On getting ready to be a freshman Bobcat

by Robert Stewart, Director; Professor

This past year I had a facebook group for the freshman class. I didn’t use it to “friend” students — which seems to me to cross some important boundaries (call me old fashioned). Rather, I used it to post announcements and news, send messages to all group members, etc.

Problem is, not every freshman wants to use facebook, so I ended up having to email all freshmen each time I sent out a message to the facebook group. Double the effort for no particular pay off.

I am going to use a blog to communicate messages to this year’s freshmen. So, let’s get started. I received the following email (name removed):

My name is _______, and I was accepted into your Journalism program in January. I’m very pleased to have the opportunity to write the Associate Director of my school an email. My second semester has been overflowing with excitement about finally making it to college, and I can’t say enough about how proud I am to be a future Bobcat freshman.

I have been putting in overtime with my school newspaper, for which I’m sports editor, laying out pages and reporting events around my school.

My number one question for you would be – What are some of the best things for me to try and accomplish during the early stages of my education at Scripps? – I appreciate your assistance and look forward to hearing from you again.

My answer:

Great to hear from you… And great to hear that you are really devoted to your education and professional development.

I have three specific suggestions:

1. get involved in Gridiron Glory on WOUB… It is a prep-school football program in the fall, and great way to get involved in sports journalism — regardless of whether you are interested in print/broadcast/online/etc.

2. tackle your coursework with vigor, so that you have a great 1st quarter in academic terms. Sometimes it is hard to recover from a dismal first quarter experience.

3. get involved in one of the student organizations in the jschool… SPJ, RTNDA, etc… It’s a great way to meet upperclassmen and find mentors among the student body.

Make sense?

I look forward to meeting you when you get here.

Check this blog periodically for more about the freshman experience in the jschool.

Prof. Stewart

May 3, 2008

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