After the first year students of the Faculty of Journalism have a summer internship. Someone returns to their hometown, and someone stays in Minsk. Students who have recently finished their first year shared their practice impressions with us.
Svetlana Lozhevich, a second-year student, notes:
«I did an internship at the republican newspaper «Respublika». I was choosing between «Narodnaya Gazeta» and «Respublika». I decided to choose the second one because I had heard a lot about it. During the practice I wrote different materials and even went to a special report! I wrote about bookstores and various events. I liked doing the internship! Of course, it all was very exciting, because much is expected from you! There I learned how to choose topics. Now I’m not afraid to call somewhere and ask about something!»
Anna Rovina, a second-year student, says:
«Summer practice after the first year of studying at print media journalism should be held in a print media source, so I was sent to “Minsk-news” information agency, exactly to the newspaper «Minsky kurier». It is published three times a week and read by a big number of Minsk residents. I had to write 3 articles during this month and do some correctors work. I hadn’t fixed working hours: I didn’t have to come and leave at the same time every day. I was working at home, going to the interview and walking over the streets finding some photo-materials. I enjoyed the work! My personal practice supervisor was really nice, she helped me with my materials and told a lot of interesting facts about the «Minsk-news» and the work of professional journalists and editors.»
Varvara Nesterevskaya, a second-year student, shares her impressions:
«The practice was held in the newspaper called «Perehodnyi vozrast». I didn’t have any exact aim for going there, but I really liked the idea of writing for teens as it is something familiar for me and I guess I know what it’s like to be a teen inside out. That is why I can choose acute issues for my materials.
My main duty was to write 3 materials in the style of the newspaper. I was responsible for choosing topics and participants for the interview and then writing the whole piece. We needed to confirm our ideas, but then the whole work was under our own control.
Personally, I wrote about camps for children (to be exact, I wrote about the ideas of time-spending we can emulate from camps), then I had a conversation with a professional makeup artist about the latest trends and makeup ideas in this season, and I also had a talk with a model about how to become a model when you are 14 (and if it’s worth it).
To be honest, our working day wasn’t regulated, we had an opportunity to work remotely most of the time, so we felt quite freely. In general, I felt like journalism is my vocation, but writing for children may be difficult as the style is very specific. Even though the experience was really nice, personally I feel like writing something more serious, something for grown-ups.
First of all, I learned there how to communicate with people and how to stand for my ideas and express my point of view. Also, I learned that before writing a material you should clench a matter in terms of your idea (what reaction would you like to get after the material) and your topic (what exactly you write about). So, to conclude, the experience was nice and helpful, because now I understand what it’s like to have materials published.»
