Why choose to study an academic field with little funding and a limited amount of jobs, especially if I didn't even want one of them? Because I wanted to.
While what I learn in journalism courses is more directly relevant to my career goals than classics, but I've never felt hindered by my choice of major.
My interest in magazine journalism began my freshman year, when I attended a fashion show at East End hosted by Kaleidoscope, a student-run fashion magazine at UNC. I was blown away by the lights and music, and above all, the clothes. I turned to my roommate and said, "This is what I'm going to do for the rest of my life." At that moment, I knew I was never going to law school.
I became a staff writer at Kaleidoscope and began work with two virtual internships in fashion journalism, eventually moving onto editing positions with both of them. After that, I got involved with Her Campus at both the national and campus levels.
I've interned at Girls' Life magazine and now work part-time for them remotely. None of the editors who interviewed me seemed concerned that I was studying dead languages and dated cultures. If anything, it made me stand out from other students, at least I hope it did.
From the fashion publications I've worked with, I was able to break into beauty testing and writing, which I enjoyed more than fashion itself, and I eventually started a beauty blog to use on applications. Classics is more readily relevant there: My mom always asks why I wear my eyeliner like Cleopatra.
But the fashion journalism industry is pretty small, and the beauty industry is even smaller. So last semester, I got involved with entertainment writing at Her Campus, and I fell in love. I started reading entertainment magazines in addition to fashion ones, and trying to write pieces that combined the two industries.
In the second semester of my junior year, I became involved with USA TODAY through their Collegiate Correspondent Program. In addition to writing the obligatory—and really fun!—post on majoring in classics, I had a lot of leeway in what my weekly articles were about, pitching my own topics each week. Through the program, I was able to get a feel for entertainment writing, including reviews ('The Finder'), social media studies (Twitter response to the Grammys and the Oscars) and opinion pieces (so what if Ed Helms is typecast?). I enjoyed these entertainment articles so, so much, and I know that entertainment writing—TV and film writing, specifically—is where I'd like to be after I graduate.
My dream job is to write television and movie reviews for Vulture, New York Magazine's entertainment section. I'm also interested in following classics great Daniel Mendelsohn's footsteps at the New Yorker and in book publishing. And it would always be nice to go back to USA TODAY. When I graduate in May 2013, I don't know where the job search will lead me, but I hope it will be a place that includes a TV.
