Advice From Seniors: Communication Majors
Homecoming is here! That means we are closer to our midterm grades. Normally, this is the period when people start considering withdrawing from a class or from school, because the pressure is real. You might be feeling tired right now and hoping the stress will be over soon. I totally get it; I have been there too. There were a lot of times that I really wanted to give up and forget about college, but by God's mercy, grace and will here I am. I'm almost done with my degree and closer to my goal!
That’s why I don't want to leave college without sharing my experience with you. I want to share advice that I know can help you to cross the finish line. Last time I shared a few tips for my Biology peers. This time I want to share a few things with our Communication majors. Communication is an amazing major; a lot of things can be done to glorify God and expand his kingdom through it, but because I’m not an expert, I decided to speak with one of our seniors in the Communication program, Branton McMahan.
Branton is a Mass Communication major and his goal is to make faith-based films. This desire was born in him during high school after noticing that there was “a lack of God in the public school’s system” and things that were not supposed to happen in young people lives were happening. Through this, God called him to work in youth ministry, but he wanted to do that in a different and unique way. While in high school he got involved in the video broadcast career pathway. There, he found a teacher that encouraged him, believed in him, and helped him to realize what kind of director and writer he could become. During that time, he directed and wrote two short films and was part of four productions. He discovered that films are part of what God wants him to do.
Branton recently went to an internship and study abroad in Los Angeles, California. There, he had the opportunity to be a Director of Photography in his class project. He also had the opportunity to meet and work with different professionals in the industry. Currently, he is working on a short film and has plans of making another next semester. Branton wants to strongly encourage “communications freshmen that wants to go into film to try for the L.A. film study program.” This program will challenge your faith and your personal life but is going to be “really cool and worth it.”
When asked about what things freshman should or should not do to succeed in college, he said "keep track of your credit hours and go to the tutor lab whenever you need help or go to your professors whenever you are having problems. Don’t be afraid to ask if you need help." He also recommends using Quizlet for studying. As final advice, he said “don’t be afraid to stand out, do the things you love… find out your passions. If you can’t find it just create it.”