How and why did you start The National Student?

How was the publication received in the beginning?
It was well received by students, but students’ unions were in the main against the idea of what we were trying to do. There was this idea that we were trying to edge in on SU-run publications and steal their ad-sales revenue, which couldn’t have been further from the truth. We contacted SUs and student publications to try and work with them. In the beginning we were subjected to some pretty under-hand tactics and nastiness, but over the years we have become accepted and have a good relationship with students unions and the NUS – something we had always hoped for.

Under-hand tactics? Such as what?
Well not mentioning any names, but one rumour that surfaced on a popular student message board was that we were affiliated to the BNP. The only argument they had was that we had ‘National’ in our title – that one didn’t last long. Another student union president actually said ‘I like your paper, but it will never be on my campus’. One being asked why he said, ‘Cos I can’t control what goes in it, no one but me decides what information gets through to MY students’. We have come across lots of stuff like this, but I guess in many ways we must be quite threatening to people as no one can stop us asking difficult questions.

What’s the favourite story you have run?
There are so many – the ones that stand out in my mind are the student who, to impress a girl, tied a bungee rope to a bridge and threw himself off. Before doing so he set himself on fire, intending to cut himself loose with a pen-knife on a downward trajectory falling into the water and putting himself out. Unfortunately for him the knife snapped and he bounced up and down for 30 seconds, on fire, before wriggling free. He was charged with causing ‘distress to onlookers’. The story of the carnage of students throwing themselves off the Magdelen Bridge in Oxford was a good one. It is tradition but this one year the water level was so low, students were pretty much flinging themselves on to hard ground – much distress and injury was caused as numpty after numpty threw themselves off the bridge. We ran it under the headline ‘Mayday Lemmings’.
Also, the SU president head-butting one of his own students in the union bar, and the undercover investigation into a Chinese student who was selling essays to other students on campus. So, so many great stories.

How has student life changed?
Since we started the paper? Loads I think. Technology being one of the main things, the internet was not as prominent in life as now, not all uni halls had internet access in the rooms. Students were still taking boxes of CDs and records (and books etc) to uni with them now all they need is a laptop with all their music and the internet on them. Technology has changed the way students learn as well, even when we started if you missed a lecture, you missed those notes in most cases (unless you could convince someone to let you copy them!) Now most lecture notes are on-line quickly and with mobile phones you can record the whole thing anyway and go to sleep at the back of the room – not that anyone does that! Students have become more and more like consumers, especially with accommodation some of the rooms on offer are better than anything you’re likely to get when you graduate! Well at least not immediately, the ‘Young Ones’ stereotype is definitely not the correct view of students any more. University is as much a lifestyle choice as an education choice now.

What do you think of the state of higher education?
As much as I completely agree that everyone should have access to higher education, I think Labour got it wrong with their policies. Just because young people ‘can’ go to university doesn’t mean they ‘should’. Since the late nineties the target of 50% of young people going to uni has caused all sorts of issues in funding and courses – to get that amount of youngsters through uni loads of courses that don’t need degrees have been started. Many students are amassing huge debt learning gaining skills that don’t require a degree and three-years at university, things that in the past were done with on-the-job training etc. It’s almost unnecessary for them to be getting into debt for the skills they need.
Degrees have been, in some cases, reduced in worth amongst employers because of the amount of people who have them – the old situation where a degree denoted someone of elite talent in a certain field is no longer really the case. I would never discourage anyone who wants to go to uni from doing so as it is a life-changing experience and in many ways is the best thing you can ever do to gain skills and make long-lasting (and useful) friends.

The National Student website

What issues do students face?
The main issue is always debt, although with the current system this really hits you once you graduate which coupled with the poor state of the jobs market at the moment is not a nice situation. Obviously the issue of binge-drinking has been a big one for students, even resulting in some deaths and the use of illegal drugs on campus – mainly people not having the knowledge of the effects of what they are taking. Also safe sex, we have been astounded by how clueless some students are on some of these issues. We try to provide useful and practical information on all these things each year.

What advice would you give to aspiring student journalists?
Get involved! Simple really, just write for as many people as you can and get involved in your student media – publications, radio, TV whatever you have. Don’t wait for people to offer you opportunities, get yourself out there. Each year we get articles sent to us around April time saying ‘As part of my university course I need to submit a portfolio of published work, can you print the attached article?’. This is usually the first we have heard from these people. Why in three years of study is this the first time you are contacting us? I wrote for a lot of people during university and got involved in whatever I can. Write for The National Student, I hear they are always after student writers!

You do a lot on new music, what new music has interested you lately?
Oh that’s a hard one, there’s always so much. We cover so much on our new music blog and on the website and in print. In November we did a free MP3 compilation and that had some awesome new bands on – Funfun, The Little Hands of Asphalt, Cougar, Solvor Vermeer, Nodzzz loads.
The new album by a band called Nedry is amazing, the new Los Campesinos one is great- there’s really just so much! If you want new music, check out our website and Facebook page for articles and links.

Below are the four entries we have shortlisted. The one that gets the most votes by 12 pm GMT on Friday 9 April will be the final winner. They will receive four tickets for London’s ‘Best West End Show’, meaning a great night out for them and three lucky friends.

We’re managing the voting process on Facebook, using the Poll Daddy application – it’s the most efficient way to monitor fair voting (just one vote per person please – multiple votes could mean disqualification and the judge’s decision is final).

So here are the ones we chose and our reasons why. Take a look, then head over to our Facebook page and cast your vote.

Thanks for the great response to the competition – it’s clear that WICKED is hugely popular.

1. Kate Hester
We chose Kate because she’s a tired mum who needs some time out

“I have a two year old and an 8 week baby – I would love nothing better than to sit down and be entertained”

2. Ben Handforth
There were so many WICKED obsessives, but we chose Ben because we liked the fact he wants to show doubting friends why he loves the show, not just see it for himself

“This Question Haunts and Hurts, too much, too much to mention!”

“Wicked is the best muiscal ive ever seen, i absolutly love it! As an UberFan, i can never get enough of it! the thing is, because im so obsessed with it, i talk about it a bit too much, and my friends are getting annoyed with me! I keep asking them to come with me to see it, as i know they would love it, and talk about it aswell! Unfortunatly, they dont see that, and are refusing to come because they dont want to ‘waste’ their money on something they dont like! So this would be perfect! I would get another chance to see wicked, and also be able to covert my friends into Wicked Geeks they would be “changed for the better”. Because of wicked, they woud be “Changed For Good”

3. Mary
We chose Mary simply because she made us laugh out loud!

“It all started at the tender age of 5 I was an octopus in the school nativity play -FAIL

“At 10, I played the triangle in the school string orchestra – FAIL

“At 15 I went to see Equus – FAIL

“And now at 21 I am desperately trying to win tickets to WICKED — Please don’t further disgrace my perception of the performing arts

“This comment ……………………….. WIN

“PLEASE!!!”

4. Ella Griffiths
Finally we chose Ella because she gave a very thoughtful explanation of what the show means to her:

“The reason that I think I deserve a ticket to see Wicked, is simply because Wicked to me, is much more than a musical. I realise how corny that sounds, but the day I saw the show was a day that I will never forget.

“I have always been quite a shy kind of person, constantly concerned about what other people think of me. The character of Elphaba means so much to me, simply because of the inner strength that she has, the defiance, and the self-belief. Although she is not perfect, she is the only character of any kind that I have ever felt a true connection to.

“As a teenager, I feel that there are almost no realistic role models, real or fictional. The characters of Elphaba and Glinda are both so inspiring, mainly because they are NOT perfect. The fact that they are flawed, makes them so fantastic. Sure, Elphaba can be sarcastic and fiery, and Glinda is a little snobby and power-hungry, but they are young women that we can relate to. Both beautiful in their own right, these are most definitely NOT two size zero supermodels that the vast majority of us will never EVER be able to relate to.

“So the reason I think that I should win a ticket to Wicked is because the show means so much more to me than the regular Wicked fan. Yes, it is a fantastic show with amazing performers ( I especially adore Idina Menzel, Kristin Chenoweth, Kerry Ellis, Dianne Pilkington and Alexia Khadime… all INCREDIBLE!). But the show I believe, has helped me to be comfortable in my own skin and be more confident in myself. The opportunity to see it again, or indeed, to take someone else with me to share the experience, would only encourage this! Thank you so much xxxxxx”

Vote now on Facebook

“It used to be a special place for all my college friends,” begins this spoof rock anthem that laments the mainstream growth of Facebook. “Now my nightmares have come true – my mom just friended me.”

Amusing, but what do you think? Is your mum (or ‘mom’) on Facebook and, if so, does it cramp your social networking style?

Let us know below. Or on Facebook!

What is All About Law?
It’s everything you need to know about a career in law. We can take you on a journey from sixth form to employment and everywhere in between. We provide information that is specific to particular user groups users from multiple perspectives; from careers advisors, from graduate recruiters and from aspiring lawyers themselves in order to let students know what is on the road ahead and prepare them as best we can for their future in law (or the alternative careers aligned with law).

How did the site come about?
The idea came about after our own attempts to pursue a career in law proved anything but straightforward. Frustrated at the lack of information offered at every stage of a difficult process, our conclusion was simple:  let’s make something that helps people at every stage.

And not simply ‘which city firm should I go to?’, we wanted to focus on every decision you might have to make, from sixth-form to employment.

What have been the key moments in the All About Law story so far?
I’d say our favourite part so far was when we got the largest research into aspiring lawyers published in the Times in January. But the key development, for me at least, came about in February 2010 when Paul finally learned how to make a decent cup of tea.

Who in the law community has supported you?
Way back in 2008 with our first beta site we met with Freshfields, Slaughter & May and Denton Wilde Sapte to demonstrate the site and its potential. All three decided to get involved. A big thanks goes out to these three companies for supporting us early on but since then we have been widely supported by lots of really great people. I think the support for AAL has been a result of strong users numbers, solid content and hopefully the passion Paul and I demonstrate.

What is the future of All About Law?
All About Law is actually a part of All About Careers Ltd. We are currently using www.AllAboutCareers.com as a blog which aims to fuel the debate on graduate recruitment, careers information and generation Y. Our contributors are all experts in their field helping us to bring the most contemporary issues to the forefront.We are currently working on our new website behind the scenes that will be expanding to every career imaginable with the same level of granular information and a bunch more interaction for our users.

How do find working in a co-founder partnership?
We have known each other since we were four so we pretty much know each other inside out. Probably, our best moment so far was when we became the most popular law careers website because we knew we were doing something right. But the lows… well, the summer before this all started we were working as hygiene assistants (cleaners, they insisted on the former title though!) at Britvic and that was pretty rubbish – such choice tasks as scraping drink syrup off the floor or cleaning the moss off concrete.

How has the uncertain economic climate affected your business?
For us we have only ever known this situation so for us this is normal… I think if you create something with real value people will use it no matter the state of the economy.

Could you share some advice for the law student coming out of uni this year?
If I were a law student coming out of university this year I would carefully consider my options, law school without a training contract could be pricey and leaves an uncertain future. If it were me I would probably go travelling for a year whilst still applying to firms. What other people should do is up for them to decide; our role is to provide information and advice not to tell people what to do. A more sensible student might spend a year building up legal work experience but who could say which would pay off more, I certainly couldn’t. What I can say is that things are looking up in the legal sector and latest results from the AGR suggest that law will be the only sector that can expect good growth this year in terms of new positions available for graduates. The best advice is to come up with a plan before you leave uni because by then it could be too late.

…Michael (India), Magarita (South America) and Gemma D (New Zealand).

These are the winners of our recent competition, as chosen by our friends at Footprint Travel Guides.

Congratulations to these winners. Footprint have been given your email address and will contact you shortly.

Commiserations to those that did not win. Don’t be deflated – we have loads more competitions in the pipeline. Stay in touch, your time will come

Meanwhile it’s worth following Footprint on Facebook or Twitter. They publish superior guidebooks, full of insights and resources that mark them above regular guide books in our opinion. Actually that’s Michael Palin’s opinion too.

How much better are ads when they are good or funny? We loved this one from Pedigree that is all the rage on YouTube right now. Take a look:

What ads have you enjoyed lately?

Legendary comedy club Jongleurs has showcased some of the world’s finest comedians and rising stars.

Kaskado users can claim two tickets for the price of one when they visit Jongleurs Hammersmith. So why not treat a friend to a top night out – or let them treat you

Here’s Jongleurs comedian Milton Jones – king of the surreal one-liner – on BBC’s Mock the Week talking about unlikely election debates.

In the first of a series of interviews with high-achieving young professionals, we speak to start-up founder and online journalist Hermione Way. The Spectator described Hermione as a rising star of the business world. Read here about her career so far and her tips for aspiring journalists.

Hermione Way on…growing up and wanting to be a dancer
My older brother is an entrepreneur and he was very successful when I was young, which was probably an influence on me, but I didn’t follow in his footsteps until later. I wanted to be a dancer. While I was waiting for news of a dance scholarship, I went travelling. I ended up traveling for two-and-a-half years and ditched the scholarship. By the time I came back to Britain I wanted something different, a challenge. I wanted to do something in news and media, but I had never been good at reading or writing. I decided to do a degree in journalism so I could learn how to write properly.

On going to uni
I started a journalism degree…but it was so shit! I was learning old school newspaper journalism at a time when newspapers were failing, everything was going online and everything was changing. Blogging wasn’t mentioned once on the course. It was very frustrating. I thought: ‘Why isn’t there a way I can get practical, real-world training in this career that will properly equip me? Why is this syllabus totally irrelevant to modern journalism?’

I decided to get hands-on and try and address the problem myself. I had an idea to do a site like Current TV where students would go out and make their own content, upload it and get paid according to their popularity.

On becoming a student start-up
I realised that unless I got lots of investment there was no way I would able to compete with Current TV or a site like Facebook, which is essentially a citizen journalism platform. Then I was at an event one day filming and someone came up to me and asked how much I charged for video production…and then I realised this was a better revenue model. I changed the business from business-to-consumer to business-to-business – I changed to be a service business.

Things have gone full pelt since then. We’ve got some pretty big clients, like Channel 4, we’ve just done a conference in Cardiff where we provided the complete media coverage, and lots continues to happen. We’ve got about 60 students on our books that work for Newspepper.

On starting Techfluff.tv
I started going to media tech networking events in London. I met Mike Butcher from TechCrunch UK. He told me I should start my own show. He said to have a look at what girls like iJustine and Amanda Congdon were doing, how they were reporting on tech, because he reckoned there was a gap in Europe for something similar and because being a visible girl in tech is unusual.

Techfluff.tv was born. We’re still working out what content people like, but it’s been such an amazing vehicle. I’ve been asked to present conferences. I’m doing podcasts for Computer Weekly. I’m at South by Southwest. I’m on Digital Mission. I’m doing this start up competition all around Europe. It’s incredible.

On being involved in tech
The Internet has shaken every industry. It’s so exciting because nobody knows what the future is, and to be at the front of that is such an exciting place to be. Something culturally important is happening right now.

On being properly equipped for a journalism career
As well as a degree I did the NCTJ. A big module is about writing a news story. The qualities needed are the same as writing a Twitter update. You have to fit the ‘who, what, where, when and why’ of the story into 140 characters. This is the future. Journalists won’t be writing for newspapers, they’ll be writing for online. Students need to realise this isn’t a waste of time.

On accelerating your career through personal branding
There is no way I would have so quickly got to do podcasts for the Telegraph if I’d gone down the traditional career path. I would have done my stint on a local newspaper for five years, then maybe promotion to a national newspaper, then in another five years I might have moved on to broadcast journalism. And then I might have a got a job doing podcasts for the Telegraph.

I went back to my old uni recently to do a talk. They’re still in the same mindset. Students think they are heading for a traditional newspaper career when it’s far more likely they’ll be working online. I told them to get on Twitter and Facebook and start a blog. Every journalism student should start a blog the minute they start their course. It’s such a good way to develop your personal brand and make you stand out from the crowd. It creates a digital CV.

On networking and making connections
There are no barriers any more. People ask how did you get in front of people, how did you get listened to. You don’t have to have a dad that’s a CEO or an uncle who knows someone in the company any more, you can just Google them, find their details and email them. I promise you: nine times out of ten they will reply. You make a connection with them. Get out to networking events – most of them are free. Take some business cards. Make some connections with people. Anyone can do what I’ve done.

On getting trolled and raising your head above the parapet
Of course if you put yourself out there you have to be ready for the bad as well as the good. We all need criticism so we can change and improve. I welcome that. What I’m not open to is anonymous bashing. If you’ve got something to say, let’s have a conversation about it face-to-face, but don’t sit behind an avatar like a coward. You learn to develop thick skin.

On change in business and getting used to it
I love change. You have to embrace it and be flexible. You have to be willing to take risks.

On inspirations and influences
The biggest influence on my career has been Michael Smith of Firebox.com and Moshi Monsters. He is very successful yet he remains the nicest person and very supportive – none of this Alan Sugar nonsense. The best thing he ever did was take me to the offices of Simply Media and showed me round; it took my blinkers off and he made me realise I could build something like that too.

On the general election and the World Cup
We’ve got a toff who’s pretending to be cool or we’ve got Brown who has as much charisma as a slug. So we’re in a bad position I think. It’s only going to be Labour or Conservatives and in my view both leaders are crap. I think we need to change to proportional representation in the UK so we can develop people politics and move away from party politics. Otherwise we will never have an Obama. But I do think England will win the World Cup!

Kaskado is a new mobile service: promotions on your mobile phone. Follow us on Facebook and/or Twitter so you hear about our next interview.

Photo credits richardmoross, kaiban and robingrant

Some other useful resources for young people interested in journalism careers:
Natalie Adcock A media student’s guide to starting social media
Paul Bradshaw How to be a journalism student

Win tickets for WICKED London

Woop – the nice folk at WICKED have supplied us with four shiny tickets for London’s ‘Best West End Show’ (2010 WhatsOnStage.com Awards).

So that’s one great night out for a lucky winner and three of their carefully-selected friends.

Here’s how you can win
Simply use the comment box below to state why you deserve or desire a trip to see WICKED.

Are you an uber-fan that craves another fix? A theatre newbie that wants to discover the joys of a live musical? Or are you just skint, bored and desperate to be dazzled?

Just tell us below.

Then, you decide the winner
The producers of WICKED will choose their four favourite comments. We’ll then put these up to a public vote. You’ll decide who gets them.

Make sure you’re following us on Facebook and/or Twitter so you get to hear when the poll us up.

The deadline for entries is 12 March 2010. We’ll put the poll up shortly after that and you’ll have a week to get your vote in.

Get commenting! *Comments will be moderated to keep the spammers out

All about WICKED

About WICKED

WINNER! BEST WEST END SHOW – Whatsonstage.com Awards 2010

Experience this unforgettable, award-winning musical and discover that you’ve not been told the whole story about the land of Oz…

Based on the acclaimed novel by Gregory Maguire that re-imagined the stories and characters created by L. Frank Baum in ‘The Wonderful Wizard of Oz’, WICKED tells the incredible untold story of an unlikely but profound friendship between two girls who first meet as sorcery students. Their extraordinary adventures in Oz will ultimately see them fulfil their destinies as Glinda The Good and the Wicked Witch of the West.

WICKED first dazzled Broadway in October 2003. Now Stephen Schwartz’s powerful songs, a visually stunning production and a story full of surprises, wit and emotion are captivating audiences in London and all around the world! Featuring the show-stopping song Defying Gravity that inspired the memorable diva-off in the hit TV show Glee, WICKED is a must-see! Discover more at www.WickedTheMusical.co.uk and on their Facebook page.

CLICK HERE to VOTE WICKED as London’s MOST POPULAR SHOW!

Rossa, Rich & Paulo from Great Little Places

If you’re on Facebook and in London then chances are you’ve noticed I know this great little place in London.

Its membership is rocketing towards six figures as people rush to share their personal finds and unusual things to do.

At Kaskado we love our great little places too, so we naturally snapped up the chance to speak to the men behind the movement…

Who are you, how old are you and what do you do? Where do you all live in London?
We are three guys who work in advertising, 27 and 28. Two of us live East because we’re cool, one lives West because he thinks he’s classy.

Two have good haircuts one has just let his go. We met about two years ago, and found that getting the most out of London was a big common interest and went from there.

Describe the moment the idea for the page came to you – where were you and what was the conversation?
The light came on about a year and a half ago. One of us had just been dumped whilst on a holiday to Brazil and wanted to get back out on the dating scene again in London. The eureka came when he was out with a female friend at a spoken word/music night organized by a great London collective called Poejazzi. It was an amazing night in Volupte. And he thought to himself that night that if he took a girl out on a date night like that one, it would be the most amazing and memorable date.

Something completely different and original. No more dull dating. So the idea for putting together a guide to unexpected dating in London arose. And the team formed pretty quickly from then on in. Our common bond is our love of serious nonsense and London randomness.

Are people nowadays looking for something different, for the sense of authenticity and originality that comes with the great little place?
We hope so. But in some ways not, too. We think that interesting people go to interesting places, and we want to make sure interesting places keep going – a clone High Street is a very sad thing. But we also want great places to keep their character, and not be inundated with those that don’t respect the effort and individuality. Us GLPers certainly try to avoid sterile, personality free chains – but that’s not to say you can’t do a chain well. We would love to see more places that are a labour of love, and we think London’s market is moving that way, which is a great thing.

So when did you set up the page?
We’ve all always been determined to get to see the best of London, and for all the years we’ve lived here made sure we sniffed out the most original and personal places and activities. We started logging our thoughts and information in the summer of 2009, growing a nice little collection of gems. We decided to share what we’d learned and got going with our Facebook page in the run up to Valentine’s Day, 2010.

Did you have ambitions for the page? Have you been surprised by its popularity and growth and have you formed new ambitions? Will there be a GLP franchise rolling out across the globe?
We’ve started small and personal with what we know best, London, but we hope we’ve tapped into something that’s universal. We’re glad it’s picking up speed, but the main thing for us is to make sure it’s useful and focused. No man and his van or All Bar Ones. As the idea catches on we’d be delighted to spread it around the world. The key thing, for us, is to be both authentic and quality. We can hopefully provide the guidance on how to make it quality, because that’s very important to us, and we will look for fantastic on the ground local knowledge to take care of the authentic side of things as we expand outside of London. You can’t beat going to these places yourself – that’s where this idea starts and ends, so as much as possible we’ll be finding out similarly great little places wherever we go. We also want GLP to be useful, so we will be building Apps, a site and maps to help people get the best out of their cities.

And here’s the Great Little Places list of their personal great places:
We don’t want to give it all away just yet, but here are a few little places to think about:

1 Firstly, anything you invent yourself. There’s no excuse for boring dating, so use your brain and make some effort. Hand-made dating is always the best route as it’s tailored to the person you’re taking out. The important thing is that the date may not just be about a place but can also be an activity like a cocktail mixology masterclass for two or something random.

2 Maggie Jones’, Kensington Church Street

3 LMNT, Hackney

4 Horniman Museum, Dulwich

5 Michael Moore, Great Blandford Street

6 Four o nine, Clapham High Street

7 Holly Bush, Hampstead

8 The Kitchen, Parsons Green

9 Battersea Park. It’s like the Disneyland of dating. Especially the Secret English Garden

10 Old Royal Naval College, Greenwich