What’s it like studying a Masters with Condé Nast College
Condé Nast College alumni Margherita Basso reflects on her time as a Masters student on the MA Fashion Journalism course, joining the Class of 2019 and navigating life after graduation. Looking to further your career and studies? Read her Condé Nast College course review below…
Tell us a little bit about yourself. Where are you from and what are you doing now?
I’m Margherita, I’m 26, I’m Italian and I’m currently living in Milan. I’m working for a creative agency called The Maptique. I studied the MA Fashion Media Practice course in London over two years ago now and my specialised pathway was journalism.
What role are you in now?
We specialise in digital strategies and travel experiences and they special editorial projects through our online magazine. I manage the website and I make sure that editors and photographers respect the deadlines. I also create content for social media and plan travel content. We launch digital experiences, through online workshops on Zoom so that’s what I’m working on right now. I’ve been in this role almost a year now.
Looking back on how you got to this point, what would you say drew you to the college and the course specifically?
It was something completely different compared to what I was used to as Italian education is very text and exam heavy. I really loved that it was so practical at the college and I always felt that I was learning stuff that would come in handy as soon as I started working. Also, the fact that we got to try different things. From writing, editorial plans, shooting short films, it helped me a lot in understanding exactly what I liked better. From the people we met, I learned about the existence of jobs that I’d never even heard of before too. I really wanted to change my perspective and put myself out there and do more than reading and knowing concepts. I wanted to actually put my hands on something and I feel like the college gave me the opportunity to do that.
Condé Nast College Masters Course Review |Watch Margherita & Scarlett talking about their MAs
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How did you find the structure of the MA?
We could always manage our time because we were in 2-3 days a week, with the remainder of the week and weekends to work on our assignments and presentations. That was something I wasn’t used to because when I was studying for my BA in Humanities, I was always in class everyday. It was a change but it helped me in becoming more independent. Now that I’m working, I realise that it was a great skill learning to manage my time.
How did you navigate life after graduation and getting the job that you’re in now?
During the summer, I interned at Condé Nast Traveller and it was an exciting and hands on experience. It was my first time at a publication in Vogue House and they had me involved in a lot, from helping editors proof-reading articles, to research for their newsletter. We graduated in November so I stayed in London until December, all the while looking for jobs in London and in Milan. I remember this time being exciting because there were all of these opportunities ahead of me, but also stressful because I wanted to get a job! I did tonnes of interviews and for 100 applications, you only get 2 replies, but around December time I got an offer in London and another in Milan and I chose to go back because the offer was long-term.
How did you experience at the college and the portfolio that you built up help in getting a job?
As a small cohort, we did a lot of group work which was helpful. But I think the main module that helped me was around planning and managing editorial content. We chose a magazine and created their next issue from cover to cover, selecting content, the people writing it – and it’s kind of what I do now. Looking back, learning to use InDesign and having that on my CV has been really helpful too.
Do you have any advice for prospective students looking to join the college?
We always got given lots of resources and extra reading material so if you were interested in a topic you could delve deep into it. I’d say use everything you get given to you!
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