As I wrap up my college career I am enrolled in all major classes and zero general education classes, thank god! Public Relations Campaigns and Magazine Publication and Design are senior elective courses that showcase content relatable to the communication industry, which motivates my passion for the School of Communication at Illinois State University.
Everyone tells students “get involved on campus” or “obtain an internship to prepare yourself for the future,” but few people highlight the importance of engagement and communication in the classroom at the college level. Most students want to graduate and get out, but there is still so much learning to accomplish. They say, “Education is important” but why is it important? And how can a student get the most use out of their short one hour class periods? Asking questions, connecting with classmates, listening to the professor, putting effort into assignments and looking at any feedback your teacher provides can help young professionals prepare for the career ahead of them.
Of course, an engaging teacher and intriguing content influence a student’s learning dynamics, and I am lucky enough to experience both. Every ISU PR student knows that the Public Relations Campaigns course gives you the chance to dive deep into the PR world, right before you graduate. We recently started our main campaign project, which includes each class being assigned a company in Bloomington-Normal, Illinois and we create “agency” groups of about five people. In our groups, we practice our PR skills through creating and pitching a full campaign for the company to possibly use in the future. The winning team receives extra credit and almost every year the company brings the winning idea to life. Honestly, I can’t think of a better class project to put on a resume, especially if my team wins.
In Magazine Production and Design, the class format is fairly similar. The first half of the semester we learn about magazine production through lectures and now we are building our own magazine in InDesign. I used InDesign for the first time in a PR class last semester and realized it takes a lot of practice to use graphic design tools other than Canva. Learning InDesign was very helpful for my eventual transition to the communication industry, because I can say that I have experience with the Adobe tool. The more InDesign practice I receive in school, the less education I need later in life. After Magazine Publication and Design, I will have a full magazine to showcase on my portfolio website with feature stories, images and graphics.
A public relations degree can take a person down many different career paths, and this year I have realized I want to work at an agency in Chicago, IL. Sophomore and Junior year of college, I was heavily interested in sales and event planning, but wanted to use my final year to stimulate my PR writing and creative skills. Thankfully, my senior courses have pushed me to not only reach my goal but also steer my passion toward an unexpected career path that I plan to pursue in May 2020.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Anna Gorski specializes in event planning and leadership as Recruitment Chair and Event Planning Chair at Illinois State University’s Association for Women in Communication’s (AWC) student chapter. She is also part of the School of Communication Promotions and Development (SoC PD) team, a group known for organizing ISU’s COM Week in April and The Vidette staff, ISU’s reputable school newspaper. After graduating with a Public Relations degree in May 2020, Anna aspires to join a public relations firm in Chicago, Illinois.
