Sitting in an Intro to Communication class, the divide is clear: The journalism majors take notes. The film majors doodle, or space out altogether. The public relations majors talk nonstop and somehow maintain perfect hair. The communication program shapes students into our future publicists, social media managers, filmmakers and journalists, just to name a few. While we may be different, when a bunch of outgoing, creative people co-exist in one learning space, we experience the same problems.
1. Type-A overload.
(Credit)
Prepare for an uptight, type-A frenzy. They’re in a rush and overwhelmed with sources to call and Tweets to send. Unless you associate with daydreaming film students, your communication friends arrive glued to their iCalendars. Notice how the sticky notes scribbled with to-do-lists litter the halls.
2. Look at me!
(By Huffington Post)
Among film students and future TV producers, it’s easy to discern the next Barbara Walters or Walter Cronkite hopefuls. The broadcast kids are always in on-air-mode. Always. Is there a teleprompter in the room? Is it really necessary for their diction to be that pronounced all the time? Broadcast journalists exude an undeniable energy and vigor about them, whether they’re in front of a camera or raising their hand in a classroom.
3. I don’t do math.
(By Giphy)
Comm majors dread math. Sure anomalies exist but those planning to talk, write and socialize for a living tend to lack skills in algorithms and limits. I certainly wasn’t the only student from my college’s School of Communication who opted to take a class called “Math Excursions.”
4. Student projects 24/7.
(By Perception vs Fact)
Film students need extras, journalism students need quotes and PR students need survey participants. Well, that lucky participant is you. Communication students know how to help eachother out. Waking up early to represent “happiness” in a video wasn’t exactly my ideal Saturday morning. But hey, sometimes the film students bring snacks for their reluctant actors.
5. “Aren’t you worried about finding a job?”
(By Photobucket)
(By Reaction GIFs)
Some people haven’t the slightest idea of what communication is, or what studying it entails. “Is that like business?” is my personal favorite misunderstanding. If you don’t study a communication-related field, you’ve probably never taken much more than a public speaking class. While a standard intro class is important, communication majors know that the lessons go beyond just learning how to speak to a room of people. It’s about understanding what makes people tick and how to use creativity to get a point across. Whether the final result is a film, an article or a killer press release, it takes guts to be in the business of being a people person.
(Main Photo By BostInno)
