How to Choose a College for Communications
- 1). Research the field of communications thoroughly before deciding on a career and the school you will be attending for your undergraduate degree. Because there are so many different specialties, colleges and universities often favor one area of communications over another. Areas include graphics, advertising, public relations, marketing, journalism, public affairs, internal communication and community relations.
- 2). Talk with professionals in the field that interest you the most to see what personality traits, skills and academic background you need to be hired out of college. You may want to talk with individuals in the different sectors, such as corporate, not for profit and government. There are different skill sets required depending on the communication specialty and/or the employer. For example, someone wanting to become a graphic designer will need to have much different computer skills than someone who is interested in public relations.
- 3). Narrow down the area of the country where you would like to attend school. Look at such factors as distance from home, temperature, size of campus, country/city location, and faculty members in your major. Visit several of these schools to get a first-hand look at the environment; many times, you will not know how you feel about the location of a school until you actually visit it. Get a tour of the campus and talk with other students and faculty in your field.
- 4). Fill out all the admission forms and get the deadline dates for applications of your selected schools. Make sure that you have the additional items needed, such as references, portfolio and transcript. Check to see if you can email your application online or need to send it through the regular mail.
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