Meet Joshua
Name: Joshua Howton
Hometown: Dallas, TX
Major: Journalism, Multimedia sequence
Favorite place to eat on campus: Jester City Limits is an acquired taste that can’t be beat.
Once-in-a-lifetime opportunities
I have gotten to meet and talk to some of the biggest names in journalism. In the last semester alone I’ve had personal encounters with Maureen Dowd, Liz Carpenter, Carolyn Curiel, and Molly Ivins – all very famous journalists and writers! I never expected to come to UT and find myself in conversation with a columnist from the New York Times or a best-selling author. UT believes in its students and seems to go above and beyond by granting us opportunities we never expect!
Training wheels off
Do you remember learning to do something for the first time? Maybe riding a bike? You probably felt shaky or nervous at first but then once you got going on your own maybe you smiled or laughed because you were doing it and it was working? That’s been my biggest challenge – trusting myself to get it right with the training wheels off. It’s my responsibility to go to class and take notes and do assignments. There is no one here to remind me to do that or hound me about keeping my room clean and my clothes washed. If I want a good home-cooked meal, I have to fire up the stove and do it myself.
There are so many times during college when you may wish the training wheels were still on and that someone was guiding the bike for you. The first time you are late paying the light bill and you come home to a dark apartment maybe? The first time your car gets towed because they do that a lot here? Maybe you find yourself getting dumped at finals? Maybe you can still call a family member and have them help you out, but I highly recommend trying it on your own first!
Joshua's advice on...
Making friends
There are over 800 student organizations at UT! Surely one of them will be of some interest to you. I made lots of my closest friends when I joined Communication Council and when I was an Orientation Advisor. You get to meet a group of people with whom you have at least one common interest, and usually, it’s fun. Dorm life is also a great way to meet people and make friends. UT may seem like a giant place where you never get to know anyone, but trust me, it gets really small as you get to know people in classes and organizations. Relax, and have fun!
Making connections with faculty
Getting to know as many faculty and staff of the university as possible really helped open doors for me. I tried to learn as many names as I could and use them whenever I see people. In response, people remember my name and will help me whenever possible. When you walk up to a reception area and say “Hi Steph! I’m having a huge problem with my class schedule. Do you think I could talk to Drew for a minute to get my bar lifted?” it tends to be a great deal more effective than just trying to emphasize to “the receptionist” that you “really need” to see “the advisor.” Try to learn names, and be genuinely nice. It all comes back to you!
Learning outside the classroom
Participating in Communication Council granted me more opportunities than I could ever have predicted. On top of all the incredible events we get to attend and the volunteering we get to do, I was also able to run a campaign for a candidate who was running for student body president, perform in front of thousands of people, make connections with local and national business owners, professionals, and hiring staff, and numerous other fantastic things like eating lunch regularly with the dean of my college.
College is the opportunity of a lifetime. Wherever you choose to go to school, remember it isn’t just about books and tests. A great deal of my learning has taken place outside the classroom, so be sure to occasionally put away the books and the notes and remember to go out and live.
Best tool for studying
Get a LAPTOP. Take it to class and take your notes on it. A lot of the time, professors will make their lecture slides available online before the class and you can look at them and add your own explanatory notes during class. Believe it or not, most people can type much faster than they can write, and this extra speed gets you more thorough notes! You can also use the word processing program to format and organize your notes as you go. My laptop has been an invaluable study tool. Almost everywhere on campus, you can get wireless Internet access. So, imagine being in class and using Google to answer a question or find a picture to throw in your notes.
More about Joshua
Why UT
I had a teacher in high school who pushed me to go to college. I had decided to follow the management track where I worked in high school, but my teacher/mentor didn’t think that was the best idea for me. She convinced me that I could afford college and that it would be a worthwhile investment. When looking at colleges, I saw that the College of Communication at UT was among the best in the country. And, my teacher called UT "THE University of Texas."
Changing majors
I changed from Journalism to Advertising because I was worried that there was no money in journalism. But, I have since found that I can make a good living in journalism and switched my major back. This decision did cost me a semester of classes, but it’s worth it to get it right.
Must see before you graduate
One of the best things about living in Austin is that there is always something fun to do when you have free time. Every first Thursday of the month there is a huge flea market and music festival on South Congress where you can find interesting items and see bands play. You have to climb the steps to the top of Mount Bonnell with a picnic before you graduate. The view is incredible!
Favorites
- Place to study on campus: I usually study at home in my bedroom or go to the Career Exploration Center library because it is brightly lit and comfortable but quiet.
- UT Experience: I got to sing live in front of 3,000 or so people when Communication Council competed in the school-wide talent show called Texas Revue. We practiced for weeks and had an amazing time.
- Books: To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee, A Confederacy of Dunces by John Kennedy Toole, the Harry Potter series by J.K. Rowling.
- Fill in the blank: I can’t ____ without _______.
I can't get through 8 AM classes without my Coke Zero and a bagel from Einstein’s.