Q. I just began my freshman year of college. My parents told me to concentrate on studying and not get involved in sorority rush or other student activities this first year. But I attended a campus-wide student activities fair last week and met students who said joining PRSSA or SDX would be an easy way to get involved on campus without taking too much of my time. What do you recommend to your students?
A. I’m probably the wrong person to ask since I didn’t follow the identical advice I received from my parents. Instead, I got way over involved in numerous campus activities during my freshman year. My grades paid the price, so I scaled back during my sophomore year — only joining organizations I could rationalize with my parents as logically supporting my then-career goals — government or journalism.
PR wasn’t taught in very many universities back then (nor had I ever heard of it), so I focused on College Republicans (pre-MAGA) and journalism (SPJ). My love for journalism classes soon lead to a reporting role for my campus newspaper, where I eventually became editor and won a full-ride scholarship, and the campus political involvement led to leadership roles, including state-wide chair of College Republicans. Both activities opened numerous doors as I sought and landed my next several jobs.
Please keep me out of trouble with your parents by letting them know I agree with them — to a point. If your first-semester grades are great, start getting involved in outside-the-classroom activities that you can argue provide opportunities to practice skills that future employers value.
Here are several ways extracurricular involvement can prepare students for a career in PR or journalism, or almost any other career:
- Developing communication skills: PR professionals communicate with many different audiences through writing, speaking, presentations, social media, and interpersonal interactions. Activities such as student government, campus media, or leadership organizations give students opportunities to practice communicating clearly and confidently.
- Building leadership experience: Employers want to see evidence that students can take initiative. Serving as an officer in a student organization, leading a committee, or organizing an event demonstrates responsibility, teamwork, and the ability to motivate others.
- Learning teamwork: Public relations is rarely a one-person job. PR professionals work with clients, colleagues, journalists, executives, and community members. Extracurricular activities teach students how to collaborate, resolve disagreements, and work toward shared goals.
- Creating real-world experience: Organizing an event, promoting a campus organization, or managing a social media account can provide practical experience that connects classroom concepts to real situations. These experiences can also give students strong examples to discuss during job interviews.
- Expanding professional networks: Extracurricular involvement helps students meet classmates, alumni, faculty members, and professionals. Building these relationships early can lead to mentoring opportunities, internships, and future job connections.
- Strengthening a résumé and portfolio: Employers often look beyond a student’s GPA. Meaningful extracurricular experiences can demonstrate initiative, creativity, and transferable skills. Students can also use projects, campaigns, writing samples, and event experiences to begin building a professional portfolio.
Ultimately, extracurricular activities are more than something to fill time outside the classroom. They are opportunities to experiment, make mistakes, and develop confidence. For those interested in public relations, getting involved early can provide a valuable competitive advantage when it is time to pursue internships and launch a career. When second-semester freshmen tell me they just joined PRSSA, I congratulate them and predict they will become a leader in that chapter and probably professionally. So far, that’s been the case from my vantage point.