The first point I'd make is that you don't have to have your own computer when you first come to campus. But is it convenient to have your own? Certainly. And will you be more efficient in getting work done? Probably.

Now for my recommendation. I'll confess that I've used PCs since PCs took over the world of the CPM computer, long before the incoming freshman class was born. I still use a PC every day for more of my administrative work. But more and more I'm seeing the benefits of the MAC world, especially since the new Macs are all quite happy to run XP.

More important, the Mzcs are quite clever when it comes to producing multimedia content. All of the videos you see on the school's Web site were produced with iMovie on my macbook pro. It isn't unusual for me to have the good ol' PC desktop fired up doing email, etc. on one part of my desk, and my macbook pro editing video files on another part of the desk!

And since I know some of you will ask, my macbook pro has the largest size hard drive available and the most memory I can jam into it. I also have a couple of external Lacie hard drives that I use for storage, so that I can keep the laptop's hard drive available for the project of the moment.

As for software recommendation, there are discounts available to students once you get here. Once you get your OU email login (at Pre-College), you can log in to see the specific deals at: ohio.edu/software

Just remember, you don't need to bring a computer with you. But hey, if someone insists on buying you a computer for jschool, now you know what I recommend. I hope this helps.

Problem is, not every freshman wants to use facebook, so I ended up having to email all freshmen each time I sent out a message to the facebook group. Double the effort for no particular pay off.

I am going to use a blog to communicate messages to this year's freshmen. So, let's get started. I received the following email (name removed):

My name is _______, and I was accepted into your Journalism program in January. I'm very pleased to have the opportunity to write the Associate Director of my school an email. My second semester has been overflowing with excitement about finally making it to college, and I can't say enough about how proud I am to be a future Bobcat freshman.

I have been putting in overtime with my school newspaper, for which I'm sports editor, laying out pages and reporting events around my school.

My number one question for you would be - What are some of the best things for me to try and accomplish during the early stages of my education at Scripps? - I appreciate your assistance and look forward to hearing from you again.

My answer:

Great to hear from you... And great to hear that you are really devoted to your education and professional development.

I have three specific suggestions:

1. get involved in Gridiron Glory on WOUB... It is a prep-school football program in the fall, and great way to get involved in sports journalism -- regardless of whether you are interested in print/broadcast/online/etc.

2. tackle your coursework with vigor, so that you have a great 1st quarter in academic terms. Sometimes it is hard to recover from a dismal first quarter experience.

3. get involved in one of the student organizations in the jschool... SPJ, RTNDA, etc... It's a great way to meet upperclassmen and find mentors among the student body.

Make sense?

I look forward to meeting you when you get here.

Check this blog periodically for more about the freshman experience in the jschool.

Prof. Stewart