Weary cherubs relax during a free moment.

When I first learned I would be coming to the National High School Institute for journalism, I was ecstatic.

My school has no extensive journalism curriculum, so I was excited to learn how to write and report more effectively and bring that knowledge back to my school paper. I expected the program to be a balance between work and play, with a little more emphasis on play, since this was still a summer camp of sorts.

I had other friends going to journalism programs this summer at places like American University and Columbia University. From what they had told me it didn’t sound as though their summers would be too strenuous, as far as work was concerned. I knew that whatever the case would be, I would still learn a lot. And I did.

The cherubs Web site led me to believe we would have a large amount of leisure time. But upon my arrival, this beautiful vision of relaxation with a light smattering of work was completely shattered. The first day felt like it lasted forever. We literally ran around all day. I remember myself and others saying that if this was what every day of the National High School Institute was going to be like, we wanted out.

As the weeks went by however, it turned out that not every day was quite so busy. While we would often have three lectures and an assignment in one day, stressful schedules were often mitigated by easier ones. That is not to say those easier days were not still hard or tiring, but perhaps not quite as much as others. Still, the pictures on the Web site of smiley teenagers had lied to me. They had said, “We are happy and carefree at journalism camp!” When in reality, at the time the picture was taken they were probably all feeling the same way we did after completing an assignment: a little frustrated, a bit cranky and incredibly exhausted.

Still, there is no doubt in my mind that if not for the lectures, workshops and assignments, my writing would not have improved as it did. After asking friends who did other summer communications programs what theirs were like, they all said “Oh, it was great! I had so much fun! I learned so much!” Clearly they did not, because if they had learned as much as we had, they wouldn’t have been quite as chipper and lively – they’d be drained. That is not to say that cherubs don’t have fun, but when you come to NHSI, you know you’re coming for an academic program, and that’s what you’re going to get.

That being said, do not do as I did and take anything said on the website too much to heart, or easily accept it as truth. As you will discover, things at cherubs are not exactly as they appear. For the most part, with the exception of the cafeteria, they are better. While the copious amount of work is the quintessential part of the program, you will learn so much you wouldn’t have it any other way.