Wednesday, September 3, 2008

Discovering Something New


It's my senior year here at Westminster College and I can hardly believe it. Looking back at all the classes I've taken and all the hard work I've done the past three years makes me feel as though I have accomplished so much. However, one class that has left a lasting impression on me is Public Relations 101.

It was my sophomore year and I was trying to decide on a minor to go along with my major in Broadcast Communications. I considered many different options, but then I found out about Public Relations. After learning more about it I decided to go ahead and take PR 101 to help me decide whether or not this is something I could really enjoy. The first week of class was a little intimidating because most of the students were already PR majors or minors and seemed to know a lot about the business.

One of our assignments was to stay updated on current events and news and then be quizzed every week. This was a challenging task. I found it almost impossible to read all the news that was going on in the world each week. I would watch the news and do a lot of research online, but the quizzes were extremely hard. This showed me how much news there really is in the world and how it's important to keep updated on what's going on around you, especially in Broadcasting and Public Relations.

Our final project for this class was also an eye opening experience. We had to work in a group and actually come up with a product and present it to the class, as though it was a formal business pitch. I found this to be extremely challenging. We had to create a media kit, press releases, business cards, brochures, etc. Although it was very time consuming I found along the way that I really enjoyed doing everything we did. It allowed me to use my creativity and my broadcasting skills at the same time.

Overall this class was not only an eye opener, but also a great learning experience. I found out a lot about myself. I have always been a little shy and apprehensive about giving speeches and presentations, but by the end of the semester I had done so many speeches in this class I felt as though I turned out to be a pretty good speaker. I also discovered that PR and broadcasting go together quite well. PR professionals deal with the media a lot and reporters deal with PR a lot. Finally I discovered that this could be a possible occupation for myself. I found myself actually enjoying going to class and learning more about the business as well as working on the different projects. My goal in life is to have a job that I really love and I realized someday it might be a job in Public Relations.

I'm so glad that I took this class because it did end up being my minor, and perhaps another major. I feel that it will really give me an extra boost when I go out into the real world and try to pursue a job in broadcasting. Not only have I improved on my speaking skills but also my creativity and thinking outside the box. I look forward to the other PR classes I will be taking next semester and hopefully they will have just as great an impact on me as PR 101.

1 comment:

Brad Weaver, BC Instructor said...

Any kind of experience that opens your eyes or "clicks" for you-- no matter how much you might not like it at the time-- is worth having on this journey.