<p>Glad my comments helped!</p>
<p>I wrote for the Sun, and I actually did not find it to be a ridiculous time commitment. Freshman year, when I wrote for the news, I found it only took up around 6 hours each week. I was also a premed(I’ve moved on to other endeavors now, however), and it did not negatively impact my grades. </p>
<p>Rather, I believe commitment to the Sun more about what you demand from yourself than what the editors demand from you. They’re ultra-flexible on deadline dates, and the only time I found myself bogged down was when I decided to research and write my own topic.</p>
<p>As for the Editorials(aka, Opinions Section), the Sun Staff actually asks you to start a blog before you can actually write in the paper. Since opinions are often touchy subjects, they want to make sure that you can write and convey your opinions with clarity, prudence, a sense of moderation - so no one is overly offended. In case you are desperately aiming to write Editorials, I recommend you get a head start and just scribble(or type) away some ideas about current events, such as Prof. Gates’ Recent Arrest in Cambridge, the political climate in Iran, or your opinion on the US’s foreign policy towards N. Korea. That way, you can present your past work to the Sun, and there’s a shorter wait.</p>
<p>Finally, as a Freshman, I don’t believe one really can attain any form of position. After writing a certain number of articles, you’re promoted to “Sun Staff” rather than “Sun Contributor.” From what I could observe, the people held high positions at the Sun were extremely dedicated to the Sun. When I went down to edit at night(8pm-10pm), they were almost always there.</p>