Three Things No One Tells You About PR

Coming into college as a PR major, I had no idea what to expect. Of course, I knew that having strong writing skills was a necessity and that my life wouldn’t be anything like that of Samantha Jones, but there were many unknowns I faced.

Now a second-semester sophomore, I have faced the beginning trials and tribulations that come with the PR major territory, and there are many things that I came to learn very quickly that I wasn’t prepared for:

1. Responding to Emails Becomes a Second Job: When you start your college experience in PR, the first emails you will be in charge of responding to are from your professors and teaching assistants. However, once you begin joining student organizations, taking on internships, and attending networking events, your inbox will come close to imploding on many occasions. Be sure to keep track of emails as they are received, and try to respond in a timely matter.

2. PR is everywhere: Like me, you may have entered college not knowing how to describe your major to your family. Also, your idea of what careers you can go into after college may be limited to agency or entertainment PR. However, after hearing from guest speakers and having PR classes, you will learn that every career field has a PR element affiliated with it. If you are interested in health, there is a PR field for that. If you want to work for a college communication department, you could try your hand at education PR. PR is everywhere, and once you realize that, you can truly start your journey towards your dream career.

3. Interning is Key: This may seem obvious, but if it isn’t a graduation requirement, a student may overlook the importance of having an internship! College is busy enough with classes and part time jobs, however, having an internship is an essential step in preparing for the real world after college. By taking at least one (if not more than one) internship in your collegiate career will put you at a higher level of security for when you graduate from your school.

Are there other things you wish you had known before you started college as a PR major? Let us know in the comments!