April 10, 2000 - I just finished talking on Instant Messenger with a friend who has a situation similar to mine. He wants to be in the field of communications, he’s not sure where in the field, and he feels completely unprepared for the real world. Not a surprise, right? Every senior feels that way. The thing is, communications people at this school are repeatedly left out in the cold, because there is no communications major. This is understandable, as Tufts has neither the room nor the facilities to create a major or a communications school. The fact is, though, that an increasing number of people are graduating this liberal arts institution and rejecting the idea of consulting and banking, and instead opting, at least for a few years, to do something like film, television, or journalism.
There are many Tufts grads that have succeeded in various fields of communication, so Tufts is doing something right here: preparing us for the outside world and the cutthroat realm of communications. But the fact is that there is no written guide for how to go about this, and certainly no certain path to take. There are things you can do, however, to increase your odds of succeeding. I haven’t succeeded yet, but I’ve done a bunch of internships, good and bad, and I’ve gotten a few job offers so far, so read on or don’t — if you’re interested in communications, you may (or may not) find this helpful.
DO become a Communications and Media Studies (CMS) minor. It’s a great program, and you can take dozens of classes to fulfill the requirements, including some in the Ex-College. You can tailor it to your interests, from advertising to photography. In addition, it affords you the opportunity to do a senior project you can show to a potential employer. Senior projects vary in scope from research magazine articles to CD-ROMs students design on their own.
- DO join any campus organizations that are related to the field that interests you. If that’s television, join TUTV; if it’s journalism, join one the campus publications. This will help you get a better idea of what you like to do. In addition, through these organizations you will meet other people interested in the same things, and this can be a wonderful support base later on.
- DO take as many Ex-College courses as possible. They offer a great range of communications-related classes, and though some of them are hit-or-miss, it’s the only place you may be able to find a given course on, say, comic books or advertising. Even if you’ve finished your requirements for the CMS minor, keep taking those Ex-College classes. You never know what you may want to put on your resume and what classes will actually help you later.
- DO intern. Whether over the summer or during the school year in Boston, interning matters most for two reasons. The first is that by interning you may actually find that you don’t like the area in which you thought you were interested. Second, if you find that you do, indeed, enjoy the field, having an internship on your resume is one step closer to finding a paying job post-graduation.
- DO talk to Susan Eisenhauer. This one’s related to the above, but, it needs to be said, she rocks. Find her in Miner Hall and make an appointment to talk with her about your interests. She’ll help you find an internship (or three) that fits, and she’ll guide you on your way into the real world. And if you’re struggling to make some choices, she won’t tell you what to do, but she’ll give you options. Also, talk to any professors you have in the field of communications, they are immensely helpful as well, if only for a small piece of advice.
- DO go abroad, if you can. I highly recommend the Boston University programs. Many of them are internship programs, so you can go to a foreign country, and in addition to sharpening your language skills, you can work in the communications field of your choice. One girl I know went to Moscow and worked for CNN. At the end of the program, they actually let her do her own story. If you don’t go through BU, see if it’s possible to intern on whatever program you choose.
- DO take your GREs. Come senior year, you may find that there are a number of graduate programs that interest you, but in order to apply to most of them, you must take your GREs by the fall of your senior year. However, if film school is your thing, forget the GREs and work on as many projects as possible, from TUTV to 16mm Conspiracy. Your portfolio is what gets you into film school.
- DO work as hard as possible in your other classes. Communications is an uncertain field. One day you may be grateful you graduated with honors from Tufts University.
- DON’T worry about your major. Major in what you love, or what seems helpful to you. Unless you plan on being a writer, in which case English can be helpful, your major won’t matter.
That’s it. It’s not a lot, but it’s stuff I wish I had known when I decided four years ago that communications was my chosen field. The last thing that’s important to remember is that it’s never too late to decide that you’re interested in media studies. A good friend of mine decided late in his junior year that he wanted to be in TV and film. He got involved in TUTV, did the CMS minor and a great senior project, and is currently working in the field in New York. And as a side note, if you can’t afford to do an internship, don’t worry. There are plenty of on-campus organizations and classes that are great resume-builders as well. Tufts may not have a communications school, but that doesn’t mean we can’t succeed, and there’s a lot here to help us along the way.