What do you want to be when you grow up?
This is a question I struggled with when first attending West Chester University. I had no idea what I wanted to do after college, which made me scared of what my future would hold. There was nothing I was insanely passionate about that I could picture myself doing for the rest of my life. This lead me to attend college undecided. Although I was nervous to do so, my advisor assured me that was the best choice since I was unsure of what my exact goals and passions were. I figured going in undecided and knocking out general education requirements first would give me the time I needed. However, by the end of my first year, I still had no idea what I wanted to do. This led to panic and stress as I saw that the people around me knew exactly what they wanted to do. It made me discouraged and jealous of them. I couldn’t understand how people just knew what they wanted for the future. So, for the summer, away from classes, away from the stress, I began to really think about what I wanted out of West Chester.
Come sophomore year I visited my advisor once again to figure out a plan. He reassured me that my concerns were valid, however, in order to graduate on-time, I would need to make a decision soon. While discussing multiple options, he mentioned the Communication Studies Department. Immediately, I was interested. Admittedly, I had never heard of the department and didn’t know much about it. My advisor was able to get me into the prerequisite classes easily, which was refreshing since it didn’t add any unneeded stress. This was the start of my journey to complete a major in Communication Studies.
The choice is clear
The Communication Studies Department has such a broad array of careers that can tend to students direct passions. This is one of the main elements that helped me choose this major. Being able to choose from a multitude of career options after graduation makes it a good option for people like me who didn’t necessarily know what to do. However, this was not the only reason that I stayed in the department. I ended up really liking the classes I was taking. There’s so much variety in the kind of classes I could take. One semester you could take event planning and another, sports broadcasting. It really is a department full of options. I was even able to score a marketing internship without being a marketing major since there are classes pertaining to that area of study! The variety of classes helped me discover exactly what I wanted to do and what I thoroughly enjoyed.
Struggle no more
I know I am not alone being a student that had no idea what I wanted out of college. I’m thankful that I was able to find the Communication Studies Department. Although I did not know exactly what I wanted to be, I was able to get into a major I enjoy as well as gain opportunities. If you are struggling to find something you enjoy or struggling to find a direction in life, I recommend trying out a class. Who knows, the class could open doors you never thought were open.
