Transferring with Ease

People may choose to transfer to other universities for many reasons: financial, social, or a next step from community college. Whatever the case, it can be a difficult transition, and even scarier than where you first came from. Although it can feel overwhelming, hundreds of other students are in the same position. From Temple University’s website, almost half of the undergraduate students have transferred from other educational institutions!

To make the transition even smoother, here are some great ways to ease right in.

 First, remain calm. It’s okay to get anxious about all the details until finally settling in. Until that short adjusting period is over, remember you have been moving on to new things all your life and this is just the next great step to an even more beautiful and bright future.

 Second, whether living on or off campus, there is no excuse not to get involved. Yes, it sounds obvious but this is the key to success. Clubs offer a wide variety of interests to everyone as a well as instant friends. Aside from the social aspect, build a stable relationship with professors as well. When academic life is happy, social life benefits.

 Lastly, have fun. This is college, the only time in life where there is little worry and the options are limitless. No matter what brought on the decision to transfer, it will be for the better. Also, don’t let whatever didn’t work out before hold you back. A personal piece of advice if you ever have a question and you’re afraid to ask, remember, the worst they can say is ‘no.’

This guest blog post was written by PRowl staff member Marissa Reale. 

Making Your GenEds Work for You

Like all liberal arts colleges, part of your time at Temple will be spent taking general education courses – the “GenEds”. Temple’s ultimate goal with the GenEd curriculum is “equipping students to make connections between what they learn, their lives and their communities”. Even with this in mind, it’s easy to lose sight of the purpose GenEds serve in our education. As aspiring PR professionals, classes like “The Chemistry of Wine” and “Math Patterns” don’t offer much in the way of preparing us for our careers. But there are ways to take advantage of your GenEd requirements and make the classes work for you.

With so many options, choosing your GenEds can seem like a difficult task, but it helps to consider your professional goals and take note of specific skills you (and potential employers) find important. Forbes.com lists the top 10 skills employers most want in recent graduates, as determined by the National Association of Colleges and Employers (NACE). The list highlights basic skills like working in a team environment and problem solving, and other more specific skills like data analysis and software knowledge.

Using this list as a guide, here are a few suggestions for more relevant GenEd courses:

Welcome to College

We are officially less than two weeks away from the beginning of a new school year.  For myself, it will be my final year at Temple and yet I can remember being a freshman like it was just last week.  Going from being a senior in high school to a freshman in college is a huge adjustment.  Here are some things I learned over the years and would like to offer up to the incoming class at Temple and any other college or university.

1. Leave your door open.  Regardless if you're living in a traditional dorm or suite, leaving your door open is a great way to meet people as they're passing by.

2. Join clubs. Even if you don't stay in the club for more than one year or even one semester, clubs are the perfect way to meet new people.  The earlier you join, the more opportunities you will have.

3. Embrace the 8 a.m.'s. I'm a huge fan of sleeping in, but if you schedule your classes too late in the day you won't find yourself being very productive before them. You're going to have to take early classes eventually, so you should get used to an early morning routine.

4. Manage your time.  This was probably the hardest thing for me to do.  Your college classes might be shorter or longer than the ones you had in high school, but none of them are going to let you do homework during your lectures.  You need to learn how to budget your time so you're always submitting assignments completely and promptly.

5. Have fun. College is a whole new experience.  Don't let shyness or fear get the best of you.  You'll make new friends, learn new things, and have opportunities you could never have dreamed of.

What tips can you share for the incoming freshman class? Tell us!

Be More Than a GPA

Upon entering college, students are told from day one not to get distracted from the original goal: go get good grades and land a great job. It is usually assumed that the highest GPA will land the highest paying and most satisfying job. While grades will play a huge role in your academic and post graduate life, GPA is not the end all be all.

PR Daily mentions in their article that grades are a huge factor in school performance but not so much professionally.

Taking your academics seriously is an extremely important aspect of college life, but it is important to find the balance of other things that will help you professionally and socially. Here are some other things to keep in mind during college besides your GPA:

1. Know how to learn- You will find during internships and jobs that employers don't always need the expert, just someone who has a strong willingness to learn! The ability to learn beyond the classroom is essential to your life post-grad. You may be the young social media savvy student teaching older professionals at you internship the essentials of Twitter, but you must also be able to learn from them.

2. Time management- Being in the right place at the right time is key to professional development. Knowing how to complete tasks in a timely fashion is usually a non-negotiable skill in the job and internship markets.

3. Giving and receiving feedback- This means more than commenting that you 'like' something. Give constructive feedback that indicates why you like or dislike something. What makes it effective, or how could is be made better?

4. Build your network- Spending all your time in the library is not an effective tool for networking. Networking not only allows you to make connections and build contacts, it also forces you to get used to face to face interactions. This is essential for interviews and professional settings.

While your GPA may look nice on paper, not having the proper skills to back it up will never get you past that. It is most important that you have the skill sets to back up your GPA, and prove that you are more than a number!

3 Crucial Things You Need In Your Cover Letter

I recently followed USA Today College Edition on Twitter and stumbled upon this great article. Writing your first cover letter can seem like a daunting task. If you are applying for your first internship it is vital that you have a stellar cover letter to accompany your resume. Presenting an internship coordinator with a cover letter, even if it was not required, will make you a stand out among the other applicants vying for the same opportunity.

Here are three crucial things you need in your cover letter:

1. Professional Format - Make sure you are using a simple and generic font (think Times New Roman). Keep the font size to 11 or 12 and make sure you are using black ink! The cover letter is a letter, so make sure it is formatted like a letter. Tip: Use Google to find the standard format of a business letter if you are confused.

2. Business Tone - Like I mentioned above, the cover letter is synonymous with a business letter. Keep it business professional. If you are applying for a more creative position within the PR industry, I suggest you create a portfolio of your creative work rather than trying to get creative in your cover letter.

3. "Dear Mr./Mrs. X" - Never address a letter "To Whom It May Concern" or "Dear Sir." It is impersonal and unprofessional. Make the extra effort to find a specific individual's name and title.

The Finals Count Down

If you are in college then you are either currently taking finals or your finals are quickly approaching. As aspiring public relations professionals, many of us pride ourselves on being master multi-taskers but sometimes we don't always know how to slow done. Finals are stressful, but you don't have to let them get you down. Below, find a few tips to help you prepare and to de-stress.

1. Start early
Studying shouldn't begin the night before your exam. Preparation for your final exam should be a semester long process. Down to the last minute? Spend most of your time focusing on the main points and cram a little bit of those extraneous details in last.

2. Get organized
Outline when each of your finals are and all the materials each final covers. Break up your study time based upon this outline and divide and conquer!

3. Ask for help
Ask your roommate, friend or Skype mom or dad back home and ask them to quiz you. Studying verbally and with another person is proven to enhance your retention capabilities.

4. Sleep
Finals are designed to make you think. If you are so exhausted that you cannot even process any of the information you crammed, it won't even be worth it.

5. Keep calm
We've all seen the motto"Keep Calm, and Carry On..." but let's take it to heart. Stressing out during the exam will make you feel overwhelmed and you will begin to doubt yourself. If you answered a question and you are fairly certain it was the correct choice, don't change it. It's been found that when you change you answer during a test, you tend to change it to a wrong answer. Be confident!

My exams are next week and I've already begun studying, have you? If so, how will you be preparing?

Starting Off The Semester On The Right Track

Starting off a new semester as a seasoned sophomore, I have learned a thing or two about how things operate in a university setting. There are a couple things that I wish I would have known last year when I started the semester, so I put together a list of tips to help make the new semester run flawlessly.

Don’t procrastinate on your reading: My biggest mistake last year was not staying on top of my reading assignments. If you push off one night of reading it may seem like no big deal, until you have 100 pages due the next class. To avoid this mistake, simply complete your reading assignments as they are given. Although it may seem like a daunting task at the time, you will be thankful later that you just did the assignment when it was assigned.

Get a planner: One thing I wish I had used last semester was a planner to keep track of my assignments.  Balancing 5 classes may seem easy, but in reality it is a lot of work. Having a planner to keep track of assignments will help you to stay on top of your work. 

Visit your advisor: Talking to your advisor at the beginning of a semester is a great way to stay on track. Your advisor can help you with any of your academic needs, and make sure that you are following along well with your major requirements and are also on track to graduate. 

Go to class: Early in the semester, it might seem like an easy choice to just roll over and go back to bed instead of going to your 8am, but DONT cave in.  Skipping class early in the semester is never a good idea. Most classes only have an allocated allowance for absences, and there is most likely going to be a time later in the semester that you will need the day off for. Do yourself a favor and don’t lower your grade by skipping because you are too tired. 

What tips do you have for starting the semester off strong? Let us know!

This guest blog post was written by PRowl Public Relations staff member Lexi Drexler 

Minor Details: 5 Minors That Compliment a PR Major

As PR students, one thing we never stop hearing is how many possibilities are available to PR majors. Luckily for us, this couldn’t be more true! Public relations is an extremely large field, and there is no one type of PR. From in-house to agency, the possibilities are truly endless. With so many different possible directions in the PR field alone, minoring in another subject before entering the work force can help ward off indecisiveness while at the same time expanding your horizons. Below are five minors sure to compliment a major in PR:

1. English/Creative Writing: Public relations is extremely writing intensive. It is important that your grammar and overall writing skills are superb. No agency wants to intrust their blogs, press releases, or social media accounts to someone with poor writing skills.

2. Graphic Design: Numerous agencies spend countless hours, and money, working side-by-side with graphic designers. Having a minor in graphic design on your resume would give you a great advantage because it allows executives to cut out the middle man.

3. Sociology/Psychology: The overall goal of public relations is to influence the behaviors and attitudes of the public. What better way to do so than by studying the public you wish to influence up close? Knowing how your public thinks and behaves will better suit you to know how to serve them.

4. Communications: Communications is the foundation of public relations. Studying communications will familiarize you with the theories, history, and practices of communications that will ultimately make you a successful and effective communicator. Also, you will be able to pick up some great group communication skills, which are extremely helpful for networking in the PR field.

5. Foreign Language: In today’s world, people are more globally connected than ever. Working in the PR business, you will meet and be in contact with people from all over the world. Being able to communicate with various groups of people is definitely a resume booster not to mention an invaluable asset!

No matter what minor you decide on, there is always some way to connect it back to public relations. However, adding the right minor can be the one thing on your resume that sets you apart from hundreds of other PR students. Remember, the more you stand out the more likely you are to be remembered!

This guest blog was written by PRowl Public Relations staff member Amber Burns.

What does Accreditation in Public Relations (APR) Mean?

Doctors have it, lawyers have it, and now PR pros have it too: a title. You may notice that your PR professors may have APR next to their name. So, what does that mean? APR is short for Accreditation in Public Relations, a graduate program designed to demonstrate competency in the knowledge, skills and abilities required to practice public relations effectively.

How do you earn your APR? Candidates must complete some form of education whether it be online classes, an independent case study, or independent readings, and finally pass an exam to demonstrate knowledge in modern PR practices.

Not sure about earning your APR? Those who earn the creditation are set apart from the rest of the PR professional community. In order to maintain active status, APRs are required to continue their education by volunteering, participating in development activities, or taking supplementary courses. The main benefit that APRs attest to is the community, that there is always a connection for APRs to network with other professionals who can mentor and guide them to furthering their career in PR with the leadership skills and dedication aquired from the APR program.

In a competitive job market, it is important to set yourself apart from the crowd, and earning your APR may do just that, proving to yourself and your colleagues that you are both committed to the field of Public Relations as well as knowledgable to current trends, making you invaluable to any employer.

To learn more about how to earn your APR, click here.

Are you thinking about getting your APR? Why or why not? Let us know!

Back to School, Back to School, to Prove to Daddy I’m not a Fool!

Ahh… school is back in session. This means the daily grind of waking up early, going to class after class, finishing continuous amounts of work for the week, and going to bed at an ungodly hour is about to take over the lives of thousands of college students around the country. With all of that being said, college students must also start planning for their future, and now is a great time to try and make the most out of your school year.

Public relations students, as well as general communications students, have many options when they graduate with what they would like to pursue in life. In order to be prepared for those steps though, Becky Johns of PRdaily.com reveals tips on how to plan efficiently and effectively for success in future endeavors.

1. Have a part-time job- Time management is one of the most important lessons students can take away from college. Balancing schoolwork, a social life, and a job can be very difficult. It can also be extremely beneficial for students because they can gain invaluable experience in learning time management. If students can strike a balance between school work, making some money, and finding time to go out and be with friends, then they will be well prepared for when they enter the work force. This forces students to focus on the task at hand, which will result in a more disciplined self.

2. Study and know your industry- Find out as much as you can about the agencies or companies you could see yourself working for when you graduate. See who the major game changers are in your industry and find ways to emulate what they do, so that when you go looking for a job after graduation, a future employer views you as an irresistible hire. The more you know about the industry the more beneficial it will be to yourself upon hunting for a job.

3. Compile a portfolio- Public relations and many other communications professions rely on strong writing to succeed. Creating a strong portfolio and keeping it organized by adding writing samples will allow you flexibility within your portfolio. This will give you multiple options of which samples you would like to present to future employers during the interviewing process. Each company or agency may want a different type of writing sample, so a diverse portfolio is best.

4. Go out and have some FUN- College is not all about cramming for tests and stressing over what your going to do with your life five years from now. It’s about going out on your own and experiencing a new adventure. You do not need to totally sacrifice your social life to succeed in college. There needs to be a balance. So go out on a Thursday night and stay up till 3 am and have fun with your friends. Just make sure that homework for that 8am class is typed and ready for you the next morning.

What do you think of these tips? Agree/Disagree? Shoot your comments our way! If you would like to read the rest of the article and other tips provided, click here.

This guest blog was written by PRowl Public Relations staff member Andy Esworthy.

College Students Use Twitter to Boost their GPAs

As the majority of college students already know, social media sites are becoming more and more popular every year. A whopping 94% of first year college students use them almost every day. While the use of these sites could be thought of as a distraction, a recent study has shown that incorporating Twitter into the classroom has helped a group of 125 students outperform those that continued traditional learning practices. In addition to earning a higher GPA, these students were also found to be more engaged in the classroom.

There's no denying that social media's popularity is not going to decrease anytime soon, so teachers and students are starting to take advantage of sites like Twitter, to encourage participation in a classroom setting. The use of this social media outlet allows students to create discussions with their classmates not only during class, but outside as well. They are able to see what their peers are posting while using the site as a forum for questions.

A recent CNN article interviewed eighth grade teacher, Enrique Legaspi, on how he has incorporated the site into his middle school classroom. "For a lot of them, what it did is help find their voice. I have many students that do not participate in my classes or share what's on their mind, so Twitter became that vehicle." Similar to Legaspi's classroom, it is evident in a university setting that only a small group of individuals usually participate during class time, but with encouragement to use the technology they use constantly, education may evolve for the best.

Has social media helped you in the classroom? Read more statistics from the study here.