A variety of math, engineering, and nursing majors have told me countless times, “You have it so easy,” upon learning I am a communication studies major.
Yes, this includes organizational communication majors as well.
Well, I can tell you from firsthand experience this is not — in any way, shape, or form — true.
Here’s why:
A lot of tedious work goes into what we communication studies majors do. For example, the research. It has taken a good thirty or so hours for me to finish research for one, not two, not three, but one paper. And it is not a lack of trying or procrastination.
Your professor will not make it easier on you, because everything you find is up to you to reference and use. And if you think I’m just complaining about having to do homework, read on.
While engineering majors might spend hours in the library studying or writing reports, communication studies majors are out searching, digging for the right internship to find the job that is right for us.
We have a complete course load and by our sophomore, junior, and/or senior year we have a 20-hour per week internship on top of that. Sometimes communication majors lead clubs as well, or work as photographers and reporters for The Beacon. Everything we do as communication studies majors is to build our futures. Whereas some science-based majors have more fixed or certain job opportunities waiting for them after graduation, we have to figure out where we fit in the workforce.
Yes, I understand because my roommate from last year is a math major that communication studies majors won’t understand the extremely unreasonable amount of time it takes to learn vector calculus. But we all have some class, or unreasonable amount of homework that drives us over the edge.
Even though every major’s work is different, the workload is just as hefty for us communication studies majors as it is for anyone studying within the STEM field. So don’t just make the assumption that communication studies is easy, because no major really is.
Sarah Varney is a sophomore Communication Studies major. She can be reached at varneys20@up.edu
