During this unit, we worked in both English and Digital media to design and create our own podcast. In English, we listened to a variety of podcasts and took note on the main points the speakers were saying and what we as audience members walked away from the podcast with. This was an important part of the brainstorming process because we wanted to make sure that our podcasts were concise, understandable, and to the point. We learned the importance of different audio supplements -such as sound effects and music- and where they are most effectively used in a podcast.
For my podcast, my partner and I chose three possible topics to choose from based off of what we wrote our recent research papers on and relevant issues to us as high school seniors. In the end, our podcast focus was on the college decisions process and what factors influence student’s decisions to pick one school over another.
Rough Podcast Script
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M: Peer pressure, not outwardly spoken. Pressure because your peers are choosing good schools and you feel like you need to match that.
K: Yeah I totally agree. I think the hard part is that people do not openly talk about this pressure
M: You don’t want to feel a sense of inferiority. It’s really hard if you are in a class of people who are all getting into UC’s and you don’t.
K: Yeah I think of what school is right for them and are paying for the attention to the name
M: Growing up in the bay area money is not usually a factor in college. If people get into their dream school there is no question as to whether they can actually go due to financial factors.
K: I think this is such an important and relevant point. We live in this bubble and are not always aware of how different this area is compared to the rest of the country. Usually, money is a huge part of the college decision process. Even if someone is qualified to go to a very good school, and gets in, they can often not go there.
M: In the long run, your undergrad is not that important. Where you go is not necessarily who you will be, and yet we continue to put immense pressure on ourselves to get it perfect
K: Ultimately, it is what you make of whatever you are given. You need to do what is best for you even if that means not going to the best school you got into.
M: This can also be an issue when your friends don’t understand this point. For example, if you are telling people about which colleges you got into, and then you choose to go to one that may not be the best on paper for whatever reason, it can be difficult for them to understand.
K: I totally agree, I think something I was worried about when making my college decision was people judging the school I was going to. It definitely wasn’t the best school I could get into, but it was where I think I fit and can be happy
M: I also think it’s interesting where kids end up, location wise. For example, I wanted to stay in California but you wanted to leave.
K: I knew for my college experience I wanted a change. I have lived in California my whole life and have always had this dream of whether and midwestern people and just a different pace of life. My parents raised me to be aware of what a bubble we live in and I wanted to see what’s outside of that
M: I have always been attracted to SoCal and the idea of living there. I have family there too and so that has always been a comfortable place for me. The idea of leaving behind everything and only coming to see family on holidays all kind of felt overwhelming. And I love the weather.
K: I completely understand that and know that the hardest part of leaving is going to be going away from my family. College is obviously a big step toward adulthood and means doing a lot of things independently, do you think you are ready for that?
M: Yes I think I’m ready, I have always been an independent person. I am looking forward to meeting new people, going to a new place, and having new experiences. I am ready for something different and I won’t be that far from home.
