I have been a journalism student at the University of Missouri for a whole year now. I have always known that journalism was the major I wanted to pursue. I was so sure that Mizzou’s J-School was the one for me, it was actually the only school I applied to. While I love the skills and information I am learning, some days can get pretty busy. I value getting involved on campus and creating opportunities for myself to gain experience. So, while my days as a journalism student don’t always look the same, most days are filled with journalism-related activities.
I am majoring in journalism with an emphasis on strategic communications. That means that the projects I work on and the articles I write are more feature-based and little less about hard-hitting news.
I am a part of organizations that reflect my goals and interests at Mizzou. I joined Women in Media and Her Campus Mizzou because I wanted to meet other women that share my passion for writing. Hopefully this article gives you an insight into what these organizations offer and what it is like to be a member. Follow along with me on a Tuesday at Mizzou!
10:00 a.m. – Update Twitter and Facebook for Her Campus Mizzou
I run the Twitter and Facebook pages for Her Campus Mizzou (check them out!). This means that I am in charge of posting everyday on each account. I post anything from articles that have recently been published on the Her Campus website, to inspirational quotes from women, to shameless plugs to follow Her Campus Mizzou on Instagram… if you are curious our username is @hercampusmiz. Every Sunday, I plan out the posts for the week ahead. This makes it so much easier, because I just have to copy and paste the post into each account.
10:30 a.m. – Walk to class
I have quite a trek from my residential hall to Walter Williams Hall. On my way, every morning I listen to NPR and pick up a copy of the Columbia Missourian. NPR has a great podcast called “Up First.” They upload a new episode every morning and it’s usually less than 15 minutes long. The hosts give a run down of the top two or three most important and news prominent stories of the day. As a journalism student, it is important to be on top of current events and understand what is going on in the world around me. I like reading the Missourian because while it does cover world news, it is definitely more local. Because I am not from Missouri, reading the Missourian keeps me up to date in my community while I am in college.
11:00 a.m. – Work in class
Today, I have my J1400 class, the official title of the class being “Applied Projects for Journalism and Strategic Communication.” This was the class that helped me solidify that I want to pursue strategic communications. In class today, I am working with my group on building a website and media kit for the Entrepreneurship Alliance Program through the business school at Mizzou. We are working on creating the program’s brand. While it is a part of Mizzou, we are working with our client to build the program’s own identity.
12:30 p.m. – Get content for a project
After class, my group and I head over to the business school to get content for the branded website and media kit. We get sound bites, b-roll, pictures and video. This content is all crucial to the website. We want students who are considering business school at Mizzou to be able to visualize as much about this program as possible.
1:15 p.m. – Lunch and coffee
As a freshman, I can confidently say I have spent at least a third of my meal plan on Starbucks. I go to Memorial Union and work on any projects and assignments I have coming up. Since it is already midday, coffee and a caesar salad are essential.
2:00 p.m. – Write articles for Her Campus Mizzou
Currently, I am working on this article. I also keep track of other articles I am working on at the time and any ideas that come to mind for future articles. I really enjoy writing for Her Campus Mizzou, because I have so much freedom when deciding what to write about. I really enjoy writing lifestyle articles and adding a little bit of humor when I can, and Her Campus Mizzou has always given me the opportunity to do that.
3:30 p.m. – Writing intensive class
This is my second and final class of the day. It is a writing intensive class about Amish communities. The class is a sociology class and I would highly recommend it. As a journalism student, I have to take two writing intensive classes before I graduate. This class is surprisingly super interesting and I have actually learned a lot about the Amish and my writing process. I would encourage people to take a writing class that is out of their comfort zone.
5:00 p.m. – Women in Media meeting
Women in Media at Mizzou is an identity-based organization that promotes inclusion and strength among women pursuing degrees in media at Mizzou. This organization has helped make Mizzou’s large campus feel smaller. I have been able to meet so many women who share the same interests as me. In meetings, we prepare for the professional world we will enter as women in media. My favorite meeting was when we did a resume building workshop.
7:00 p.m. – Meeting for Her Campus Mizzou
In these meetings the whole team joins and we discuss any upcoming events or important announcements. I love going to these meetings because even though they are still over Zoom, it is really great to see everyone’s face and get to talk to the other writers. In this meeting, I learned about opportunities for writing this summer and what next year is going to be like.
10:30 p.m. – Journal
I am a big believer in self-reflection and how important it is in my everyday life. So, most nights before I go to bed, I write in my journal about my day, how I was feeling, what I am grateful for and pretty much anything else that is on my mind. This is my time to write solely for myself, knowing I’m the only one that will read it. This is a great way for me to destress and reflect on my day and the day ahead.
As a journalism student at Mizzou, I work hard everyday to get involved and be successful. While most of my days are pretty busy, I really enjoy the organizations I am in, the activities I participate in and the classes I take. It can take a lot of hard work, but seeing my articles published or my websites launched is one of the best feelings.