Columbia University in New York City hosted its annual summer journalism workshops from June 23-29. We attended morning and afternoon classes, along with a one-on-one personal critique workshop, student networking sessions, and even a Broadway show to practice journalistic writing skills.
During the week-long program, we reviewed common writing errors such as the misuse of punctuation, quotes, and grammar. We also completed assignments that encouraged us to pull from personal experiences and share them with other students, sometimes anonymously, which was intriguing because it provided diverse perspectives on different topics.
Some of the rules of journalism, such as tips for interviewing, were new and unfamiliar to us, which made the workshops more challenging. Nevertheless, we were able to change bad habits in our writing and received individual feedback from our professors through the process.
Being alone in a city of nine million is an adventure, and it is different from what one might imagine. Sometimes we would walk around with our new friends, while other times we would walk alone. It is hard at first to be responsible while living on your own, but there’s definitely freedom attached to such an experience. The Cathedral Church of St. John was situated merely a block away, and we were fascinated by its gothic architecture. There was also a Hamilton statue on campus along with the Columbia library, which we found monumental and very eye-catching. We enjoyed gazing at the buildings and statues while walking to class every day.
Immediately outside of the campus there were bookshops, pastry shops, and interesting restaurants that caught our eyes as well. The Mill, which serves Korean dishes, was a place that we frequently visited because the pajun and kimchi were simply terrific. Also nearby is Tom’s Restaurant, recognizable to all Seinfeld fans, and last but not least, a Shake Shack that was almost always packed during lunch hours.
Living in a dorm room was exciting for us, but it also created a problem. We no longer had parents waking us up and telling us when to get ready, so we had to set our own alarms, drag ourselves out of bed, take quick showers (without singing), and walk to the buildings where our different workshops took place. Although it wasn’t easy some mornings, we can say we successfully got to all of our classes on time.
Along with morning and afternoon classes, we attended the musical Once on This Island on Broadway, which won the award for Best Musical Revival at this year’s Tony Awards. The show blew us away with the actors’ powerful vocals, especially in the power anthem “Momma Will Provide,” sung by Alex Newell, and pushed us to tears with its heart-wrenching storyline. From the stage set-up to the unforgettable songs and the intense acting, this will go down as one of our all time favorite Broadway musicals, and as a highlight of our time in NYC.
We also attended a press conference after the show, where we were able to ask the actors, stage crew, and writers questions we had about the show. We felt that this was perfect practice since real journalists usually attend press conferences to get more information for their stories or reviews. We asked about the rehearsal process, specifically what it was like dancing in the sand, while others wondered what the actors did to practice their Haitian accents. This was definitely one of our favorite parts of the week, because not only did we talk to talented actors and stage crew, but we also went behind the scenes and applied our new journalism skills to learn more about how this phenomenal production came to be.
We learned about many nuances found in journalistic writing that we never saw clearly before while also enjoying the breathtaking aspects of the Big Apple. We highly recommend this program to any student who wishes to enhance their editorial and overall journalistic writing skills.
