Today I received a letter in the mail from Newhouse informing me on my summer assignments and orientation information. I can’t even begin to describe how in love I am with this school. My summer assignment is to regularly visit news websites like the New York Times, Washington Post, CNN, and start following foreign news stations like BBC, Al Jazeera, and China Daily. I already read the Times every morning and keep up with other news mediums like Time magazine and NPR. Thus, being encouraged to do that and to expand on it is really fucking cool. I haven’t even stepped foot in the building as an official student yet, and I’m already “working.” I love it. I’m just so excited to learn, and I’m so happy that what I’m being told to study is something that I actually want to learn. I’m just so happy to be going to this school. I realize that not a lot of people can say that they’re attending their dream school, and I’m so grateful that out of all the places I could have ended up, I’ll be in the heart and soul of Orange Nation, learning in a facility that has Doctor Who posters on the wall. I go to the best communications school in the country. That sentence is still unreal to me. I don’t know what I did to deserve that honor, but I’m so grateful. As I said before, my first semester hasn’t even started, but I’m already being told to up my game.

“If you come to school in August not knowing the state of the U.S. economy, the latest developments in the presidential race, military and diplomatic matters in Afghanistan and Pakistan, the situation in Syria, and something about the European debt crisis, then you are not paying enough attention to the news.”

This sentence has quite a threatening tone (especially since it concludes the whole letter) but I have the highest respect their expectations and am excited to take on their challenge. I’m honestly really impressed by how well Newhouse molds their students to perform.

I’m going to be a great reporter one day. I’m well on my way. That thought used to be just a dream and a small hope in my head.