Claire:
Yes! Writing this column has been a great time. Getting a chance to connect with campus and write weekly about what I’ve learned throughout my three years at Stevens has been a good way to reflect on and appreciate my experience. When I first joined The Stute, I thought I would just write a few articles occasionally, and maybe get to add a new bullet point under the communication section of my resume. Over the past year though, I’ve gotten the opportunity to be an editor, write every week, and am now the Secretary for the 2023-2024 school year. I owe a lot of that involvement to this column and I would encourage anyone reading to get involved with writing for The Stute. Even if you’ve never had much luck with writing in the past, that’s okay; I never particularly stood out in middle or high school English which is exactly why The Stute is so great for me. By doing something that I find difficult, I’ve been able to become a more well-rounded student, and it had the great side effect of getting to meet and talk with people all across campus. For those of you looking to write a column specifically, I would first recommend that you write a few articles regularly for our news, science, or sports section and start thinking of themes for your column. After that, you can put in an application. We accept applications before the start of the fall and spring semesters.
Ethan:
No, I have dreaded every second I have spent writing. Every word I have put to paper has been excruciating. See, I don’t hate being an opinion columnist, I actually quite like it. But, it is impossible to enjoy a job where I spend my time answering questions that are boring and have common sense answers. I really enjoyed that one week when Claire and I were asked what was the meaning of life. That was a fun one that left me a lot of room to give actual thought and input to the question asked of me. However, it is a waste of my time and yours when the questions are along the lines of “what do I do during a water main break?” I am pretty sure the city of Hoboken answered that well before me. This column is not what I thought my career as an opinion columnist would be like, but I guess I’m now just the guy that answers meaningless questions for your amusement. I know you all love my wisdom so much, so don’t get too excited because I’m not making any promises, but I would think about continuing this column if the questions being asked were not classified as a total waste of my time. I’m going to be a senior, so I’ll have better things to do like sleep and neglect my responsibilities. But at the end of the day, I will do what the people want, and if that means suffering another year I will at least consider it.
