What to Expect

The best thing any broadcasting student can do to help themselves succeed is complete an internship.

"That's how you learn," says Caroline Franks. "Somebody can tell you a million times and lecture you in the classroom, but you don't actually learn until you just go and do it."

Franks did an internship at a radio station in California as part of her independent study course in broadcast journalism. Her biggest assignment was covering a presidential campaign rally.

"I had a friend who was doing an internship in California," says Franks. "So I thought -- wouldn't it be interesting, the opportunity to go to California, so I can find a station nearby where my friend was, so I could do my internship there?"

Patrick Morrell also believes in internships, although he prefers television over radio. Morell was an intern at a couple of TV stations while he took his journalism program.

"I like TV because it's fast, the images are good, there's more technology," he says.

"I came into journalism school with my options open. I've always done print stuff, like photography and writing for newspapers and stuff. Then I started taking radio classes and TV classes and thought, 'This is cool.' So coming out of school, I only wanted to really do broadcast."

Morrell says the program taught him a lot. "You learn about the fundamentals, some of the basics you need before you go out there and do your first internship or your first job, so you can have something to work with."

"I got interested in radio after taking the advanced radio class," says Franks. "It gives you hands-on experience because it's a workshop course and you're not just sitting in the class being lectured. You're actually doing the job.

"You're like four or five people and you learn to put together a whole newscast, so it's fabulous. You learn to work with a team, you learn to work to deadline and then you have the teacher critiquing the newscast afterwards."