The Importance of Self-Education

As a Media and Sociology student, a vast selection of my course is focused around ‘The Media’ – shock horror, I know.  I found it quite surprising recently, when one of my lecturers had to explain the importance of becoming familiar with the various media platforms around us. I had always assumed that university students were active in many aspects of their education, especially when it came to their second year.

During this seminar, the lecturer explained that as Media students, it is our responsibility to become aware of important and relevant topics that are being discussed in society – whether it be through a podcast, a tweet or by simply grabbing a newspaper.

I feel that this is incredibly important to the students in the department. Try to consider the trust that you would invest in a doctor that didn’t have any experience with patients, or a scientist that never conducted any experiments. It’s all relevant depending on what course you read for and it’s incredibly vital for your own knowledge and progress as a media student to pick up a paper!

Therefore, as students and educated individuals, it is essential that we take the time out to scan the news for topical events that are occurring around us. The ‘i’ paper is very popular with the younger generation due to it’s attractive price point and it’s short blasts of news and debate. Perhaps this would  be a good starting point for anyone who is inexperienced when it comes to reading the news.

Perhaps reading the news is something that I take for granted because I simply enjoy it but it’s immensely valuable in terms of your understanding and achievement on your course. Of course, there is no reason to be embarrassed if you fall into the category that my lecturer was focusing on, because it’s better late than never.