Why you should choose journalism

It’s about that time when we start choosing our elective courses for next year, and if you have been wondering or confused about what you should choose, I think Journalism is a great option.

If you don’t know why you should choose Journalism, let me tell you a little bit about why I did. In the 10th grade, I knew what electives I didn’t want to take but I didn’t know what electives I did want to take, so I narrowed it down to two classes that sounded remotely interesting: Art and Journalism. I decided to take Art in 10th grade, so I knew my choice was going to be Journalism for this year. I had no idea what the class was about, I just thought that we were going to be doing a lot of writing and it was going to be boring. As it turns out, Journalism is very open-minded and allows me to think outside of the box (and there’s not THAT much writing).

So why should you take Journalism? Well, if you are the type of person who loves writing and loves the free choice of what you can write about, Journalism is a class that you should consider. It allows you to write about what’s going on in the world and why you feel as though it is important to people. You can also write about movies, books, music, school-related ideas, as well as any other topic you may be interested in. It is something new, a great way to improve your writing skills, and can be a great addition to your resume since the newspaper is student run.

When I asked a few classmates how they would describe journalism, junior Malcolm Brooks, sports editor for the newspaper, said “[it’s a] very self-paced class with a lot of freedom. It’s fairly easy but it’s a good learning opportunity.” Senior Avery Oduro-Dompreh, a staff writer, said, “it allows you to be creative and research things that you are interested in.” Most of my classmates also described Journalism as an easier class to take, a safe environment, and a great opportunity to express or develop your writing skills. Not only that, but Journalism is a class where you are not judged for how you write, and the students are nice and always willing to help you with ideas. The grades in journalism are about meeting deadlines, not necessarily about how well you write. 

So as you begin to make your course selections, I highly recommend Journalism. From the stress-free environment to the writing opportunities it provides, as well as the independence you can experience, you are sure to have an enjoyable experience. Be sure to check out the other electives in the English department, including Yearbook, African American Literature, Advanced Composition, Speech Communication, and Video Production.