Henry Milward

Sport Journalism BA (Hons)

I chose to study Sport Journalism after an ill-fated one-year dalliance with a French degree elsewhere. I wanted to write for a living and decided that coming here would give me the best opportunity to make that happen.

It wasn't long before my decision was vindicated. After a productive first year I began second year with a two-week placement on the sports desk of the local paper – the Eastbourne Herald. This was arranged by the university and it handed me valuable experience as well as a foot in the door.

It is a tricky time for newspapers and there was always work to do, so I was handed ample opportunity to prove myself as a capable student.

I kept in touch with the sports editor after the end of the placement, volunteering to report on local football matches. Soon, they asked me back in to do some cover and as I grew to contribute more I was eventually given weekly paid work on the sports desk.

That continued throughout the remainder of my degree and gave me a step on the journalism ladder, a bulging scrapbook of cuttings, as well as a few quid!

So the two-week placement morphed into 18 months of priceless practical experience which ought to give me a head start over other journalism graduates in an especially competitive job market.