Meeting new people was the most exciting part of my first few weeks on campus. I love talking to people with different backgrounds, majors, and outlooks. College is the time for broadening perspectives and exploring all the world has to offer. I was eager to embrace these opportunities as soon as I arrived.
When I began my blog, I wanted to capture the excitement I had for my new experiences and new friends. This was how I chose the topic of my blog: interviews. I’ve been able to use these interviews to discuss all sorts of things on campus, from football, to protests, to campus jobs. My interviews remind me to be intentional about sitting down to talk with friends and professors about their personal experiences. The excuse of “I am doing an interview for class” has served as an ice breaker when I want to ask a random stranger a question.
One challenge that I expected was simple the difficulty of remembering to keep up with posting twice a week. I have to remember to ask someone to take time out of their day in advance. Oftentimes, it is Thursday night before I remember that I have yet to write out a single interview question for the week’s posts. Luckily, there are many people on campus that are willing to help with spontaneous interviews.
It can also be challenging to format the quotes I gather. If I sit down to write a post the day after an interview, I may realize I am missing an important piece of information, but it is too late to call up my interviewee and ask for another comment. Because of this, some of my interviews are not as professional as I would like. I came into this blog without any knowledge about formal interviews. Although I have been complimented on my writing by friends and family who have read the blog, I know the style is far from journalistic. I hope to learn more about proper questions and formatting for my interviews before the semester ends.
Lastly, one of the roadblocks I faced this semester was not knowing what I wanted to major in. Though I had originally planned to major in public relations, by the time I signed up for my classes, I had changed my mind. However, thanks to a last-minute schedule change, I ended up in Intro to Media anyway. Since I wasn’t planning to pursue a major in Gaylord College, I felt out of place. I did not make much of an effort to introduce myself to others in my class. However, as the semester has progressed, I realized how much I love Intro to Media, my blogging experience, and the time I’ve spent in Gaylord. Thanks to these experiences, I decided I will pursue a PR major. I know I still have time to change my mind, but this blog has helped me discover what I am passionate about.