Author: Riley Williams, Senior Biology Student
As September comes to an end, I find myself dealing with the same problems most students face at the beginning of each semester. Some of these problems are more important or prevalent than others. What courses are going to require the most time? Do any of my exams fall on the same day? When will I have time to watch the next episode of my favorite show, or will I have time at all? Can I go out this weekend with my friends, or should I stay in and study? As we all know, we don’t always make the right decisions.
Even as a senior, I still have difficulty from time to time answering these questions. On top of all of the problems I mentioned above, are the new ones being placed in front of me regarding my writing internship. What should my first article topic be? What do students want to read? How do I make science-heavy topics understandable and fun? After some minor meltdowns and inward reflection, I turned to my peers for some guidance. I proposed all of my article ideas to the editor of the D.U. Quark and frantically asked her, “Are these bad? Do I have the wrong idea? Should I just scrap them all and start over?”. As I prepared myself for the worst, she reassured me that I was on the right path. Some of my ideas were surprisingly good!
So far, this internship has forced me to step out of my comfort zone and ask for advice. I always loved writing, but was never given this much freedom to produce this sort of material. I was always given a topic or outline to work with. Working with the D.U. Quark has allowed me to think more freely, but with freedom sometimes comes confusion and second guesses. By relying on my peers for some help, I was able to choose a topic and a deadline. I sometimes feel reluctant to ask for help from my friends or fellow classmates, as we all have our own personal issues or school-related issues to deal with. However, asking for help can save you a great deal of stress and make the writing process more enjoyable. A little bit of writer’s block can be alleviated simply by asking a friend for some advice.
Building Bridges 