The College Media Association (CMA) Spring National Convention in New York City was an extraordinary experience with a variety of events like media tours and speakers sharing their insights on media, business, social media and more with college students and media advisers from across the country.

With hundreds of different students and employees from different backgrounds and organizations, one of the biggest surprises was the amount of different newspapers and magazines being published. They were put on a table to see and read, and the differences between the papers were endless. Each one had its own flare and niche. It was amazing to see just how vast student-created publications are. I recommend you check out the excellent work being done by college students.

Some of my favorites were:

1. The REPORTER: The Reporter is a student-run news organization at Rochester Institute of Technology in Rochester, NY. Students publish monthly magazines and post daily content on their social media. This particular magazine caught my attention almost immediately because of how colorful and beautiful it is. The cover page drew you in and forced you to open it. I was very impressed by their detailing, creativity, writing, and style.
2. The Appalachian: The Appalachian is an award-winning independently run student newspaper organization at Appalachian State University, published since 1934. This paper was one of my favorite reads, and I enjoyed how much information was filled within the pages and some of the art being done. I cannot wait for their next publication.
3. The Peel Review: The Peel Review is a student-run literature, arts, and award-winning magazine published by students at Appalachian State University. The publication has  some of my favorite art and poems that I have seen in a while. Reading each poem felt like a floating rock in a river on a cool summer day. The content they put out is superb.
4. The Ithacan : The Ithacan is a bi-weekly published magazine based in Ithaca, New York. The level of detailing and coloring made reading incredibly interesting and overall a fun read. My favorite thing about the publication is the cover. It spoke to me like a child speaking their first words to their mother. I really enjoyed reading it.
5. Foghorn News : Foghorn News is a student-run newspaper at Del Mar College, located in Corpus Christi, Texas. The Foghorn staff are full of incredibly talented writers and it shows in their published content. With each piece topping the previous one. It’s an impactful paper and has  a lot of great content, which is why it landed on my personal favorite lists.

Our staff reads other college publications to generate ideas to make the MATC Times better. Are they doing something we think our readers would like? Could we do a similar story on our campus? Is there a way to create an interesting graphic like they did? It’s all about learning and growing, and isn’t that what we’re here for?

It’s important to note that I was referencing the printed publications and not the online sites which are linked to in this story.