(This letter is part of a series by The Indian Express where we bring to you the experiences of students at different foreign universities. From scholarships and loans to food and cultural experiences — students tell us how life is different in those countries and things they are learning other than academics)
— Somesh Jha
I have been a journalist for over nine years and worked with prestigious brands in India. However, there was still a thirst for more that made me pursue higher education in Denmark. I was thinking of moving abroad for a masters for some time now and this year, I finally took the leap and enrolled in the Erasmus Mundus journalism programme to study financial journalism.
I am excited about being back in journalism school where I plan to critically examine the current journalistic practices followed by newsrooms across the world and report on the global economy. I hope to continue reporting on the Indian and global economy while doing my masters programme for the next two years.
How I came across this programme
A friend was pursuing this course and suggested that I should take a look at it. And, I narrowed it down to this programme and university and decided to apply. In the application form, there are certain questions you have to answer regarding why you chose a particular course, what would be your plan after the completion of the programme and what you aim to achieve with this. They also ask for your IELTS scores. The requirements for the application are:
– A bachelor’s degree in the relevant field
– Documentation of your English skills if you are not a native English speaker
– At least three months of journalistic experience
All you need to know about Erasmus Mundus journalism programme
The programme admits only 80-90 people out of all the applications received from around the world. Out of the selected students, 20 get the scholarship on the basis of merit. Though I had applied for a Tata endowment fund scholarship, I did not get it. I am 30 and age is a big factor in India when it comes to scholarships. I took a loan from a family member and will repay it when I start earning. The fee for the two-year course is 18,000 euros, 4,500 euros per semester.
It’s a two-year master’s programme where all the students have to spend their first year in Denmark at Aarhus University studying the foundation course and the second year is spent in a different country according to their specialisation. I will be going to City University, London to study financial journalism. My course started in September. We have offline classes. I believe it’s better to attend classes in person.
I chose London for my master’s in my second year as it is one of the financial capitals of the world. I am also open to opportunities in the US as they are all English-speaking markets.
Before moving to Denmark, I was fortunate to get an opportunity to work with the business team of the Los Angeles Times in the US, reporting on the US economy for three months, as a part of the Alfred Friendly-OCCRP fellowship where I was an investigative reporting fellow.
I did a PG Diploma in English Journalism from the Indian Institute of Mass Communication, Dhenkanal, in 2012-13. But I wanted to upskill myself. There aren’t good master’s programmes in the field of journalism in India. Plus, studying abroad is my gateway to the outside world and the stepping stone to working in international newsrooms.
Differences between studying in India and Denmark
In India, in a journalism programme, you are taught various subjects parallelly. For instance, you study financial journalism and the history of journalism or some other subject at the same time. Over here, we focus on one subject at a time, we have to finish the curriculum but we can take the time to finish a subject. The course is structured in a way that helps us to focus more on one subject at a time.
I have appeared for only one examination till now. Interestingly, it was a take-home exam where we had to do a week-long journalism project and at the end of it file a reflection report regarding our project answering why we chose the topic, how we came to it, what did we learn from it, how did we interview the people, how did we decide on the sources, how did we manage to talk to those sources, limitations, problems faced, et al. Everything about our reportage and our learning was in that report. We will receive the results in three to four weeks from the date of submission.
Over here the teachers are different, they don’t like being addressed as professors, ma’am or sir. We address them by their first names and I believe that it breaks a lot of mental barriers between two people. The teachers are more open to feedback and are more informal than that in India. They believe in the concept of equality and are empathetic.
Danes are disciplined
Though I have not interacted much with the Danes (the citizens of Denmark,) yet, it has still been an enriching experience. As students from across the world are studying with me, I have started making friends. We have been divided into study groups and we get to learn so much about different cultures.
Denmark’s society thrives on a high-trust system. The citizens are law-abiding and disciplined. The authority does not believe in standing on your head. But there are surprise checks at times and if you get caught flouting a rule there is a hefty fine.
Being a non-vegetarian Delhi boy, I am used to spicy food. I find Denmark’s cuisine pretty bland. In order to save money and my taste buds, I cook Indian food every day. Moreover, preparing meals for myself is a triple incentive for me – it saves money, I like the food that I eat and I am becoming an expert cook. I generally shop from Indian or Asian grocery stores, where I usually get all the ingredients. However, it is a little more expensive than the local stores.
The main mode of transportation is a bicycle. People here cycle to work and there are separate biking lanes. I cycle to college as well.
My first Diwali in Denmark
It was my first Diwali away from India. There are 10 Indians in the 90-odd batch and we organised a Diwali party for the rest of the class. We played Indian music, ate snacks and danced all night. While I missed family, this Diwali was memorable too. There is no pollution here, something that I have started disliking about Delhi.
My advice to people who want to study abroad is to start early, plan well, and also start saving money, a good saving buffer goes a long way. Do proper research of what you wish to study and read about alumni experiences as well.
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