Training for journalism (Belarus and abroad)

College Life

The merry-go-round of college life is something that one never forgets. It's a fascinating, fantastic experience.

Who can forget the first day at the university when one turns from an applicant who has passed entrance exams into a first-year student? The rector, vice-rectors, deans, subdeans… Heads of departments and senior lecturers? Some of them must be professors, some - associate or assistant professors, but, of course, all of them have high academic degrees.

The monitors hand out student membership cards, student record books and library cards - one feels like a real person. First celebrations and then days of hard work. So many classes, so many new subjects to put on the timetable! The curriculum seems to be developed. Lectures, seminars and tutorials. Home preparations; a real avalanche of homeworks.

Junior students become senior. Still all of them are one family undergraduates. Students' parties in the students' club. Meeting people and parting with people.

ORGANIZING YOURSELF

When to study

The best way to start to study efficiently is to plan your time and organize your work.

Where to study

There are a number of places where you can study - college library, public lodgings, home, vacant classrooms, on bus or train - and each has several obvious advantages and disadvantages.

TAKING EXAMS

University Studies

Higher education inBelarus

Belarusian education is ranked among the best ones, and the Belarusian specialists are much in demand in the world.

There is a broad network of educational establishments in the system of higher education of Belarus. Four major types can be distinguished:

· Classical university;

· Profile university or academy;

· Institute;

· Higher college.

There are 57 higher educational establishments, of which 43 are state owned, 13 are private and 2 are run by religious organizations.

Classical and profile universities as well as institutes are classified as higher educational establishments of university type and provide a two level system of higher education with academic degrees of Bachelor and Master. At the same time the old 5-year curriculum is still in use. Graduates both from state and private universities are granted state diplomas of higher education.

But it is not that easy to become a student. Therefore only the very best can study at budget cost. The entrants who passed the entrance exams successfully but did not win the competition have the opportunity to study for their own account.

Belarusian higher educational establishments have 3 forms of learning: full-time, evening and by correspondence.

The efficiency of any form of learning is ensured by highly-qualified teaching staff which includes a large number of candidates and doctors of science, associate professors and professors.

But higher education in Belarus does not only mean lectures, seminars and exams. In addition Belarusian students participate in international scientific conferences and competitions, student exchange programs. Belarusian teams take first places at competitions in mathematics, economy and programming.

Then, after graduation the budget students are provided with the first workplaces. Finding a good job on specialty both in the republic and abroad is not a problem for paying students either.

After university graduation young specialists have the possibility to get a postgraduate education.

UNIVERSITY EDUCATION IN GREAT BRITAIN

The principal post-school institutions of higher education are the 47 of which 36 are in England, 8in Scotland, 2 in Northern Ireland and 1 in Wales.

Apart from the universities there are the 30 polytechnics in England and Wales, the 14 Scottish central institutions which provide similar studies and the Ulster Polytechnic in Northern Ireland.

British universities are independent, autonomous, self-governing institutions.

InEngland, Wales and Northern Ireland the most usual titles for the first degree are Bachelor of Arts (BA) or Bachelor of Science (BSc) and for the second degree Master of Arts (MA), Master of Science (MSc) and Doctor of Philosophy (PhD or DPhil);

British universities can be roughly divided into three groups: I) Oxford and Cambridge and the older Scottish universities, 2) the redbrick universities, and 3) the new universities.

HIGHER EDUCATION IN THEUSA

In the USA there are over 3,300 different institutions of higher education with more than 12 million students.

The system of higher education includes 4 categories of institutions: (1) the two-year, or community college; (2) the technical training institution; (3) the four-year college; (4) the university, which may contain (a) several colleges for students who want to receive a bachelor's degree after four years of study; and (b) one or more graduate schools for those who want to continue their studies after college for about two years to receive a master's degree.

There are 156 universities in the USA. Any of these institutions of higher education may be either public or private.

The academic year is usually nine months, or two semesters of 4 and a half months each. Studies usually begin in September and end in July. The undergraduate students who study for four years are called as follows: (a) the first-year student is called a freshman; (b) the second-year student is called a sophomore; (c) the student of the third year is known as a junior; and (d) the fourth-year student — a senior.

During one term or semester a student will study four or five different subjects. The students' progress is controlled through oral or written tests, term or course papers and a final examination in each course. College grades are usually on a five-point scale: A — is the highest mark and is usually equal to 5 points, and E or F means failure.

Each college or university has its own curriculum. There are courses that every student has to take in order to receive a degree. These courses or subjects are called major subjects or "majors". At the same time there are subjects, which the student may choose himself for his future life. These courses are called "electives".

Thus, we see that the American system of higher education gives the student much choice which he may realize according to his will. His achievements in his studies and future work depend upon himself.

Careers in journalism

 In my junior year at secondary school I start planning a career. The school where I stady is preparing me for a future career. And I think that my personality traits of character are better suited for journalism.

 I Know, that journalism is a hard life. It can be exciting, but it can be sometimes boring.

 A good journalist is not easily rebuffed. He/she must have a good deal of self-reliance and push and energy and initiative. As much as any field, modern journalism offers the stimulation of action, the challenge of discovery, the sense of creativity.

Being a journalist is a profession full of dreams and desires, and since the beginning of the process to become one, the student has to face the contrast between the university and the real environment, because journalism has an advantage, that can be disadvantage too. That is, that everybody can look at the work that a reporter does, because this is the real meaning of journalism, to work for the community and for the public cause. Being in the front of the reality and in the center of illusions is the place in which the students can see the roads they can follow in the real world.

From my point of view a good journalist should be communicative, curious, mobile, active, honest, respectful, tollerant for critics, should keep case in time.

Well, journalism is also exiting profession. We meeting important people, writing good stories, face different situations, have chances to deal with visual social and political issues.

- As you see make a good career in journalism is not so easy, but my ideal journalist today is Vladimir Posner. He is a Russian journalist best known in the West for appearing on television to represent and explain the views of the Soviet Union during the Cold War. He worked as chief commentator for the North American service of the Radio Moscow network.

In 1997, Posner founded the School for Television Excellence in Moscow to educate and promote young journalists. He is president of the Russian Television Academy, which annually distributes the country's most prestigious TV awards.

For many years during the Cold War, Vladimir Posner delivered the nightly "Radio Moscow News and Commentary" program.

He was host of several shows, among them the US-Soviet Space Bridge "Mi", (translated "Us"); "Chelovek v maske", ("A Man in the Mask"). Today Posner hosts a political talk show on Russia's Channel One, the show named "Vremena", ("Times").

Training for journalism (Belarus and abroad)

From my point of view, would-be journalists need a higher stan­dard of school qualifications before they can get a job. And in many countries there are a lot of types of training for journalism.

For example Great Britain.

If people want to become a journalists in Britain, they must agree to follow a course of training laid down by the National Council for the Training of Journalists, and they must pass their examinations. NCTJ was set up in 1952.

There are basically two ways of entering the training schemes or­ganized by the NCTJ: either by getting a job on a newspaper and then applying to enter the training scheme which combines practical journal­ism with part-time study, or by taking the one-year full-time course organized by the NCTJ.

- find a job in newspaper

- a 6 month trial period

- apprenticeship

- enter the training scheme

There are plenty of Journalism Schools in USA. If you are interested in the fields of mass media and communication then journalism is the right career option for you. Journalism offers a very vast scope in many different professions such as Broadcasters, News Directors, Reporters and Editors in various news and entertainment sectors. Students who opt for Journalism Schools in USA may select courses based on their media preferences and abilities. The possibilities of Journalism are endless if you are passionate about the field.

You will find that Journalism Schools in USA offer a very well-planned and well-structured curriculum for its students. Both graduate and post-graduate journalism courses are offered by different universities and colleges of USA. Some of the specialized journalism programs offered by them are - Public Relations & Advertising, Broadcasting & Digital Communication, Journalism Studies, Photo Journalism along with Communication & Media Studies.

The best Journalism Colleges in USA are located in various parts of the country. The Journalism Universities and Colleges of USA stated below are believed to be among the most prominent educational institutions of North America.