Write Your Heart Out In A Crisp & Clear Manner

Nitin Sreedhar is an alumnus of English Journalism from the New Delhi campus of 2011-12 batch. He graduated from JIMS, Rohini and interned with Hindustan Times before IIMC. He joined Business Standard via campus placement as a Sub Editor, and writes for the newspaper on technology and sports. He was also the recipient of the Hindu Award after the completion of his course in IIMC.

I missed the chance to contribute to the IIMC Counselling website last year. Trust me, guiding a fellow IIMC aspirant is something all of us love doing — not only because of our admiration for the fabulous institution, but because we all share the same passion for writing, journalism and communication at a mass level.

So, anyway, it’s better late than never!

If you are reading this, then let me congratulate you first. You have already embarked on a journey that will shape up your career and allow you to meet people from different walks of life. I remember that feeling — rubbing your hands in anticipation and waiting for the question paper, so that you can write your way into India’s best journalism school.

Coming to the written for English Journalism then — here are a few points for your preparation.

Lots of news and current affairs: You need to keep a track of all the recent developments, both domestic and international, of the past few months. Newspapers, journals and magazines should be your new best friends. Don’t read just one newspaper. Pick out your five favourite dailies and read them thoroughly. Most of the time, different newspapers have different viewpoints on the same topic. So that will help you immensely in looking at a topic from various angles. Opinion and editorials are also very informative since they show a publication’s stance on a topic. I know we are a generation that loves reading anything and everything on a screen, but nothing can replace the print medium.

Jot down the points: Make notes. Trust me, you are not mugging up facts. You are making small and clear anchor points that will help you expand and explain a topic better. And why does writing help while preparing for the entrance? Because it keeps you in flow. That way you won’t feel awkward when you finally sit in the examination hall and start writing.

Writing crisply and clearly:  I mentioned right at the top that you can ‘write your heart out’. But the key is to do it in a crisp and clear manner. I remember there were no continuation sheets provided in our entrance and I suppose that is still a norm. So, one writing booklet is all that you will have. Avoid using superfluous and ambiguous terms. Do not panic if you come across a question you don’t know about much. If you can not recall the facts, then don’t attempt a hit and trial. Writing something wrong about a topic could backfire.

Language matters: Keep your language constant. Remember, we always write the way we talk. So whoever finally checks your answers, will get a fair amount of idea about your command over the language. If you start with British or North American English, then keep it constant throughout your answers. The ‘s’ and the ‘z’ should remain constant. If it’s ‘realise’ in one answer, make sure you do not write it as ‘realize’ in another answer and vice versa.

Give your opinion and quote others: Remember a quote or an excerpt from a news item? Then do not be afraid of writing it in your answer. But make sure you attribute it accordingly. Most importantly, do not hesitate at all from giving your opinion on a topic. If you have genuine points and reasons for your stand on a topic, then there’s nothing better. But remember this: do not contradict yourself while writing about something. If are supporting a fact, then maintain the stance. You cannot write against a topic in the same or some other answer. That would show that you are not clear about your topics.

Finally, a few topics you need to definitely read about: the recently concluded Lok Sabha Elections, the Crimean crisis, Facebook-WhatsApp deal, the Indian Premier League, the Oscars (best film, actor and so on), the FIFA World Cup in Brazil, eminent personalities that were in the news for all the right or wrong reasons.

Remember these are just a few I can recall right now. Keep yourself open to all the recent happening and you will do just fine.

Here’s wishing you all the luck. Approach it positively and most importantly, believe in your abilities. 

Good luck!

Feel free to get in touch if you have any doubts. You can ping me at: sreedhar.nitin@gmail.com; or my Twitter handle: @NitinUnplugged