why you should join your school newspaper

whether you’re in high school or college, joining your school newspaper may well be one of the best decisions you ever make.

 

you’ll get great writing experience.

if you’re a student, you probably have to write a ton of essays. one of the best ways to improve your writing is to write as much as possible. reporting for the newspaper will allow you to enhance your writing skills without the stress of having to turn in graded work.

 

you’ll get great work experience.

being a reporter looks good on both college applications and resumes. many school newspaper offices are pretty similar environments to professional newspaper offices, especially in college. therefore, listing your experience on the school newspaper is somewhat similar to listing experience as a reporter at a real paper.

 

you’ll learn a lot about the world.

reporters get access to lots of information that no one else does. when you’re writing a story, you’ll learn so much about your school and about the world in general. it’s an opportunity to educate yourself in many different ways.

 

even if you don’t like writing, you can still join the newspaper’s staff.

you don’t necessarily need to be a reporter. there are so many approaches to getting involved. if you’re more artsy, join the photography or layout team. you can also get involved in the business department, where you’ll do things like communicate with companies whose advertisements appear in the paper. if you’re obsessed with facebook and instagram, you can help start social media initiatives. you can totally personalize your experience based on your interests.