The Art of Cramming (Feature Story)

The clock turns 11:30 p.m., and you lay in bed. Before you fall asleep, you go through your mental checklist to make sure you completed everything you needed to for that day. Right before you fall asleep, you remember that you have an exam the next day that you still need to study for. In college, most students specialize in a certain technique called cramming for exams.

Cramming affects a numerous amount of students in college regardless of major, age, or schedule. Katie Ludwig, student at UWGB, tells how she feels about cramming for an exam. For her, it depends on the exam; she adds, “I feel confident sometimes because I think I’ve learned better that way, and other times, I am anxious that I didn’t study earlier.”

Another UWGB student, Taylor Kaether, also falls victim to exam cramming. She explains how cramming plays a toll on her by saying, “Cramming helps for the moment, but not for the long run. For example, cramming for an exam the night before, I might remember what I need to for the exam, but the next day, I won’t retain anything.”

“Isn’t cramming for exams better than not studying at all?” Several specialists conducted different studies to find the success rate of students cramming. UCLA sees studying as an important factor; however, they also emphasize on the importance of getting enough sleep each night. A UCLA psychiatry professor, Andrew J. Fuligni; a graduate student from UCLA, Cari Gillen-O’Neel; and other experts agree that “sacrificing sleep for extra study time…is actually counterproductive.” They also share that cramming creates more problems academically for a student and may potentially add other health problems as well.

Stanford University informs that cramming is ineffective. They say that cramming has the potential to hurt people’s mental health because it puts too much stress on the brain. Also, like UCLA’s study, they agree that cramming takes away from sleep, which may lead to poor exam results.

Tom Stafford, a researcher and author of a BBC article named “Memory: Why Cramming for Tests Often Fails”, made another point about cramming for exams. Someone could put 8 hours of studying in, but Stafford says, “…being able to recognize something something isn’t the same thing as being able to recall it.” Although our memories remember something, it doesn’t always mean we actually know it.

On the other hand, a handful of students feel they actually perform better on exams after a night of cramming. Lindsay Peiffer, a UWGB student, shares, “When I cram, I feel my overall outcome is actually decent. I feel I do way better under pressure. If I start studying too early, I start to have anxiety over it."

All students feel differently and perform differently when they cram for exams. Although, the vast majority of experts suggest against exam cramming, it fails stop students from doing so. However, if you feel you need to cram for an exam, try remembering to get a good night’s rest and eat healthy as well.

College Stress (Hard News Story)

According to USA, the National College Health Assessment of 2015 shares that 30% of students reported the negative effect of stress on their performances academically, and “over 85% had felt overwhelmed by everything they had to do at some point” during that year.

Taylor Kaether, a psychology major at UWGB, says, “Stress throws me off of my entire routine. I find it hard to sleep at night, which makes me sleep during the day. I can’t concentrate on one thing because I’m overwhelmed with everything else, so I end up being all over the place with my brain.”

Another UWGB college student, Kendall Brey, says that college increases her stress majorly. As she works a few jobs along with school, she informs that school is one of her bigger stressors.

Allie Paitel, a college student at Marshfield, explains that school puts a lot of stress on her. She also works while attending school. However, Allie still really enjoys school.

Many college students around America said they feel that academics is their top stressor. NewYork University says that 6/10 college students felt so much stress, they were not able to complete their work at least once.

Stress commonly affects a student’s academics negatively, but not just that as it affects a student’s health, too. Multiple students reported eating problems and other mental health related issues rooting from stress according to NBC.

When faced with overwhelming stress, going for a walk and other various activities are provided before hitting the books again.

Interview

Introduction

I decided to interview Jamie Rokus. Jamie many years of experience working in the journalism field, which is why I thought it would be helpful to first to give some insight into work she had previously done since college. Along with that, I thought it was important to layout some of what she had done to gain experience in field.

Jamie Rokus

Jamie Rokus is a journalist who attended the University of Wisconsin – River Falls, which she mentioned had a super journalism program. She majored in print journalism and minored in political science and Spanish. After her freshman year of college, she was a summer intern for the Daily Tribune, which she actually did for two more following summers. During that internship, Jamie worked as a news reporter and assisted with journalism, which is when she discovered that journalism became her true passion. Following that, she kept with journalism and worked with it in Manitowoc, Stevens Point, and Marshfield. Jamie has been working in journalism for a total of 16 years.

Interview

Q: Why/how did you decide to be a journalist?

A: Before Jamie discovered her passion for journalism, she looked into working somewhere in the field of law. However, being an intern for the Daily Tribune and gaining experience in the journalism field, she decided journalism was something she really wanted to do.

Q: What is your typical day like?

A: “There really is no typical day in journalism. If you come in the morning with a plan, it’s very likely you will not accomplish it.” Some of the tasks Jamie does is check different websites in the morning and check to make sure they aren’t missing any, log into social media to see if there are any reader comments, handles community submissions, and engages with readers.

Q: What skills do you feel are most important for your job?

A: Important skills are having knowledge of different social media platforms and how to use them to engage with the readers. Flexibility is also important because of the unpredictability of the job and working with people.

Q: Pros and cons of journalism?

A: Some of the pros of journalism are: there’s no time to be bored, it’s exciting and unpredictable, and the interaction with the customers. A couple cons would include the unpredictability and the fear of print journalism dying.

Q: What would you say is the most difficult part of being a journalist?

A: For a reporter, they don’t have predictable schedules, so if you have a family, it’s a little more difficult to balance both out. As an editor, the hours a little more predictable, which makes it easier for someone who has a family.

Q: What is your favorite thing about your job?

A: My favorite part of my job is the engagement with the readers and seeing the kinds of things they submit.

Q: What is the competition like competing against other journalist for a story?

A: Inside competition is pretty good within the Daily Tribune. Reporters are split into categories, so there isn’t much conflict with stories being crossed. Sometimes two people will cover one story if multiple people want to work on one. Outside competition in Wisconsin Rapids doesn’t pose a serious threat at the moment. There’s a little more competition in Stevens Point, so it’s important to stay on your toes, frequently log onto Facebook, check and recheck stories, and make sure sources are available. Morning and evening rounds, which is when a call is made to the police or fire department to see if they have any news, are important because you want to be the first one receiving that news.

Q: Since people have more opportunities to create blogs and such for news online, which many are taking advantage of; how will that affect journalism?

A: The Daily Tribune is pretty forward thinking and were able to create online sites to post news. However, it’s important to be careful where the news comes because you want accurate and correct information. I, personally, enjoy print, but online is nice because it’s instant.

Q: What risks do the journalists take in reporting a story?

A: There aren’t too many risks in Wisconsin Rapids. It’s important to have different sources, but while working on an investigative piece, you want to make sure you try not to upset your source. While working on a court case, you don’t want to post any personal information like your address or picture of your house on social media.

Q: Have you ever been put into a situation where you thought that there was any information that is “too dangerous” to print?

A: At the Daily Tribune, I haven’t come across story that was “too dangerous” to print yet.

Q: Have you ever covered a story or assignment where you felt strongly against it, and how do you handle the personal, moral, and ethical conflicts?

A: A lot of things are taken into account ethically. If a situation like that occurred, you would try to pass the story to a different reporter. For us, we don’t report names of assault victims or those who committed suicide. The only way we would cover a suicide story is if it occurred in a public place, but even if the name is released, we don’t like to identify them.

Q: Are there any types of stories you are assigned to cover that you’re most passionate about?

A: Each reporter has their own passion, and we usually let them cover the story and let them run with it. There was a story I covered about a bunch of abandoned dogs and horses, and a humane society took the dogs in, which put a strain on them. We reached out to readers to ask them to donate food and needs for those dogs, and because of that, we received around 1000 pounds of donated dog food. I liked working on that story because I like dogs.

Q: What is the most outrageous story/assignment you had to cover?

A: I’m not sure about any outrageous stories I’ve had to cover at the moment.

Q: How can a student who is interested in pursuing journalism best prepare?

A: They should try to get an internship after their freshman year, but this will be difficult because many places are looking for experience. Some people will study journalism up through junior year, and they’ll get an internship and realize they don’t enjoy journalism, so to go through three years studying that could get frustrating. It’s also important to grow thick skin because there will be times when readers will call with comments about how much they don’t like a story you covered or the way you covered it.

Q: What advice do you have for a journalist student wanting to get into the field?
A: Again, I would recommend trying to get an internship. I love my job, but it’s demanding, so it’s really important you know what you’re getting into.

Three Killed in Tel Aviv Shooting (International 2)

A “terrorist attack” occurred on Wednesday in Tel Aviv at a popular gourmet food and retail shop. The attack resulted in the death of three people. According to CNN, six others became wounded. Spokesman, Luba Samarai, of the Israeli police told USA, “two gunmen were ‘neutralized,’ which can mean either killed or detained.”

Though the police put two gunmen in custody, they believe a third gunman is “still on the run”, BBC explains. USA informs that, according to Chico Edri, the head of Israel Police’s Tel Aviv district, the incident is over. After the police took control of the situation, they put it to an end.

Reason:

I feel this news is important because it directly and indirectly affects many people. News like this upsets its readers. When I read the article, the words, “terrorist attack” caught my attention, which made me feel disgusted. This story came out today, which makes it extremely recent news.

Yellowstone Hot Spring Accident Reported (National 2)

On Tuesday, a witness reported seeing a man fall into a hot spring called Norris Geyser Basin at Yellowstone National Park. She described him as a man in his early 20s. Since a body has not been discovered, searchers decided to respond to the case as a probable fatality, all according to CNN and NBC.

ABC shares, “The Norris Geyser Basin is the hottest and most dynamic thermal area in Yellowstone, which features springs that can reach temperatures close to 200 degrees Fahrenheit.” As the search continues, authorities need to be careful around the hot spring and proceed with caution.

Reason:

I chose this story because it was covered by various, credible news sources. As well as that, Yellowstone National Park is a popular vacation spot. Because of it, this news might have an indirect effect on current and future visitors. The accident happened this week, which makes the news recent.