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Before the fellowship

Packing
Preparing

During the fellowship

Hindsight
Succeding
The beat

Fun

After the fellowship

Moving on
Finding work

At the office
In the field

Improving
Living

Networking

Alumni
Past faculty

Hindsight: What we wished we'd known

• It's not what you expect, several fellows wrote in e-mails.  "Learn as much as you can, even if you don't think it's what you want to study or do later in life," wrote Lucy Quintanilla. "It just might surprise you."
• Get to know your fellows and teachers. Ask teachers out for lunch (they'll often pay); hang out with people. It's fun. Plus, you'll sometimes learn more from the teachers and other fellows outside of class, and you'll often get good story ideas.
• Get to know your teammates and have fun with them. ASAP. That way when you have disagreements, you'll be more likely to work it out.
• Consider living on your beat. It can make getting stories easier.
• The last story you write is an experiential narrative, where you write about an experience in your beat. While at Poynter, remember how you feel, what you had to go through while on your beat, what experiences changed you. Consider taking notes.
• Help each other. "You can spend the rest of your career competing," wrote Matt Thompson. "These six weeks are for collaborating." You can learn a ton from each other.
• This summer is mostly about learning, not getting good clips. "A year from now, no one but you will remember the thing you wrote about the new gas station on Pinellas Point, but with every story, you have the chance to learn something about yourself that will help you through the rest of your life and career," Thompson wrote.