another day in the life of a journalism student

Today's class is Reporting and Newswriting. I skipped two lectures in the morning because I couldn't wake up (what's new?) and that left me fully energetic for the practical session.

We got back our results for our in-class assignment, and I was very disappointed by my 7 out of 10 marks, and then I realized 3 marks were being deducted for style mistakes, and was very upset about it. But, at least, this time, my tutor ticked the bracket which said, 'Copy is publishable, but needs minor editing. Story is soundly reported and written." instead of 'Copy contains most information, but may need close editing. May need improvement in structure. Is publishable, but the sub might not finish his/her shift on time' which was what I got last semester, and wasn't very flattered by that comment.

So, feeling very unhappy, I approached my tutor to protest. I asked whether all my marks were being deducted solely because of style mistakes.

"It hurts, doesn't it?" my tutor asks sympathetically, "That's 1 mark each for every mistake."

I look at her very sadly.

"Well, you got 7 marks. That's very good."

I continue looking at her sadly.

"Look, the highest I would have given anyone would be an 8."

I guess I must have looked at her very very sadly, because then my tutor reviewed my work again, and realized that she had marked me incorrectly, because I had only committed two style mistakes. So, she gave me 8 marks.

I was so angry, and still am, for the two stupid mistakes I made, which robbed me of a perfect score. If I had written "8000" instead of "eight thousand" and "nine" instead of "9" I would have topped the class. So, later on, I ACCIDENTALLY peeked at the scores of everyone in my class that our tutor had recorded in her book. The highest scorers in the class were two students who got 8, one of whom which were me, which made my very angry, because of my innate competitive streak, and my desire to always be the best, best, best.

(You would think that I would have learnt my stupid mistakes, but for the next graded assignment, I went on to write five as '5', which cost me one bloody mark, grrr)

So, I decided to blame the uni bookshop which had run out of the style guide book, and also I started to blame myself for being so KIND by giving up the last copy to a friend.

So, in what I suspect was an attempt to cheer me up, my tutor told me that I had a very sharp news sense, because I had gotten the main point of the article which flew over many other people's heads. I replied that I wasn't as good as she thought I was, because I hadn't scored very well last semester. "Well, clearly, you've vastly improved," my tutor said. Another attempt to cheer me up.

And, then because we were supposed to do a group story together, and two of my groupmates had abandoned me by not turning up for class, my tutor told me that I had two choices. First, was to go ahead with the idea and do my own story, and if I was successful, I would get my own byline. Second, was to abandon the whole idea of a story altogether.

Without hesitation, I told her I would go for the former, and I would go ahead with the story all by myself. The tutor said that I had the right spirit and attitude for a journalist. But, actually, I'm selfish and I want the byline all to myself, and I didn't want to share it with anyone else. So, I was really very happy that my groupmates had abandoned me.

Met up with Sarah after class. We talked so much until the shops closed and we had no choice but to leave. That girl is a public embarrassment, and I told her so, because she drags around this humongous fluorescent pink trolley bag when grocery-shopping.

Something I thought only people like my mum would do.