College comes with many new changes and challenges. You gain a ton of knowledge, meet a variety of people, write more papers than you can count, and develop the skills necessary to be successful in your desired career. It’s an experience that exposes you to many new things! However, for me, this year came with a lot more change than I had expected. As a transfer student, there’s a long list of new experiences that came with this semester. I’m at a new school, living in a new dorm, playing on a new football team, and now being involved with a completely new department.
Even though I’m going into my senior year of college, these past six weeks have made me feel like a freshman all over again. Everything is so new, from the people to the professors. Even something as simple as the dining hall, it’s all so different. Don’t even ask me the amount of times I got lost my first week!
Not only am I at a new school, but I also had to change my major, so that’s new too! WhIle I was attending LIU I was pursuing a broadcasting degree. For the past three years, I’ve been creating, editing, and producing different television and radio shows, along with YouTube videos. With my previous experience, coming to Pace and having to switch to being a Communications major has been a little bit different. For example, to start off this semester, I’m in Digital Newsroom with Dr. Fink and Intro to PR with Professor Magas. Overall, just being in these classes is a major change! Prior to attending Pace, I didn’t have to take courses like those because most of my classes involved developing broadcasting skills, not specific disciplines like journalism or public relations.Going from solely working in the studio to writing actual news stories every other week and learning about the world of PR is a different experience.
To my surprise I’ve actually really enjoyed these changes! Don’t get me wrong, I love running my own TV productions, coming up with various scripts, and putting my creative skills to work on the screen. However, this has been the first semester in the past three years where I’m not solely focused on those skills. Even though I’m currently taking two MCVA classes, they’re both encouraging me to broaden my horizons and look into other aspects of the communications field. Plus, Dr. Fink and Professor Magas have actually been so great with ensuring these classes are not only informative but also entertaining. (Trust me when I saw those two classes on my schedule I really thought they were going to be sooooo boring…)
One thing I really enjoy is the guest speakers that constantly visit our classes, especially in Intro to PR. It gives you multiple perspectives from different people that have experience within the field. They are always willing to share their insight, knowledge, tips, and just general information about their careers. Also, I’ve really enjoyed how career oriented this class and the events have been. Even though I was able to grow as an editor, script writer, on-air anchor, camera man, director, and content creator in LIU, there really weren’t any programs offered through the school in order to help students receive internships and jobs. On the other hand, Pace is very concerned with their students’ futures. Almost every guest speaker leaves you with an opportunity to reach out to them and build a connection! The fact that Career Services was able to come to Willcox Hall for “Career Services on the Block” and help students with resumes is so beneficial. On top of that, in the upcoming “Connections in Communications” event, we will be able to speak directly to various alumni or other experienced people within our desired field. All these experiences and events provide opportunities for students to get their foot in the door in whatever profession they’re considering.
In general, our accessibility to career guidance is one of the major differences I’ve noticed between my two college institutions. Right now I feel confident that by the time I graduate, I’ll have enough connections necessary to find a job, while at LIU that really wasn’t the case. This semester came with a lot of new experiences, and I’m so excited to move forward and get even more involved in the MCVA Department once my football season is over!
About the writer:
Jose Acosta is a new transfer student from LIU. Acosta is pursuing a bachelors in Communications and Media Arts with plans to pursue a career in the sports broadcasting industry after graduation.