By Alex Wright
Choosing a college major can be one of the most stressful and important decisions that you will make in your life. A large percentage of students choose a traditional route through college and complete a single major and often a minor.
However, studies have indicated that in recent years we have seen a significant rise in double major students. The option to double major is available at UAB, and sometimes you can complete both majors within a four-year plan.
As a current double major (English with a focus in Professional Writing, and Communications with a focus in Journalism), I have taken a multitude of writing courses that have assisted me throughout my college career.
One Communications class in particular, 210 Newswriting and Reporting with Dr. Shaia, helped me build a knowledge of journalism law and for my publishing classes required for my English degree.
With a strong focus on grasping the finer rules of the English language, Dr. Shaia’s class taught me many “do’s” and “don’ts” commonly seen throughout journalism. Dr. Shaia’s newswriting class also helped me notice many of the careless errors made by young journalists, and the proper steps to prevent said errors.
Newswriting and Reporting helped myself and many writers in the class to recognize exceptional writing from insignificant writing. Learning to recognize quality writing is one of the most useful merits in any journalism-focused major and career. Recognizing a difference in quality is essential if you would ever like to succeed in working for a magazine or newspaper. This recognition of quality is essential, as it enables you to better yourself and develop your writing talents.
