By Simon Wright – Follow
me on Twitter @Siwri88
As the second
anniversary approaches which signalled the end of my education life and the
finale to my journalism degree at the University of Northampton, I have decided
to share my own personal experiences from my three years at UoN. This includes
a look at some of the nightlife memories, a critical assessment of the video
products I produced and my insight into each of the three years I had in what
was my second home.
Next is the middle year
of my degree. In 2010-11, the UK celebrated a Royal Wedding, then suffered days
of rioting in the summer. Barack Obama successfully managed to capture the
world’s most wanted man and England’s cricketers actually won an Ashes series
in Australia. For me, this was a rocky year but I survived it and learned a lot
from the difficult times to make me a stronger individual.
After a break
of some three months, second year began at the University of Northampton in
late September 2010 and it was fair to say that it was a sluggish start for yours
truly. This would turn out to be the biggest character test I had endured in my
education history. It led to me nearly walking away from it all in the spring
of 2011 and ultimately ended with my first ever A grade in exam conditions.
With my Halls
of Residence contract ending, I had to look quickly for new accommodation for second
year in Northampton. Luckily, I found a room similar to my first year
environment in a building called Sunnyside – owned by YF Properties in January
2010. I quickly signed a rental agreement and moved in eight months later.
Sadly the early weeks were punctuated by regular cutouts of the electrics in
the building. I was unfairly blamed by some of the other stayers who believed
one of my electrical products was causing the faults. That hurt because you
know deep down when you’ve done something wrong and when you haven’t. It took
around three weeks to solve, with the movement of a fridge freezer in my room
to help ease socket pressure, but it turned out to be a faulty hairdryer in
another area as the cause. After that, I (pictured below) elected to keep myself to myself
throughout my two years in Sunnyside as I had more important issues and that
was passing my degree.
 |
| Smiling through a tough start to second year, which turned into a bumpy ride |
However this
didn’t help my settling in phase into second year and meant I couldn’t fully
concentrate in the early weeks. I also wasn’t happy with the spilt of the
course that saw me separated from almost everyone I had been close to in first
year. Whether it was planned is not for me to answer but it did start a tempestuous
relationship with many of the lecturers throughout second year.
The one
person I hadn’t been spilt up from was another female who would play a huge
role in both my development as an individual on the course and a friend away
from the assignment pressures. I had got to know Tamika through first year but
not in the way I did throughout the next two years. Tamika became a very close
friend of mine. We were in all the same module classes and I had great fun
being around Tamika and with another lad in the form of Shane. We were in the
lengthy six-hour workshop sessions on a Tuesday morning and quickly formed a
friendly partnership in group projects. Tamika and Shane were big players in
perhaps the funniest project throughout my three years at UoN. Tamika and I were
asked to do an exercise on sound prep for the Film Style & Technique module
in October 2010. What followed was a hilarious two-minute piece of drama,
superb acting and ‘The Maskman,’ played by Shane. We only revealed his identity
about six months after the piece went online on YouTube!
I continued
to work with Tamika throughout the year and alongside two other journalism
colleagues, Chris and Parris, we produced a short but fantastic five-minute
documentary on issues of car parking for students at University. It had a
perfect balance from student concerns on the issue to the way the University
could deal with the problem. Tamika and I did the camera work, the production
folder and the editing, Chris and Parris were the main people who carried out
the interviews. I was so proud of this project when completed – and tops the
list of video work throughout the course.
Whilst the
friendship I had with Tamika went from strength to strength, I wasn’t feeling
so good on the inside. When I had to film the opening of a new manufacturing
company in the Brackmills Industrial Estate of the town on my own, it was the
catalyst to a huge meltdown as winter gradually turned towards spring. After
relaxing and not studying during Reading Week (there’s a lesson for all future
Uni students), slacking off on my return to lectures, the charger to my laptop
stopped working and then a furious argument with a fellow colleague, I came so
close to going home back to Milton Keynes and not returning. I wasn’t in the
right frame of mind and I’m happy to admit I was on the verge of a breakdown.
I’m an individual who often takes things to heart and therefore, this can lead
to huge uncertainty. I questioned if I was good enough for the Uni course –
even thinking of going because I was a distraction to others around me.
Having felt
zapped of morale, confidence and happiness, I was ready to pack up and go when
I saw the videos of the horrendous tsunami that hit Japan in March 2011. As a
trainee journalist, I really felt for everyone affected by something so
devastating that Mother Nature could throw up. I then realised that here I was
feeling so low just about a laptop charger breaking and a petty argument when
others worldwide had lost everything through no fault of their own. If I had
gone through with it and walked away, it would have been a massive mistake. A
weekend back in home comforts helped, and I returned with a new belief and also
a relaxed, rather than stressed approach to the workload.
Before all
that, the entire journalism intake had undertaken a press day for the first
time as a group magazine was put together for Christmas in 2010. On the day
itself (the final Friday before Christmas), it was sheer and utter chaos but
organised chaos in that. With the hard work of the whole course, plus the
knowledge and experience of senior lecturer Hilary Scott, we got a Unique Xmas
magazine online and there was an element of both pride and relief. Hilary only
began lecturing with our group from second year and she was an excellent
motivator and lecturer. If you worked hard, she would appreciate it and if you
got on the wrong side of her, your life would be made a misery. I think that
was a good element. While I’ve never liked harsh criticism, I also appreciated
what Hilary would do for some of my weak design work. Rather than paper over
the cracks, she’d tell me face up if it was utter rubbish and I could start
again by improving. She did that with most of us. In second year, Hilary was
the only lecturer who I felt I could communicate with in a fair and dignified
way and it is a shame that we are no longer in contact.
As deadlines
approached, nightmares began. I was on track and never really had problems with
meeting deadlines in good time, although some assignments wouldn’t be without
their troubles. The eight-page magazine I did in second year was so close to
failure. It was a pitiful attempt and highlighted my dreadful design talents.
If you saw it, you’d come to the conclusion that a 10-year-old could do better!
Others had left things a bit tighter and with computer servers crashing and not
being sorted instantly just added to the pressure. On top of that, there was a
Law & Government exam to prepare for. MB5, which was the main work room for
journalists became a second home for most of us. All it needed was some
sleeping bags, a kettle, toaster and microwave and it probably would have
converted into a sleeping hut! So when everything was handed in, it was pure
joy for all of us. I was so proud of the group in general. We had come together
and helped each other out in those final weeks and battled against the
lecturers in almost a mini mutiny. All of this happened in the midst of one of
the hottest April months on record too.
I put a lot
of preparation into the Law & Government exam – although with other various
projects going on, I couldn’t solely focus on this as much as the first year
exam. I went into the tense atmosphere of exam conditions in a confident
manner, perhaps the most I’d ever been. Usually in exams, my brain froze and I
didn’t perform. This time, it was all different. I felt I had done well, but I
was stunned when the results came back and I had achieved an A grade! Surely it
was a mistake…Simon Wright getting an A grade in exams is about as likely as
the United Kingdom ever winning the Eurovision Song Contest again! It did
happen though, perhaps more by fluke than good nature but it is on the results
record so I won’t be swapping it for sure.
With
lectures, workshops and presentations completed by mid-May, it was then out on
the town for a proper celebration with my course (more in the nightlife
chapter). The year wasn’t quite finished though. In July, I went to London to
undertake a two-week work placement with Runners’ World Magazine, one of the
many publications under the National Magazine Company. It was such a valuable
and useful experience of how a publication works (on a monthly basis in their
case). I enjoyed it, even if the commuting was a bit of a tricky. I was
incredibly lucky to get this placement and I think it put me in good spirits
that I could work well in an office position which is what I now have today.
So that was
second year done and dusted. Two-thirds of the course done, just 33 per cent to
go and now it was crunch time. Second year at the University of Northampton had
taken me to the brink and back but I had succeeded and it was time for a decent
summer break and a family holiday in Fuerteventura before the joys of my final
academic year in education – season 2011/12.
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