Day in the life of a MA Journalism student from Germany
By Jeannique Kühne
Hi, my name is Jeannique but most people call me Jenn. I have lived in few different places - I grew up in Berlin, lived in Australia, did my undergraduate degree in Amsterdam, worked in Lisbon and Copenhagen, and I’m now doing my Masters in Journalism at Nottingham Trent University (NTU).
Join me on my typical day at NTU studying, working, and trying to find a balance between everything.
🕚 9:00am - A slow morning start to the day
On a typical day, I wake up around 9 o’clock - not because I’m naturally a morning person, but because the Market Square bells outside my window insist on ringing right around then. They chime every fifteen minutes until about 10pm, which is… charming, depending on the day. When I’m exhausted and would sleep through anything, they’re a lifesaver. On weekends, when I’d love to sleep in, they’re less of a blessing. Still, you really can’t beat the view that comes with them.
Once I’m up, I head straight for breakfast. Most days I have chia pudding mixed with yoghurt and whatever fruit I’ve managed to grab from Tesco. And of course, no morning is complete without a mug of Yorkshire Tea.
🕚 11:00am - Shorthand Lecture at City Campus
I am on my way to City Campus for our Shorthand lecture. As part of the Journalism MA, we also take exams toward the NCTJ (National Council for the Training of Journalists) which is a gold‑standard accreditation that teaches us professional industry standards. It means extra exams on top of our degree, but it also means we’re learning the exact skills used in real newsrooms.
One of those exams is Shorthand. It's a dictation language still used in courts, where recording devices aren’t always allowed. It’s a whole system of symbols, strokes, and squiggles that somehow lets you write up to 150 words per minute. At the moment, we’re preparing for our first exam at 60 words per minute, so our classes are all about speed building. We usually start at 80 words to push ourselves, then drop down to something more manageable.
🕚 12:15am - Midday reset and gym
If I have a two‑hour break between lectures, I will almost always go to the gym. One of the best things about studying on this campus is how close everything is - I can leave a lecture and be in the changing room within five minutes.
I have the Pink Plus membership, which has honestly been such a good deal. For this membership (currently £16.99 a month) I get full access to all the gym facilities and classes, plus entry to more than 70 gyms through BUCS UNIversal. It even gives me discounted access to the University of Nottingham swimming pool. Today I joined a 45‑minute HIIT class, and it absolutely woke me up in the middle of the afternoon. All the instructors are super nice as well, really pushing you to get the best out of the classes.
🕚 13:00 - Lunch and Spanish study
By this point in the term, any free time has to be used for something productive. So for the second hour of my break, I sit down in one of the study spots at Djanogly to have lunch and study for my Spanish class the next day. I’m taking Spanish through the University Language Programme, which offers everything from Japanese to Swedish, and up to seven different levels so you can tailor the learning to exactly where you are.
The classes are a mix of learning written and speaking practice, and we have our 10-minute oral exam coming up soon which will conclude the course. At the end, everyone gets a certificate of achievement, which is a nice little boost for my CV.
Since I’d never properly studied Spanish before (unless you count my half‑hearted Duolingo streak) I decided to do Level 1 this year. The best part is that I can come back for Level 2 next year. You don’t have to still be a university student to join the programme, which makes it feel even more accessible.
🕚 14:00 - Podcast Production Workshop
My next stop of the day is my podcasting class - easily one of the highlights of my entire degree. The whole module is very much a “thrown in at the deep end” experience, with our final project being a full pilot episode that we get a complete creative freedom over. Most classes end up being dedicated work sessions where our groups sit together, get feedback, and shape our episodes bit by bit.
Over the Easter break, my group and I went to Meadow Lane for a Notts County matchday and interviewed the all-time goal scorer Les Bradd for our episode on the club’s history. In class today, we recorded little snippets that we realised we needed for seamless transitions and started editing the whole thing.
🕚 17:00 - Writing an article for The Voice on Baller League UK
As soon as my last class finished I headed home and put on the Baller League UK stream. Through university connections, I ended up getting in touch with the editor of The Voice, and now I write weekly matchday reports on Baller League for them. I got very interested with the tournament so now I am also covering it for my major project.
Baller League is a six‑a‑side football tournament that mixes celebrities with former professional players, and getting the chance to cover it for a national paper is something I’m genuinely grateful for.
🕚 19:00 - Dinner
I like scrolling through TikTok sometimes, saving random recipes to a folder so that when I need inspiration I can just click through them. Today I chose a Mediterranean salad with tortilla chips. I like having a lighter dinner, especially now that the temperatures outside have been feeling more and more like summer. I also have maybe a 20th cup of tea today.
🕚 20:00 - Out with friends
I'm really into sports, so after dinner I met some friends at BOX in town, one of my favourite sports bars in Nottingham.
No specific match was on today but we all just wanted to watch something, so we did. After a long day of classes, studying, working, and really sticking to a timed schedule to get everything done, it is always nice to just sit and enjoy yourself and laugh with friends.
🕚 Midnight - Going to bed
I usually end my day around midnight after checking my schedule for the next day and double checking that I have set an alarm... although the Market Square bells will wake me up again tomorrow!