A few weeks ago, Communications Arts and Sciences students and faculty gathered for an opportunity to learn and share about what it means to study CAS. The first CAS faculty forum, hosted by the CAS society, was beneficial for all parties present. Faculty members offered advice on finding one’s path within the major, marketing oneself to potential employers, enrichment opportunities, and academic life. They shared personal stories and answered an array of questions from the student attendees.
The most valuable piece of advice that students seemed to take away from the event was, start talking to the faulty! All of the faculty members stressed themselves as resources for students. “A lot of us used to be advisors as well as faculty members, but now you have people who are solely advisors because of the amount of students”, one of the faculty remarked, “And we miss hearing what you guys are up to, and helping you decide where you want to be. So come to our offices and chat with us, we would love to hear from you.” Students also forget that while their professors are authority figures, they are not just talking heads behind podiums. The faculty members in the Communications Arts and Sciences department are dedicated to their work, and their students. They want to see you succeed, they want to share their wisdom and they want to help you find your own path. Take advantage of their office hours, and start to recognize that a conversation with a faculty member can be a moment of clarity, a networking opportunity, or an eye-opener.
Here are just some of the words of wisdom shared by the faculty members at the forum:
Dr. Christopher Johnstone on choosing CAS:
“Communications Arts and Sciences is a found major. Most people don’t come to college knowing that is what they want to study. You should be asking yourself not just ‘what am I going to do?’ but ‘who am I?’ when you’re deciding what to study, or where to take this major.”
“Find something you are really passionate about, something you really like doing, and do it.”
Dr. Michelle Miller-Day on the vastness and applicability of the major:
“This field is so all-encompassing that depending on your interests you can apply aspects of them to your study.”
“Employers can teach you their systems and policies – what they cannot teach you is how to think; as CAS majors you will learn how to be critical thinkers and how to communicate effectively, and that is very important”
Dr. John Nussbaum on the faculty as a resource and networking:
“(In terms of figuring out where you want to go with this major) Your best friend is going to be conversation, especially with us. It’s our job to teach you, to talk to you.”
“Be aware that networking can happen anywhere, the more you talk to people, the better.”
Dr. Rachel Smith on internships, choosing to study communication:
“Dream bigger than you are dreaming right now, and go after it. Whatever life you want to try out, do it.”
“I had questions that haunted me (about communication), and they drew me to study communication”.
Dr. Engels on graduate school and realizing one’s passion:
“It’s ok to be a dork, to be interested in ideas. In grad school, everyone’s interested in ideas, and suddenly you’re cool.”
“Sometimes things come to you in epiphanies. Realizing that people actually study and teach communication and rhetoric for a living was one of mine.”
Dr. Denise Solomon on broadening focus and marketing oneself to employers:
“Taking classes from all of the different CAS pathways is a good thing. (Only focusing on one area) can be an injustice to the experiences that you haven’t had yet, your questions don’t have to be specific.”
“You have the skills that they (employers) want. It is about finding a way to package that message.”