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I need a sponsor
A few weeks ago, Paul Bradshaw sent me an email asking if was interested in applying for the MA in Online Journalism he’ll be running from September, at Birming.... Of course my immediate reaction was jumping off the chair and shout “F**k yes!”. If Paul is ahead of it it’s good enough for me – no doubts about quality. BCU’s MA in Online Journalism is one of the first of its kind in Europe, and is up to speed with the demands of modern journalism. So i am applying for sure – in fact, my pre-application
But a few days later after that email, the “F**k no!” phase settled in. I’ve been asking and digging for grants, scholarships, fellowships, fundings, loans, and basically, i’m screwed. There aren’t any. I can´t afford anything like this, and it pisses me off that i might pass something like this just because of money. If the application board saying i’m not suitable to take the MA is something i can live with, but not the fact i’m not moneyed enough to pursue my goals and develop my knowledge and skills.
You might think “Great, all the world needs is another post-graduate”, and in fact you’re right. Journalism’s industry and schools need cutting edge people to shape the way news must be gathered, processed, distributed. And this MA will, for sure, provide a few. I want to be a part of it.
So, all need is the money. Since i don’t want to rely on crowdfunding like i did before (it’s a lot of money), i’m asking for your connections, contacts, whatever. I’m looking for a sponsor, it could be a company – two, three companies even – or other types of institutional support. In exchange i could work for my sponsors in the future and share what i’ve learned at the MA, instead of going to work for the competition. Or we can negotiate other kind of arrangement, i’m all ears. The bottom line is, i need to finance this without selling internal organs.
As you can find out, i have a good reputation and capabilities that make me a good candidate for this. I believe this would be a great way to push my career forward and at the same time, be a part of the process of bringing Journalism into the Digital Age. I can answer to any questions you might have and i’m open to suggestions.
Meanwhile, i won’t be sitting back waiting for a sponsor to fall from the sky. I’ll be probing a few people, and promote my cause. Now, i’m finishing my pre-application, and expect for the interview. Thanks in advance.
I’m launching an MA in Online JournalismFrom September I will be running an MA in Online Journalism at Birmingham City University. I hope it’s going to be different from any other journalism MA.
That’s because in putting it together I’ve had the luxury of a largely blank canvas, which means I’ve not had to work within the strictures and structures of linear production based courses.
The first words I put down on that blank piece of paper were: Enterprise; experimentation; community; creativity.
Paul Bradshaw
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6 Comments
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Comment by Alexandre Gamela on June 10, 2009 at 3:08pm - I understand perfectly your point of view, but you're in a different reality. I'm from Portugal, and things work differently around here. Colllege education was almost free 15 years ago when i entered the university, it's another ball game. But one thing your advice made me do: check for all the banks that have loan programs for post-grad students. Not many, but it's always an option. Thanks, and if you remeber anything else, share it.
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Comment by Robert Mang on June 10, 2009 at 3:02pm -
Not to beat you over the head with this, and this will probably be my last comment, but almost everyone pays for grad school with a scholarship or loan. You're trying to get a sort of scholarship which is good, everyone should try that first. I just that don't want you to not achieve your goals because you think you can't afford it. Especially when some young doctors owe over a quarter million is USD.
The Obamas didn't pay off their law school loans until shortly before Barrack was elected President, using the money from his books to do so. That doesn't say much about them being easy to get rid of, although the Obamas generally haven't pursued the must lucrative options available to them, but it does speak to how many people rely on them.
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Comment by Alexandre Gamela on June 10, 2009 at 8:15am
- I have to say i hate loans, and i have been avoiding them. I'll be honest and say i just analyzed a few options regarding loans and not that deep. Thanks for your input, it was really helpful. Have fun at Camden Yards
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Comment by Robert Mang on June 10, 2009 at 8:01am
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Yes - I do wish you luck.
Student loans generally do not require collateral and are betting on your future earnings as they are not repaid until after graduation and there is often a six month grace period. They do often require a co-signer who would be at least somewhat liable if for some reason you are unable to repay. That would, obviously, be an undesirable outcome.
In the U.S., there are ways to somewhat endlessly delay payment if things don't work out. If you get really sick, the debt can be forgiven and that can also rarely happen if things just don't work - especially because there isn't collateral if there's not a co-signer. It's not like they can beat the money out of you if you don't have it, it's just not there. Your credit rating would suffer, but if you don't have the income to repay the loan you're not, as you know, going to be able to get loans anyways.
"If you take a tuition fee loan from the Student Loan Company you do not have start repaying the loan until you graduate - instead you will be able to take out a loan to cover the cost up to the full amount being charged which will be paid back through your earnings once you are working."
http://www.bcu.ac.uk/prospective/finance
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Comment by Alexandre Gamela on June 10, 2009 at 7:24am
- Loans are not possible right now, i don't have a steady job and banks are not charity. I thought about it but i'd have to drag my parents into it, and they make less than 1000 dollars per month...together. Different countries, different situations. Thanks for your thoughts though, and wish me luck.
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Comment by Robert Mang on June 10, 2009 at 7:17am
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If you can find a sponsor, great. But it looks like it's a two year program at about 20,000 USD a year, which is not a lot for grad school - at least not in the US.
If you got a loan and repaid it over 20 years, you'd probably pay $200-300 USD a month. If you're as good as you say, that should be no problem. I know people who pay more for parking than that.
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