Dear Dr. Mangini,
Through the Professions in Writing Arts class, my faith has been restored more than in any other writing course I’ve taken at Rowan. Through experienced students, professors, and the infinite opportunities through the Internet, I have discovered a new perspective on how the publishing industry views incoming applicants. The class not only carried a focus for undergraduate students, but those interested in graduate programs as well. The discussion we had on how graduate programs operate and accept applicants helped me understand that personal and professional experience in the field can outweigh academic experience on its own. It can be extremely helpful and advantageous for aspiring writers to participate in events and activities geared towards their interests. Since several different professions need writers, it is important for them to carry a general interest in the world at all times. It is important to keep an open mind when pursuing which specific field of writing to build a career in. While choosing a career path through these means (internships, volunteer work, tutoring, etc.) are necessary to grow as a writer, approaching editors, managers, and other seasoned professionals requires an ability to stand out from other applicants by being proactive, creative, and socially confident with other coworkers. This sort of preparation includes writing query letters, statements of purpose, cover letters, resumes, curriculum vitae and other forms of communication through social media such as LinkedIn, Twitter, and writing-based community websites. Throughout my college career, the importance of establishing lively and consistent connections with the above mentioned persons will most likely be the first step in landing a writing job after college. After that, building my resume with more professional experience is essential to creating a thick portfolio for my career. In the class we discussed several different careers that students may decide to take after college. While some of these were more geared towards niche markets, some of them are very prominent in today’s global marketplace, such as online bloggers, copyeditors, publicists, and copywriters. Online journalism and online marketing have a tendency to go hand and hand, so if I acquire these skills while still in college through internships and volunteer work, businesses will carry a larger interest in my services as a result. While nothing quite beats personal connections and relations with managers and business leaders, communicating with them is easier now that technology has become part of learning and researching in the American culture. In this transitioning period, we are experiencing an exponential growth of online users. They are discovering more and more through this medium and are taking advantage of the incredible accessibility it carries. The industry is constantly reminding me how there is always room for improvement, always more to learn and understand, and so much to explore from every corner of the globe. It gives me hope that there is always something worth writing about and sharing to others who may have not known otherwise. In hindsight, that is essentially what this class did in my junior year at Rowan.
Sincerely yours,
Dean Terrell
Through the Professions in Writing Arts class, my faith has been restored more than in any other writing course I’ve taken at Rowan. Through experienced students, professors, and the infinite opportunities through the Internet, I have discovered a new perspective on how the publishing industry views incoming applicants. The class not only carried a focus for undergraduate students, but those interested in graduate programs as well. The discussion we had on how graduate programs operate and accept applicants helped me understand that personal and professional experience in the field can outweigh academic experience on its own. It can be extremely helpful and advantageous for aspiring writers to participate in events and activities geared towards their interests. Since several different professions need writers, it is important for them to carry a general interest in the world at all times. It is important to keep an open mind when pursuing which specific field of writing to build a career in. While choosing a career path through these means (internships, volunteer work, tutoring, etc.) are necessary to grow as a writer, approaching editors, managers, and other seasoned professionals requires an ability to stand out from other applicants by being proactive, creative, and socially confident with other coworkers. This sort of preparation includes writing query letters, statements of purpose, cover letters, resumes, curriculum vitae and other forms of communication through social media such as LinkedIn, Twitter, and writing-based community websites. Throughout my college career, the importance of establishing lively and consistent connections with the above mentioned persons will most likely be the first step in landing a writing job after college. After that, building my resume with more professional experience is essential to creating a thick portfolio for my career. In the class we discussed several different careers that students may decide to take after college. While some of these were more geared towards niche markets, some of them are very prominent in today’s global marketplace, such as online bloggers, copyeditors, publicists, and copywriters. Online journalism and online marketing have a tendency to go hand and hand, so if I acquire these skills while still in college through internships and volunteer work, businesses will carry a larger interest in my services as a result. While nothing quite beats personal connections and relations with managers and business leaders, communicating with them is easier now that technology has become part of learning and researching in the American culture. In this transitioning period, we are experiencing an exponential growth of online users. They are discovering more and more through this medium and are taking advantage of the incredible accessibility it carries. The industry is constantly reminding me how there is always room for improvement, always more to learn and understand, and so much to explore from every corner of the globe. It gives me hope that there is always something worth writing about and sharing to others who may have not known otherwise. In hindsight, that is essentially what this class did in my junior year at Rowan.
Sincerely yours,
Dean Terrell