Welcome to the 2016-17 academic year! We’ve got so much in store for you this year, but I wanted to give you all updates about what some of the MCOM students were up to over the summer. The learning process for graduate students never stops, even over summer break. Our recently graduated 2016 Cohort secured positions with Blackbaud, Charleston Battery, Charleston Symphony Orchestra and the College of Charleston! The 2017 Cohort stayed busy as well, completing internships with various regional and national companies, as well as teaching in the Study Abroad programs offered to undergraduates. Below you’ll find a bit of information about the options that graduate students are encouraged to pursue during the summer sessions.
Internships are a great way to “try out” a position in the communications field without making a permanent commitment to a specific position or company. You get to work with an organization for an entire summer while gaining valuable experiences relevant to your career aspirations. These opportunities can also lead to permanent, full-time positions, and increase your confidence as an industry professional. Some of the companies that welcomed MCOM students into their organizations this summer included Charleston Food and Wine Festival, CofC Women’s Health Research Team, Jetty Life, NBC, and the Charleston Police Fund.
In addition to gaining valuable work experience, you are also in direct contact with top executives in your industry. Using your time as an intern to enhance your professional network gives you a great advantage over your competition. Those network connections will bolster your credibility since experienced individuals will be able to vouch for your abilities.
For graduate students interested in traveling during their summer while continuing to earn credits toward their degree, completing a graduate pedagogy experience (COMM 690) is the way to go. As graduate students, our summers look a lot like our academic years: we’re busy.
By becoming a teaching assistant on a study abroad trip, however, you can experience cultures from around the globe while furthering your research and sharing your knowledge with undergraduate students. Some of the destinations where graduate students traveled this past summer included India, Italy, Greece, Budapest and Morocco.
As graduate students, we are held to a higher standard than our undergraduate counterparts. As the saying goes, with great power comes great responsibility, and the lives of MCOM students exemplifies that sentiment, especially during our summer “break”.
To learn more about the MCOM program, please email (ruthmcswaina@cofc.edu) Dr. Amanda Ruth-McSwain or visit the MCOM website.
Have a question about living the MCOM life? Email your questions to snowsm@g.cofc.edu and your question might be answered on our monthly Ask-A-Grad column.
