All the things journalism students are tired of hearing

Don't think we don't notice the the wary side eyes we get when we mention that we are Journalism students; many people have a certain perception and idea on our traits, and our degree which are not true.

We're here to debunk the myths and clear up any misconceptions that people have about Journalism – it's not always about us being nosy and getting our hands dirty to get a story, but so much more!

That we're on the job 24/7

A common stereotype of journalism students, is that we've always got our notebook in hand, ready to get a story. Funny enough, we aren't always snooping around campus looking for scoops. In fact, the only time we have a notebook and pen at the ready, is just like the rest of you, in a boring lecture.

That you're worth an interview

Most students think that any slightly important event in their lives, is worth a story, and that we should write for them. Especially, those wanna be 'big names on campus'. Everyday, we hear the phrase "interview me", from unexciting candidates without a juicy scoop. Journalism students, quite frankly, are tired of hearing this.

We also get this when we are out filming with our equipment. People are constantly approaching us to get an interview, or making funny faces at the camera. Please don't wave at the camera either, your mum is definitely not going to see you on TV. On the other end of the spectrum, plenty of people hide their faces when they see us out filming, praying that we won't approach them. We actually have a schedule stick to, so we aren't out to disturb anyone.

All journalism students are nosy and no one can trust us

One of the main traits of a good journalist is curiosity, but that does not mean that we don't respect people's privacy. Most of us do actually have morals, and we definitely don't stick our noses into other people's business when we are not supposed to.

So are you really going to become a journalist?

The common assumption of studying journalism, is that we are all tied to and destined to become journalists. However, graduating with a journo degree, we are prepared for careers in the media industry and in the fields of writing or analysis. There is so much more to this course than just writing, speaking in front of a camera and running around to get stories.

Knowing a journalism student can also have is benefits. The majority of us are decent photographers too, with some even pursuing photography professionally after university. I guarantee you'll be hitting us up, especially when you need some quality Instagram material.

Journalists are always on their laptops

When someone says Journalism student, the immediate stereotypical image is someone with a laptop (usually mac), a cup of coffee and a note book to nearby. Funnily enough, we aren't always writing a story, we actually do have other things going on.

Journalists are great at working to deadlines

This may come as a surprise, but we are actually huge procrastinators, just like most students. Though our future jobs might require us to be on time, with new articles and stories to submit, unfortunately we quite there just yet.

Journalism is an easy course

Although we have less contact hours and hardly any exams, our news days are the absolute worst. Every journalism student will experience a horrifically long news day during their time at university. The day lasts for a maximum of five hours, and within those five hours, we have to go out; find a story; interview people; edit our material and submit. If that's not a hard days work, I don't know what is.

Breakdowns are a given on news days, they are one hectic, stressful 24 hours.

You must love politics!

No, we don't. Well, not all of us. However, just like everyone else, we know that politics is a touchy subject and should be avoided at all costs outside of our degree. Additionally, just because we study journalism, it doesn't make us all political geniuses.

So many have these ideas that journalism students are heartless robots, who would go to the grave to get a story. I mean, that is literally how every single journalist is presented on TV.

Speaking on behalf of journalism undergrads, the majority of us are actually doing this to make a difference. We are passionate about learning about the industry and the way media works.

So when we tell you we're doing a journalism degree, don't jump to conclusions. If you do, we might just publish a story about you.