Tyler Berg: Read the paper. Read the paper. Read the paper.
Emily Ambach: Always read feedback from Professor Piacente on your stories and remember it for your next story. Read the Washington Post EVERY DAY, don’t get behind.
Madison Moore: Tip for next semester’s students: ALWAYS read your work out loud before handing it in. There are a million little mistakes you can miss while reading, but will immediately hear if you take the time to say what you wrote.
Mary Elder: Make sure you take current events quizzes seriously. They seem like only a small amount of points, but the points add up quickly. I suggest writing down the headline from each story and the lead. This will help you remember what the story was about down the line.
1. Also make sure, before you hand every story in, that you check the marks on your last assignment. Making the same mistake over and over again is costly and you will be annoyed with yourself for not catching it.
2. Best of luck everyone! This is a great class.
Megan Yoder: use this class as an opportunity to see what types of writing you enjoy. Be open minded to different types of communication- you still have plenty of time to discover where your specialties lie. You will succeed if you work to develop your skills in all forms of writing.
Morgan Lyons: My best tip for next year’s students is this: After writing a story or press release, reread the textbook chapters on whatever type of story it is. It will really help your next story.
Alex Mahon: The best tip for success I can give to any student taking this class (or any college course) is to stay on top of your work. No matter what else is going on in your life, no matter how many other grueling classes you are taking, no matter how little time you have. Life will be infinitely less stressful if you make completing your schoolwork your first priority.
Gabriela Berrios: My tip for next semester’s students is to know by heart (well, almost) the AP style guidelines.
Taytum Sanderbeck: ALWAYS read your stories multiple times, once for spelling, once for grammar etc…
Elisha Brown: Takeaway: Always look over your edited comments from Professor Piacente. Keep a list of his suggested improvements so you can review them before the next assignment.
Grace Ries: My tip, keep up on the Washington Post no matter what. Also set alarms on your phone when Prof. gives you a weird Saturday deadline so you don’t forget. Wish I would have not relied on the fact that I would magically remember those deadlines.
Morgan Tripi: Take the time to fully read and understand the professor’s comments on your writing. Email him if you are unclear of anything otherwise you will find yourself repeating the same mistakes.
Lisa Beck: Definitely pay attention for AP style mistakes because there are many to be made and very specific comma rules. Another thing to think about is to pay attention what the story really is saying and to make sure your interpretation is correct. That said don’t overthink either because I tended to do that.
Aliya Levinstein: : Make sure you really read the Washington Post! It takes a while sometimes, but it is great to really know what is going on locally, nationally, and internationally. I really appreciated that part of this class.
