What an incredibly tough entry to start. After three years at UCFB, living on-campus in Wembley, an email sent out at 12pm on a Monday officially puts a stamp on it all.
The notification also meant that I got a grade to be proud of on my dissertation, revealed at 5pm to be a First Class. It was a project moulded by my learnings at the university and driven by a personal question: "Does modern sports media prioritise engagement over ethics?"
It's something I had no clue I would've chose as my professional project at the start of first year, although I had little clue about most things then. First year would introduce me to the excitement of being able to study inside of pitch-view boxes at Wembley Stadium, but also the underpinning concepts of journalism that would shape my academic and professional work.
Second year proved transformative, including being the first year that would count towards my eventual grade. Enjoyable modules like Media Law & Ethics and written journalism portfolios saw me score well, while challenging practical audio/video modules showed the technical skills I needed to develop. The summer of second year also afforded me my first opportunities in journalism, writing evergreen features for Vital Football and becoming motorsport reporter for Fastest Formula News.
Third year, as predicted, would be the toughest of them all. But, it would set me up perfectly for my post-UCFB life.
Balancing the demands of handling a professional project on top of regular coursework was difficult, especially in earlier phases of presenting and gathering research. However, it showed me precisely how I best work, and work well, in managing multiple tasks at once.
Sports PR and Communications taught me the intricacies, and importance, of PR - something that I had perhaps not considered as a career option for me before. For that module, my assignment piece investigating Renault's PR response to 'Crashgate' was awarded First Class marks.
Advanced Journalism Skills was another module that I enjoyed. I was particularly proud of a broadcast audio assignment which discussed gambling sponsorships in football, a subject that I am heavily passionate about. It scored an 80, highlighting a significant improvement from second year in my technical multimedia skills, which I had worked hard to achieve.
Finally, UCFB's more reflection-oriented modules of Digital Futures and Industry Engagement allowed me to evaluate the current industry position, and my personal readiness, in order to give me a wealth of knowledge ahead of graduating.
Overall, it's been the best three years of my life. Maybe it's 'cringe' or cliche to say that, but it's true. I'm leaving UCFB as a far better media professional than I ever would have been, but more importantly a well-rounded individual with personal skills I never would have been able to develop without.