell is recommended. There are walks along the rivers for those wishing to stay out of the water. Walking around the medieval college buildings, the Radcliffe Camera, Sheldonian Theatre, Bridge of Sighs is like stepping back in time. On the main shopping streets, 15th century houses lean into the streets. Many cafés are hidden away in back yards and alleys, although they really capture the atmosphere of the city. Students pouring over books and grabbing quick coffees to go.
Before I walked around Christ Church College (one of the most famous ones in Oxford), I treated myself to a G&D's ice cream. Although this Oxford ice cream parlour is not the cheapest, it is one of the best I've been told and I can testify they are pretty good! Christ Church College was amazing. To walk around the old buildings, the dining hall, the dorms, the cathedral on the grounds of the college ... and to think that students still study there, sleep in the same rooms as hundreds of students have done before them over the course of hundreds of years! I came close to transferring to Oxford University just for the sake of studying at a properly recognised uni that's well respected and established and history-ladden. Glancing up at the portraits of former students that hang on the dining hall walls, I just can't imaging UoC to ever be any competition. Full-gown dinners, taking exams in academic dress, honouring all the traditions there... just imagine!
