What To Do When You're Infected

There is this little disease we all have heard of throughout our years in school.  It hits hard like your first cold of the winter season, and stays with you as long as those annoying sniffles last. Symptoms may include: fatigue, lack of interest, trouble concentrating, unable to read, write, type, raise hand and/or even own a flash card.  This dangerous infection usually strikes nation wide, primarily targeting students in their last year of college during their spring semesters. 

What is attacking these students you may ask?  Well, it is the ever infectious, Senioritis. Unfortunately, there is no known medical treatment; however, as a senior myself, I have come up with a list of how to fight the symptoms when Senioritis infects you and your last months of college.

• C’s get degrees, but F’s get you another semester in college.  Although senioritis takes over your motivation, you cannot let your grades slip.  The entire reason why you have made it to senior year was the motivation to graduate.  So, whenever you get that all too familiar feeling to watch an entire T.V. series on Netflix instead of writing your paper, remember you are not graduated yet!

• Manage your time.  YOLO is a great expression to use during your last year of college.  Trust me, I could not count the amount of times I have made a decision that followed with the statement, “Why not? It’s my senior year…” However, you made it far enough in college that you know how to budget your time to get all of your school work done, and still have a handful of senior year YOLO moments. 

• Appreciate the rest of your time as a student.  Pat yourself on the back.  Every all nighter pulled, paper written, book read is an accomplishment that got you to your senior year.  Realize that these years do end and the real world is a head of you.  So when your infected senioritis brain is telling you to skip class, remember this will be some of the last times you get to be a student and not an employee.  Go to class and embrace every second of student life while it lasts.

Okay, so I know fighting off Senioritis sounds like an impossible task, but the symptoms are in fact combatable.  By reminding yourself how important it is to not give in to laziness, you can be cured in no time.  Graduation is the finish line of a college career.  So, my fellow seniors, lets finish strong! 

This guest blog post was written by PRowl staff member Brittany Barish.  

How Did I Become a "S" Word Already?

As most can agree, college comes and goes in a blink of an eye.  I never thought I would see the day when I became a dreaded “S” word, a senior. It is almost unbelievable that I am heading into my final year as an undergrad this fall.  During my time here at Temple, I definitely gained skills and knowledge that have helped me advance as a student and prospective graduate.  However, there are a few things I wish I started sooner and opportunities I wish I took advantage of earlier.  So for those incoming freshman, whom I am greatly jealous of, here is a letter to you on your first day.

Dear Incoming Freshman,

Before you know it, you are going to be a senior.  Yes you will be called the dreaded “S” word.  Now, do not worry, although these years fly by, they will also be the best years of your life.  Here are some tips to help with your first year.

1.     It is okay to not know what you should major in right away.  So if you are not sure join any club, group, organization that sparks your interest.  If it relates to what you end up majoring, great.  If it has nothing to do with it, that’s cool too.  As long as you put yourself in positions to meet new people and learn new things, you will be benefiting.

2.     Go to office hours!  My best papers/grades have been from meeting with my professors and asking for help when I did not understand.

3.     Relating to tip number two, professors are great mentors.  One thing I am very appreciative is the relationship I have with one of my professors.  She has helped me with cover letters, internship questions and other class work.  The people teaching you have the skills and experience that can be of great value to you even outside of classroom topics

4.     Avoid buying books from the bookstore.  90% of the time you can find them cheaper online and save a lot of money.

5.     Manage your time so you can get the grades and still go out.  College is all about time management.  There is such thing as having enough time in the day for school, good grades, and fun.

6.     Enjoy every second.  These next four years are going to fly right by.

So, I hope you go into your first day of college beyond excited and ready to take on the challenge.  Although the dreaded senior year will creep up on you sooner than you think, appreciate the opportunity you have been given and make these years the best years of your life. Good Luck!

Any other "S" words have advice for incoming freshman? Leave your tips in the comments! 

This guest blog post was written by PRowl staff member Brittany Barish. 

Saying "I Do" to a Wedding Planning Internship

While studying public relations in the classroom, my interests always swayed towards event planning.  This summer I accepted an offer to intern with the company Something Blu Weddings and Events.  I had zero experience in wedding planning before this summer, but was ready to get my feet wet.  Although its only been about a month and a half since wedding bells starting ringing, I have compiled a list of little tips you should consider if you say “I do” to a wedding planning internship.

1.    Check the weather the day of.  The weather changes far too often not to make sure you have a couple umbrellas packed.  Maybe even five.  My first wedding with my internship, it down poured during the ceremony at the church. At one point, a couple of us were standing outside holding giant umbrellas over a convertible car the couple planned to drive off in. (Don’t worry, we had it covered both figuratively and literally).

2.     Do not rely on anyone else to get your job done.  The wedding planner is the one who crosses the T’s and dots the I’s. The last thing you want is a dinner table that should have eight guests and only having seven chairs.  Do not assume everything is done right, check and see it yourself. 

3.    Always keep your car clean. This one almost goes without saying, but you never know who will need to jump in the car with you.  It might even be the bride! 

4.  Stay calm!  Although sometimes wedding planning can be very stressful, never project that emotion in front your client.  One of the main purposes of your job is to make sure your client is stress and worry free.  So smile, take a deep breath, and get on with the show. 

The first wedding can leave an intern a little overwhelmed.  So after spending your hours making sure the client’s wedding is perfect, you deserve to relax and unwind.  For those of you who are of age, enjoy a nice glass of wine after your hard work.  The wedding may have stressed you out, but the amount of gratitude you will receive from the happy couple will surpass any challenging obstacle faced.

I am thrilled I went outside of my comfort zone and tried an internship that is challenging and something new.  Actually, I am thrilled I tried an internship that is Something Blu.

For more information on Something Blu Weddings and Events please visit: http://www.somethingbluwed.com/Home_Page.html 

This guest blog was written by PRowl staff member Brittany Barish.

Tips to Promote New iPhone Applications

To start off the spring semester, I received an internship to promote and market a new iPhone application called Memento.  Memento is an application used to share private videos to individual contacts while incorporating captions and filters.  Creatively, there is a new update that allows users to also save those videos to a playlist where the user can play them back to back like a movie. 

Download Memento here: https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/id734609790?ls

This internship has been very rewarding and students are starting to try Memento and really enjoy the app.  But just because this application is well liked, does not mean it was easy to promote. Thus, I faced a few challenges when considering how to market this new social media app to the public at Temple. 

Convincing people to download an app can be easy, but having them become frequent users is the challenge, especially with an application that has no initial product.  Sure, it would be nice to hand out some free stuff as long as you download, but that’s not the case for my internship.  When you market/promote an app that has no initial product, here are some suggestions I’ve utilized while promoting Memento on Temple’s campus.

1. Word of mouth: Most of the apps you have on your iPhone you downloaded after a friend told you about them.  Share the app with your friends and have them jump on board!  Their interest in the application will have a domino effect and spread the word.

2. Flyers/Chalking: Handing out flyers can help with initial downloads, but not guarantee frequent users.  Follow up with chalking up your campus sidewalks with catchy phrases to download the app!  More people will be inclined to see what the buzz is about.

3. Create a social Media account: Twitter and Facebook pages are great ways to get the word out there in mass quantities.

4. Greek life/Organizations:  Greek life and other campus organizations usually have leadership positions that can help get the word out about your product. Many have social media accounts they control.  Find out who controls what and utilize their social media presence.

5. Utilize Team Work:  Campus rep internships are very common. Work together with another campus rep to hold an event and promote each other!  Both of you will benefit. 

6. School news paper/other publications:  Having a newsletter or article published about the application you are promoting can be very beneficial.  Many schools have student run newspapers and organizations have blogs or websites!

How would you be innovative while promoting a new product? Share below!

This guest blog post was written by PRowl Staff Member Brittany Barish.

“Samantha Jones” PR verses Real Public Relations

Brushing shoulders with only the elite, standing in your brand new Christian LouBoutin heels, while staring out at the New York City skyline, all in a nights work. You may ask yourself, “What kind of profession will lead to that scenario?”  Well ask Samantha Jones, public relations expert.  Her character, played by Kim Cattrall on the hit TV series Sex and the City, depicts the life as a PR agent to be the most laid back and glamorous profession. 

Personally, my interest in the field sparked from Ms. Jones’s life style.   Who wouldn’t want to be in control of the VIP lists for extravagant events?  However, anyone within this field knows that this type of PR is not typical. 

One major difference between Samantha Jones and a real PR professional is the perspective on work.  As Jones’ character put it during the TV show, “I don’t believe in the Republican party or the Democratic party.  I just believe in parties.”  A party to Jones is a well-planned event to PR professionals.  Every event put together by a PR professional requires numerous little details that people outside this career sometimes overlook.  Research, promoting, networking, and planning are all crucial for a successful outcome. 

Luckily for Jones, she not only gets into and throws the best parties; she also has a never-ending client list.  You will never catch her staying late at the office, working on different pitches for new clients. Original ideas and theories need to be tested with PR considering the field is always changing.  With change comes a fresh challenge; thus, Jones never altering her strategies when working with new clients creates an unrealistic persona for this career.  Facing the task of constant change is what makes public relations a round-the-clock job.

All play and no work may be Samantha Jones’ way of tackling the PR profession, but when it comes to reality, public relations always challenges.

This guest blog post was written by PRowl Staff Member Brittany Barish.