Every freshman coming into any college department wonders what it is going to be like. Once you finish your first year, you become familiarized and knowledgeable within the department. . Here are just 7 things a freshman should know about the MCVA department here at Pace. 

  1. It is a family-like department

The MCVA department is a close-knit group. You become very familiar with your professors in the department. Since the classes are small, your professors have time to get to personally know each of their students in the class. Furthermore the students have many opportunities to get to know your professor. Everyone in the department is friendly, so don’t be shy saying hi.

 

 2.  What MCVA stands for

MCVA stands for Media, Communications, and Visual Arts. Many freshmen are unaware of what the acronym stands for when they enter the department. I know when the semester started I had no clue what MCVA was. Once I got involved within the department, I was able to understand what it stood for. By taking classes and just being involved within the department you will be able to understand the term MCVA.

3. The amount of hands-on experience

 

Coming into this department, I kept hearing that we get amazing hands-on experience. This was the only school that pushed the hands-on experience that their students participate in. I was not expecting to have as much hands-on experience as we actually receive. Each week in our public relations classes we do different activities that work with actual events that are happening in the department. Every assignment we do has the opportunity to get published, utilized or sent elsewhere. We create flyers for different events or we can practice writing press releases for events that are being held. This department reaches the expectation of hands-on experience that they say.

 

4. Willcox is the main building for MCVA majors

 Willcox Hall holds all of the MCVA classes. Inside of Willcox, there is a lecture hall and a multipurpose room used for different events that are held. Most of my public relations classes, during my first-year, were held on the first floor. In addition, there is a media lounge on the first floor. In this lounge, you can rent equipment to use for different classes or for your own projects. It also serves as a space to hang out and work on group projects. You can also meet with your professors here. Willcox has different studios and spaces to work on projects and assignments that can be utilized for your reel. There are also multiple editing rooms that students have access too. It is great to familiarize yourself with Willcox once you get here.  

 

5. There are clubs that you can join within the department

 

Within the MCVA department there are 4 different clubs that you can join. The first one is Entrance One which is the public relations agency on campus. Organizations can come to them for help promoting their event or if they need public relations work done for them. The next club is the Pace Chronicle. This is the student-run newspaper group. This club is great for journalism majors, as well as anyone else who enjoys writing. They put out weekly articles that are written by students talking about something that has occurred on campus. Another club is WPAW which is the student-run radio station. In addition, they sometimes play music at campus events. Lastly, there is a Film club which meets each week. During their meetings, they watch different films and they also make different films throughout the weeks. You can find any of these clubs on Instagram at:

Entrance One: @paceentranceone

Pace Chronicle: @pacechronicle

WPAW: @wpaw

Film Club: @plv_filmclubofpace

 

6. There are many ways to get involved

 

From events to clubs to organizations, there are many ways to get involved with the MCVA department. There are always events being held within the department that students can attend. These events are fun and you can bring your friends along to them. One event is Connections in Communications, this event provides students the opportunity to talk with alumni and make connections with them. These alumni work for many different companies such as A&E and NBC. In addition, the MCVA department hosts a jamboree where teachers spend one minute talking about their class for the following semester. This is a way for students to find out what classes are being offered and what they can really expect. In some classes, teachers give out extra credit for students who attend MCVA events. Attending the events is a great way to immerse yourself in the department. 

7. There is a combined masters program

 

The MCVA department offers a combined degree program that allows you to receive a bachelor’s and a masters degree in 5 years. This program is only for communication majors. It combines the communications, BA, with a media and communication arts, MA. This is a great way to complete both your degrees quicker and in 5 years.

Each of these tips are useful in getting to know the MCVA department, since it is unique from other schools. For incoming freshman, these tips will be helpful in getting to know the MCVA department. With these 7 things freshman will have a better insight on what to expect when they join the MCVA department family. 

 

 

About the Writer:

Ariana Stoddard is a sophomore Public Relations major. Ariana is the senator of Entrance One, the PR agency on campus. She is expected to graduate in 2023.

(This piece was written during her second semester freshman year through Professor Jennifer Magas’ Writing for PR Copy course)