Sorry readers for my lack of blog posts as of late, but I have a good excuse- I’m a student. Thankfully, I won’t be in school much longer; this is the final semester of my fourth year in journalism.

I attend one of the top journalism schools in Canada and, as challenging as the past four years have been, I am happy with my decision to earn my degree in journalism. I have met some amazing people and have learned so much, so if you are passionate about reporting, I encourage you to pursue your dream.

When I actually have my degree in hand I will write a more detailed post about my experience, but for now I will give you a shopping list of jskool must-haves. These are the top ten items a journalism student needs:

My "jskool" gear.

1.Notepad: spiral at the top, lined pages.

2. Pens and pencils: Pens freeze in winter! Pencils for backup.

3. Tape recorder and headphones: For upper-year students or those working at the campus paper.

4. Laptop: My laptop is old and the battery is dead, so I’ve survived without that luxury, but having a laptop that you can bring to school will make life easier.

5. Camera: Canon rebels or Nikons will do the trick. I have a regular digital camera (which I used to take this picture), but the quality isn’t good enough for print. When I need to take photos for the paper, I rent one from the school.

6. Reporter bag: Pockets and zippers are great! My purse is from Roots and is the perfect bag for any journo-in-training.

7. Cellphone: I survived until fourth-year without a cellphone, but having one makes life easier.

8. Watch: It’s easy to lose track of time, but being a journalist means you have to meet deadline. A watch will keep you on track.

9. CP Style Guide: Or AP Style Guide or whatever-country-you’re-from Style Guide.

10. Ambition: Requesting interviews with strangers is tough, meeting deadline is tough, writing a good article is tough. You have to want this, otherwise it’ll be a long four years.

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Any other “must haves,” journalism students?

Are you pursuing a career in journalism?