In high school everyone’s parents' focus seemed to be “Join a club or a sports team, add to your resume, you need extracurriculars to get into college.”
Once you get to college, that kind of dies down. The people who are here for sports are clearly busy with their sports, some people show interest in various clubs, join sororities, and then many people (like myself) are just trying to find their way as a lost freshman. End of freshman year it occurred to me that it was time to get involved in something other than just my sorority.
After trying out the school newspaper and a few other things, I decided I might as well apply for Odyssey, as I had seen various articles posted all over Facebook.
Moral of the story, I started writing at the end of my freshman year and it’s taken me so much further than I could have imagined. It gave me the push I needed to officially change my major to English after learning that writing is what I truly enjoy.
I now have an online portfolio of published work for any future employer to see, or even just look back and see my growth in writing over the past year.
So to any young writers trying to explore the field, I highly recommend applying to write for Odyssey. No matter where you live or what school you attend, I guarantee there is a community you’ll fit into.
That’s one of the nice things about Odyssey, almost every major university in the country has its own branch, and if for some reason your school does not, do not worry. You can apply to the closest community and get the ball rolling as soon as humanly possible. As long as the passion is there (oh and you know how to stick to deadlines) the Odyssey staff will welcome you, and your work with open arms.
So on that note, before the school year takes off, get on your computer and start your Odyssey career.