The COMM 500 (Introduction to Graduate Studies) class from left to right:
Brandy Francis, Jill Skipper, Stephanie Meier, Stephanie McInnis, Erika LeGendre, Stephenie Snow, Sara Allen & Rachel Barnette.
Not pictured: Karen Rowe
It’s that time of year again! The holidays are here, final papers have been submitted and almost all of the final exams have been completed. As fall semester draws to a close, I find myself more excited than apprehensive regarding the upcoming semester. Even though I’m not exactly sure what the spring semester will bring, I do know that I’ll be able to face it head on.
Fall 2015 was my first semester of graduate school, and as a new graduate student, I wasn’t quite sure what to expect. I knew it would more difficult than my undergraduate classes and I suspected the papers would be longer (Spoiler alert: they are!). It was what I didn’t expect that surprised me the most, however. Within MCOM, graduate students are regarded as peers within our program, and as such, more is expected of us. We are expected to dig deeper into the material, be productive during class discussions and produce research that furthers both our own knowledge and the communication discipline. And while there were stressful times, I found that I could rely on my advisors, my cohort and my professors to be there for me, even if it was just a pep-talk over coffee. I truly learned so much about myself as a student and as an individual, and the support from my peers has given me the confidence to continue to excel in my program of study.
This spring, we will have some exciting blog posts that highlight the CofC graduate experience, as well as continue our spotlights on various students and faculty who make our program special…and one of the best, in my opinion. I hope you all will continue to join me for the weekly updates on the program.
If you’re interested in joining the MCOM cohort for the 2016-2017 academic year, please don’t hesitate to contact our program director, Dr. Amanda Ruth-McSwain, at ruthmcswaina@cofc.edu. If you’re interested in meeting members of the current cohort, you can contact Dr. Ruth or myself (snowsm@g.cofc.edu) to arrange a meeting or coffee chat. We love talking about our program and look forward to sharing amazing stories about our students and faculty. Don’t forget the deadline to apply for Fall 2016 enrollment is March 1, 2016.
In closing, I’d like to wish each of you a very happy holiday season. May it be relaxing and stress free! See you in 2016!
~Stephenie
