The Admission Caravan 2016-2017 has visited over the past days several universities in Chisinau. Graduates of the Free International University, the Academy of Economic Studies and the University of European  Studies of Moldova met with the administration of the School of Advanced Journalism, learning about the possibilities that the School offers and the advantages that open to young people after graduation.

The first to meet us were the graduates of the journalism and public relations department of the Free International University of Moldova (ULIM). Over 20 youths, curious and willing to make a career in journalism, learned about the courses offered at the School of Advanced Journalism (SAJ), about its trainers, curriculum, and details about the media outlets where SAJ students do their internships. SAJ director Sorina Stefarta reminded about the importance of practice for a beginner journalist. “Journalism is learned from experience, and the people who decide to work in the media will discover new and interesting things every day. A good journalist is one who knows a little about everything. That is why the SAJ focuses on diversity of courses, preparing universal journalists who can work for different media outlets after graduation,” she added.

Early this week students and graduates of various departments of the Academy of Economic Sciences of Moldova (ASEM) met SAJ representatives. The meeting took place as part of “Career Days,” which are organized annually by ASEM’s Career Guidance Center. Young economists with a passion in journalism asked about admission, submission of personal files, courses, and employment possibilities after graduation.

The last stop this week has been made at the University of European Studies of Moldova (USEM). The most curious were the students of its law and journalism departments. Discussion focused especially on investigative journalism – a journalistic genre that gains more and more territory on Moldova’s media market and increased interest from some journalists. Another topic of discussion was related to drone journalism. Students wanted to know whether the use of drones for production of journalistic materials, especially journalistic investigations, is legal or not. The topic that further heated the atmosphere and sparked real debates between students was journalist’s ethics and deontology. Future lawyers and journalists learned that the School of Advanced Journalism places an important accent on journalist’s ethics and deontology, and at the course of ethics students are taught and encouraged to abide by the Journalist’s Deontology Code. At the end of discussions, SAJ director Sorina Stefarta underlined that the SAJ admits graduates of different specialties. “You don’t have to be a graduate with a specialized [journalism-related] degree. The knowledge you have will help you greatly in understanding certain basic notions. We need qualified journalists,” she concluded.