Up until college, school has been full of information that has gone in one ear and out the other. College challenges students in a different way, by making them focus specifically on one area of study and digging further into detail about it than anyone really wants or cares. When it comes down to it, every major is hard. College, in general, is hard. But, the major you choose should highlight your strengths, making classes easier and more enjoyable.
Communication is not an easy major. It may not be the hardest, either. I won’t lie, when I chose to major in communication, the reputation it has of being easy went through my head. By taking four to five communication classes per semester the past two years, I have learned that that reputation is certainly not true. The following are simply a few of the reasons communication majors work just as hard, if not harder, than any other major.
The unbelievable amount of writing.
Oh, the amount of pages I have written in the past two years. Communication majors are typically not test takers. They do not memorize information given to them in a powerpoint. Rather, they take it, apply it to something, and write about it. They write different types of papers, types that a nursing student may not know exists. News writing, press releases, and research papers are completely different styles of writing, all of which are mastered (we like to think) by the end of four years. Along with different types of writing come different styles of writing. AP style and APA style are one letter short of being the same, but used for completely different purposes.
Communication majors may not take tests to prove what they have learned. They spend hours beyond what it would take to study preparing papers and projects to perfection. This causes us to never forget how Volkswagen was portrayed in the media throughout its emission scandal or how superhero movies portray different characters.
The group projects.
A large part of communication is learning to work in a team. Being able to communicate effectively with your fellow classmates is a great start to being able to communicate with people in the real world. Projects are much too in depth to work on alone, so working in a group becomes a huge part of classes. On the plus side, you make some new besties spending so much time together!
DISCLAIMER
If not obvious, I am totally biased. I love the fact that I chose communication as a major. It will one day provide me with a world of opportunities. At the same time, I am unbelievably impressed by my roommates who are all in the science field. I couldn’t do what they do everyday. But, they couldn’t do what I do either. It all comes down to personal preference and our individual strengths. We should all take pride in what we choose to do and respect the hard work everyone else puts into their own education.
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