Freshers have been given a glimpse at life at university before they arrive – thanks to a series of videos made with journalism students.

The films, made in collaboration with the Lancashire Evening Post, show new students everything from a guided tour of Preston to how to cook good food quickly and cheaply.

The first of the videos, ëFreshersí guide to Prestoní shows students all the key locations in Preston: where to shop, eat and, perhaps most importantly, drink.

The videos go hand-in-hand with a Freshersí supplement which will be published in the Evening Post on Tuesday.

Third year journalism student Ricki Dewsbury, who co-presented the guide to the city with UCLan Communications Officer Ed Walker, said:

ìItís been a great experience to work on these films and theyíve been fun to make too.

Working closely

ìIt was really useful to get involved with in terms of making contacts and itís great for the university to have students working closely with journalists at the LEP.î

The next video, to be released on the LEP website in the next few days, will show students how to cook a simple meal in less than 20 minutes.

Third year journalism student Craig Laycock, who acted as co-presenter and head chef in the video, said:

ìIt was all really great fun. I was nervous before filming that my lack of prowess in the kitchen would let me down when cooking the meal, but it was actually a really straightforward recipe in the end. And if I can do it anyone can!î

The Evening Post has plans to make one student video a month to put on their website. Josie Hill, community reporter for the Lancashire Evening Post and former UCLan MA Online Journalism student, thinks that working with students is a good idea. She said:

ìItís all about getting the information straight from the students themselves.

ìNobody wants to watch videos with stuffy guys in offices telling them how to live their lives at university, so by doing this we have a great way of appealing to a student audience directly.î

More info
BA (Hons) Journalism
PGDip Broadcast Journalism
Watch the first video – Freshers Guide to Preston

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