Public Relations Friday: Classes I'm glad I took

Let me tell you there are a lot of classes I may or may not complain about taking sometimes. As a communications major I really don't understand the need for four science classes, but I digress. Here are classes I'm actually glad I took, even though they were pretty difficult for me.

Statistics// I took this my senior year of high school and the benefits have been numerous. First I feel like  think critically about statistics that are presented to me. This makes me more suspicious but more confident in my opinions. Second it has put me ahead in my classes. I'm normally the only one who understands what p means as well as the differences between a mean and mode. I've used statistics while analyzing surveys and creating communication plans as well as in my role as an intern. If you have the ability to, I recommend taking a statistics class!

Global Food & Nutrition// This was one of the science classes I had to take, and it was most definitely one of my favorite science classes of all time. (Which isn't saying much, it's a short list) This class opened my eyes to the problems in developing nations of our world, as well as in our own country. I now understand the importance of sustainable food practices and make choices accordingly.

Information Technologies// This is a class about how technology is adapted and used. While it can be a little too abstract for me, I have already found it useful. One of the ways it's been helpful is evaluating updates in technology, the costs and benefits of adoption of said technology as well as the importance of how rich the communication technology is. Well this sounds really complicated, it gives me the ability to critically think about new technologies, like the Apple Watch, and how they could benefit or cost a client.

What classes are you glad you took, even though you may have complained about them?

You Might Be a Communications Major If...

You might be a communications major  or a public relations major or a journalism major if any of these make sense to you!


1. Group projects are either your best friend or your worst nightmare.

2. Most of your friends and family don't understand why you like Twitter so much.

3. You have around 9 or more news apps on your phone.

4. Exam week isn't nearly as bad as the two weeks of projects and presentations leading up to it.

5. Textbooks aren't nearly as important as they seem.

6. Explaining what you want to do as a career to relatives seems pointless at times.

7. The AP Style book is your best friend, until the next edition comes out.

8. You get a rush while finishing a assignment at the last minute.


9. Your social media strategies class is frighteningly enlightening.

10. Your semester is full of group project meetings, internships and finishing assignments at the last minute.

11. "So you're basically a marketing major right?"

12. You're the first person your friends and family ask to explain the latest news story.

13. You start to question the last 12 years of your education when asked to do a simple math problem.

14. You edit friends' papers in AP Style.

15. You're really glad your elementary school teacher was wrong when she said you wouldn't be able to carry around a calculator in your pocket.

16. You always seem to have coffee in your hand, or on your way to get more coffee.

17.  No matter how stressful and crazy it may seem, you love your major and couldn't imagine doing anything else.

A special shout out to @ThomasScearce for the helping me come up with some of these!

Would you add any to the list?

xoxo

PR Friday: Ways to Stay Connected to the Industry

As a public relations or communications student, you aren't always given the tools necessary to stay connected with the industry. Here are some of my favorite ways to stay connected.

Follow Industry News Sites
A great way to stay on top of the industry is to know what the latest trends and hot topics are. These are three sites that I follow on Twitter and tend to check daily.
PRWeek US
PR Daily
PR News

Use Pocket or Other Article Saving Apps
I use Pocket on my iPad and iPhone in order to save articles that I find off of my twitter feed.
When ever I have down time I am able to read the articles without having to scroll through my entire feed.

Join the PRSSA
Here is my shameless plug for the Public Relations Student Society of  America. As a member I have gained numerous benefits, as well as made numerous friends and contacts. Check out the national website here to learn about membership!

Follow PRSSA & PRSA 
Even if you don't decide to join the PRSSA, follow them along with the PRSA( Public Relations Society of America) on Twitter. It's another way to stay connected.

Follow Other PR Students and PR Professionals
One of my favorite parts about the #PRSSA hashtag is that I find other people with the same passion for public relations that I have. If you are looking for ways to fill your Twitter feed with news and  tweets, I would recommend searching this hashtag every once in awhile! Here are a few of my favorite PR professionals to follow

@laurenkgray
@jasmollica 
@BrianDPrice

What do you do to keep up with industry news?

Be sure to follow me on Twitter for articles to read.