Vatican Citys No.2 Keeper
Rebels & Albion
Is it honestly true that both Craig David and Dannii Minogue are the holders of Honorary Doctorates from Solent? Been told that before but just refuse to believe it.
*sigh* yes, they paid £2k for Minogue's ceremony to be held on a ship on the Thames because she was "too busy" to come to Southampton to pick it up pretty certain Craig David only got it because he is from Southampton...no idea who they'll give one to when I graduate next month!
The Uni's crap reputation is probably deserved, but I went there purely because of the course itself in comparison with others. A lot of people at the Uni could have gone to others with higher grade askings and better reputation, but we all chose Solent because as an all-round course it is one of the better ones.
Now here's what I have to say with regard to the Sports Journo courses:
Whilst there are other places further north, Brighton, Solent and Staffordshire were the three I had experience of from open days and can talk about a bit, though Solent in much more detail having just finisher the course.
What I would say when it comes to deciding where you want to study it is which section of journalism are you specifically interested in? If you care less for Radio/TV and want to focus more on the writing side of journalism then Brighton is your best bet due to it's association with the NCTJ...at least that is my understanding, am i right in saying that [MENTION=20659]tycoon0_0[/MENTION] (please correct me if not)?
SJ at Solent is not NCTJ accredited because the course leader feels that there are many units that they would be required to teach that are simply not relevant to Sports Journos. There is the option at the end of the third year to take shorthand and other NCTJ units, but as tycoon says, this will cost you a fair bit. The course at Solent is however accredited by the BJTC - it's broadcasting equivalent.
That is Solent's major strength. There is as much focus on Broadcasting (Radio/TV) as the written side of Journalism on the course at Solent, and it helps that the two main broadcasting lecturers are probably the best lecturers on the course. They know their stuff - as with most of the lecturers they are still working in the industry that they teach - but the important thing is they are very good at being able to pass these skills onto us students. Also helps they are both cracking blokes as well!
You also have units on Web/Magazine as well along with many other options both academic and vocational, but for me the selling point of Solent is the Broadcast element. You can start University wanting to be involved in one sector of the industry, and leave with a completely different idea of where you want to be in the working world.
Staffordshire is similar to Solent, however I would assume they have superior academic teachings with renowned author Ellis Cashmore on the teaching staff. This is the course that teaches the "Beckham Studies" unit. I decided not to have it as first choice for one reason and one reason only...Stoke.
As for general stuff, as others have said it is as important -if not more - that you get your CV full of work experience. This is something the lecturers will help you with by offering you the chance to do so, but it's up to you to get in contact with these contacts at websites, magazines, football clubs etc and do the work. Many employers, the BBC included, hold that above what grade you get.
Few examples of people in my year who have done such. My best mate at Uni worked his arse off writing for various websites, and is now Assistant Editor at Shoot Magazine. Another example is a fellow NSC'er who moved back to Brighton halfway through his last year, got an internship at Albion and now works in the club's media department.
Hope this is not too confusing for you [MENTION=22250]north stand seagull[/MENTION] as I have seemingly spouted this all off in one go and it's likely it will look incoherent, but if you have any questions regarding anything I've said then don't hesitate to PM me! I admit I was one of the many who made the mistake of not getting enough on my CV during my three years, and had I been 18 again now I would have done a lot to rectify that.
My final word on Solent. Yes the University itself is nothing to shout home about, but the Sports Journalism course is one of the best of it's kind in giving you an all round experience in the various sectors of the industry, and is well worth considering!