What I Wish I Would Have Known
FORMER HIGH SCHOOL JOURNALIST REFLECTS ON HOW
PREPARED SHE WAS FOR COLLEGE MEDIA PROGRAM
By Madeleine Buckley
M
y name is Madeleine, I am a
second year magazine major
at the S.I. Newhouse School
of Public Communications at
Syracuse University. So far, I am loving
every minute of it.
I was heavily involved in yearbook
in high school, serving on the
editorial team for two years before
becoming editor-in-chief my senior
year. My experience as a high school
journalism student certainly helped
prepare me for my time in college.
The basics – being comfortable
interviewing, knowing general lingo
and practicing AP style – are some
of the most important things I took
away from my yearbook career.
never used a Creative Suite software
program before.
I was also fortunate enough to be in
a yearbook program that allowed me
not only to write, but photograph
and design as well. While it may
be tempting to divide a staff into
specific roles, it is so important for
a student to be able to “do it all”
in today’s media. Every j-school is
different, but mine requires classes
in graphic design for almost every
type of communications major. My
experience using InDesign in high
school put me far ahead of many of
my peers, as a majority of them had
There are, however, a few aspects of
the college journalistic experience
I wasn’t as prepared for. There is
major pressure, both from professors
and guest speakers, to utilize social
media well and have an online
presence. I recommend teaching your
students how to have properly run,
professional and frequently updated
social media accounts across all
platforms, from LinkedIn to Snapchat.
This is something I never really did
in high school and still have a lot of
trouble getting the hang of.