About Journalism and Mass Communications

As a senior majoring in journalism and mass communications, I have learned a lot over the past few years I have spent in this major. First and foremost, I have found that this is no easy major. It is very demanding of your time because the classes, especially JMC410, function more like a real journalism job.

Preparation is another facet of JMC classes, especially the 410 class. If students don't come to class regularly, they will miss out on important assignments that will help improve their writing skills. Along with this, most in-class assignments involve creating story ideas, outlines and editing for feature stories. This is an integral part of the course, and it plays a huge part in assisting the development of feature stories.

Practice, practice, practice. In the 410 class, this is exactly what students will be getting themselves into. I am grateful for all of the writing assignments, whether ungraded or graded, because although they can be time consuming and overwhelming at times, the end result is the progress made in my writing abilities. If the class had been set up in any other way, I can honestly say that I may not have improved and definitely would be less ready for a job in journalism.

One drawback of being a student in the JMC major, and an athlete at the same time, was the fact that I was unable to get an internship or some sort of job experience while attending UNC. However, just through being in classes like JMC410, I have become more knowledgeable on how newspapers are run, what it is like to be working inside a newsroom, because after all, our class functions similarly, and how to write a good story and gain readers' attention. I can now say that I feel prepared to go out into the workforce and confident that my writing will get me further than I had expected, all because I have taken many helpful classes in the JMC major. In saying this, I encourage students, whether unsure about their major(s) or not, to take at least one JMC class here at UNC. The professors are adamant about giving their students the best education possible and the classes themselves are engaging and will improve writing skills, no matter where a student stands in regards to writing abilities.

My advice for students just entering into this major is simple; go to class, pay attention, turn in assignments on time and don't hesitate to ask questions. My suggestions on becoming a better journalist are to always take good notes, use all of your senses, ask follow-up questions, and don't forget to review and edit your work - mistakes are sometimes tricky to find, even after checking over it twice.

Until next time, keep on writing.