Nerves!

Today I handed in my first article.  It was a different experience than handing it into a professor or peer to edit, grade, and return.

I sat at my editor’s desk as he read out-loud my article.  I couldn’t help but already nit-pick things that I could of changed, and small mistakes that I had made out of being nervous.

Despite my heart lodging itself in my throat the whole time, it wasn’t that bad of an experience.  My professors always spoke of this experience.  That there own articles would be pulled apart and marked up unbelievably.  I had a couple of word-agreement mistakes, and needed to shift some information around but other than that the editor said my article was good.

What a relief!

So I survived my first newspaper editing experience.  I have had plenty of articles edited, all of them have been, and a every article should, but this one was new.

I’m glad I didn’t cry!

German Newspaper Layout

I love this new layout, and I think it will be something I can handle.

Especially with how full my semester will be.  I’m taking six classes, 17 credits worth.  I’m also on the e-board in two clubs.  Not to mention I go to the gym and try to have a bit of a social life.

I just got done with my first week of classes for the new semester.  One my classes starts next week so I haven’t been to all of them.

My classes are:

Text Me! – This class is about computer mediated communication.  I’ve found this topic really interesting especially with my fascinaition (and addiction) to social media.  But now I get to learn the history of all of it, like how the Justice Department and ARPANET are two major factors in me being able to write this on my laptop.

Literature of Journalism – My professor speaks the truth in this class.  Literary journalism is something I’ve never had the chance to do, and it will be fun to add a flair of creativity to personal narratives while social commentating the way I see things.  Love it already.

Arts Writing – Writing about music, film, art, dance, theater… and the whole rest of the gambit.  My professor was a editor of the Rolling Stones magazine.  Cannot wait for her anecdotal stories and report on some of my biggest interests with integrity and the tools I need.

Investigative Journalism – Probably my favorite so far.  Taught by a New York Times reporter, I learned more in the first class than I ever did before.  This was the perfect class to take, I can’t wait to take the knowledge I gain and translate it into real impactful stories.

Advanced Editing – This class runs an online newspaper.  We are in charge of everything, assigning the stories, editing, fact-checking… we’re pretty self-efficient.  Getting a taste of ‘the real thing’ should brace me with a little more backbone for actual (and virtual) newsrooms.

Intercultural Interaction – This is the class I start next week and have once a week for seven consecutive weeks.  It’s my one credit modular course and all I know is that I will be working on some sort of project that involves a student from a foreign university.  Sounds pretty exciting, pretty stoked!

So, with all that said, most of these classes are upper division.  Which means the workload is…is… scary.  I’m looking at my homework list from this first week and don’t know how I will pull it altogether