Lorna
McDonald

Third year Journalism student, Lorna McDonald speaks to us about what attracted her to the course and NTU, her greatest achievements so far including undertaking placements at Nottinghamshire Live and The Times, and her plans for after NTU.

What were the key features that attracted you to your course and NTU?

I was attracted to my course because it had the NCTJ accreditation alongside the degree as well as a clear quality of teaching and resources provided.

I was attracted to NTU because the university came up on leader boards and when doing research into Nottingham/ NTU, it had a great response from past and present students. NTU seemed to have a great student community with lots of societies and courses, so I knew there would be lots of different students and I would definitely fit in somewhere.

Is there anything about your course that stood out to you, perhaps that wasn’t offered anywhere else you applied?

The NCTJ accreditation and the connections with the local and national media organisations and the careers of the lecturers.

What would you describe as the real strengths of your course?

The course structure is really student-friendly as it doesn't put too much stress on your social life which is important at university but also gives you enough time for extended studying without feeling like you have to sacrifice anything.

The course is quite small with cohorts not being as big as other courses, which is a great strength because the staff such as lecturers and tech staff know your personal strengths and weaknesses, making the teaching experience feel much more valuable.

What topics / projects have you really felt engaged with?

I've felt mostly engaged with the practical work such as news days and magazine news days.

It's really easy to engage in all of the modules both academic and practical which is down to the great amount of materials given and how up-to-date everything is.

What has been your greatest achievement as a Nottingham Trent University student?

I would say my greatest achievement has been my growth in confidence not only academically/professionally but confidence within myself and understanding myself more. I am proud of the grades I have achieved across the three years but I value the social and real life skills I've learnt just as much.

Another achievement is the work I have done outside University such as completing work placements at Nottinghamshire Live and The Times which I wouldn't have been able to confidently do without the skills learnt through the course.

In a nutshell, why would you recommend your course / NTU to prospective students?

It's a great course because even if you decide you don't want to go into journalism directly it gives you so many skills for other careers.

The course gives you some industry contacts that help you gain connections in the real world. So if a lecturer can't answer a question, you have that backup to ask an industry guest alongside them inspiring you.

The modules are also really interesting and bring out a lot of creativity alongside academic skills.

What three words would you use to describe Nottingham?

Friendly, fun, busy.

How have you found Nottingham as a student city?

It's a great student city because there's a real sense of community and belonging. Even though everyone is from different places people are really friendly and welcoming.

There's always something going on in the city and you never get bored.

Did you find it easy to make friends at NTU?

Yes, if you throw yourself into everything you can it's easy to make friends, especially when you are in halls in first year.

What do you think of the support available at NTU?

The support is accessible, easy to find, and effective.

What’s next for you after NTU?

I hope to do an internship in journalism to put myself more into the professional environment and get my career rolling.