More reflections...on being a student.

It’s A-level results day, so it feels like a good moment to share some more of my reflections on 25 years in journalism education. This time, a mix of observations on and advice for students!

I know this will get lost among all the photos of leaping students and the social media posts claiming it doesn’t matter and doesn’t define you (it does to you/it doesn’t). I'm also aware that talking about this is shaky ground. People will read a lot into and between what's below. Most of that will be wrong. But hey! I'm the one putting it out there. So, here goes...

It’s not how you get there; it’s what you do next.

Thinking about A-level results in particular, my view is that when you walk into the classroom, does it matter that you came through clearing? Do I care if you got A*s or Bs (or whatever it is now)? In the nicest possible way, no. Don’t get me wrong—I'm in awe that you’ve navigated a system that seems intent on testing your resilience as much as your knowledge. But when you walk through the door, I take it as read that you’ve done everything you need to be there and that this is where you want to be. I’m looking forward, not back. What matters is that you're here, and we want to keep you moving towards your goal.

The myth of the bad year

If there’s one thing anyone in education will tell you, it’s that there are good cohorts and bad cohorts. I think there’s some truth in that, but the reasons why are not as clear-cut as it simply being a bad year. There’s so much that can influence the way we feel about an academic year, and in all honesty, very little of that has to do with the students. However, while the bad year might be a bit of a myth, in my experience, there are certainly years when there are bad students. Not bad people, just people bad at being students. And that can make a big difference.

It never ceases to amaze me how easy it is for one or two people to drive a year group apart. At undergraduate level, that tends to emerge in the second year. It’s the ones who are still messing about in seminars, the ones who are always late with work or freeload on assignments, the ones who still want to behave like freshers. I know the other students in the room see this - they see them and instinctively withdraw from those people. It makes group work and maintaining a strong sense of cohesion across a cohort difficult.

What makes it harder is that it's often difficult to minimise the impact of students like that. Difficult because, sometimes, those students turn things around. There’s nothing like a final year wake-up call - better late than never - and we always judge the work, not the person. But it’s also difficult because losing students, especially across the transition from Level 4 to Level 5, is an absolute nightmare for your stats.

Now, we can argue the relative pros and cons of working in that kind of environment. But one serious consequence is that staff can look passive or like we don't care. When students see the disruption, they may feel we aren’t being proactive enough in stopping it. Staff may feel they can't. Before you know it, everyone is taking a step back. The bad year makes itself.

Using your resources

I’m aware this might not be a popular view. There will be students who think I’m standing in front of a class, keeping score, or that if I judge you a troublemaker, I’m going to write you off. Nothing could be further from the truth. I'm not organised enough to keep a naughty or nice list! I’m also not advocating for simply removing at-will students who are challenging. Everyone has a right to find their feet. God knows university demands young people grapple with more than just study It's right there is a safety net...up to a point.

Over the years, I’ve come to see that this isn't about effort, ability or commitment—those are human traits, they vary as much in me as they do in students. It's about resources; What resources do you have to get the best out of the course you’re on?

In the context above, those resources could be maturity, self-motivation and a capacity for self-reflection. If you don't have those or aren‘t willing to apply those to your studies and/or you don’t want to be in the room, well, you’re a grown-up, you don’t have to be in the room. But don't be surprised if other people don't want you there if you are.

However, there are also very real challenges on students' resources. Resources like money, mental and physical health and time are sometimes in short supply. In the end, if you don’t have the resources, you can't get the best out of things. There's no point in judging, making assumptions or anything else for that matter. What we do need to work out is how we get the best out of the resources we do have. These are sometimes hard calls to make for everyone. Sometimes, the realisation is that there just aren't enough resources and it's not going to work right now.

That makes it all the more frustrating when the disruptors - the bad students - take that for granted. For those genuinely stretching their resources to breaking point for the opportunity, we see you. I'd encourage you to call it where can you see it. Out the chancers who'll lean on your resources.

When I reflect on that, especially in the context of resources, I don’t envy students today. There’s more to deal with before you even walk through the classroom door. I wish it were different. I wish there were better support available to add to those resources and recognition of just how much work there is to create them.

I see the pros and cons of that as a post-graduate programme leader. I see those who were challenged by resources in earlier academic life come back, ready to go. Time away to collect resources is never wasted, or the end of your academic journey. (A year out for example, is never a waste!). At the same time, the resource challenge is all the more acute for Postgraduates.

We have an HE system so obsessed with UG (cutting, slicing and measuring) that an easy progression to PG is often just assumed in the mix. (see previous post) It's not made much easier by the fact that, as highly valued as PG qualifications are in the industry, the accessibility and diversity of careers in journalism remains stubbornly tilted in favour of those with plenty of those resources already to hand.

I wish the education system was less, well, a system. Less rigid in its ideas of progression and more progressive in terms of access.

Some advice to consider

So, come September, if you’re about to start a journalism course, there’s loads of advice out there on getting ready - building news sense, building your knowledge of current affairs and so on. But here’s what I’d say.

• Good choice: I think you’ve signed up for the best course at university if you want a set of skills targeted at industry, but also among the most transferable skills you can have.
• Be curious: There’s no better way to succeed at journalism than to be curious. Good journalism is all about asking and answering, ‘Why?’ Apply that to everything you do. But when you’re learning, often the more important question is ‘How?’ How did they do that? How do I do that? Immerse yourself in journalism, and if you see a piece you love, pull it apart, look at it as something you can construct. Then try it. Imitation (not plagiarism 😄) is the quickest form of learning.
• Journalism is a community: As much as I might despair of what the industry sometimes does. The people are amazing. Working journalists are some of the most helpful people I know. That comes from being where you are. They’ll welcome you into the journalism community with open arms. Remember, being part of that community starts in the classroom - you are student journalists. The other people in your room are future colleagues, not just other students. Be prepared to help build, grow and change the community with the values that you want to be a part of.
• Be honest about your resources: We all have good days and bad days. Days when we have more to give than others. Be honest about that. Share when you are able. Take help when it’s offered, ask for it if it's not and think about how to move forward with the resources we can find together.

Remember, it’s not how you got here...it’s where you want to go next.