Reflection on CMN Lunch

Yesterday (Friday), DGS had a lunch meeting with the Department of Communication (CMN). Professors and representatives from CMN gave an interactive presentation about their undergraduate major, minor, and concentrations. It was helpful to me as a newcomer because it gave me a better understanding of the nuances of the CMN major. I will definitely be able to use this information with many of my students.

One aspect of the meeting that jumped out to me in particular was a conversation regarding student expectations. The presenter was enthusiastically sharing with us about the flexibility of the CMN major, taking pride in the idea that students can do "anything" with a major in CMN. While this idea is appealing to most of us since flexibility is a very good thing for many undecided students, one advisor responded with an interesting point. He pointed out that many current students don't necessarily see the value of a flexible program when they are undecided; they want to know EXACTLY what kind of job they will be able to get with their major. Many students almost have a fear about future job possibilities, so they would prefer to major in something that has a clear, linear path to a specific career or type of career.

This idea led to an interesting conversation during the meeting because it highlighted a key advising and teaching challenge: professors/instructors and advisors see the great value in flexible majors because of the transferable skills they provide, but many incoming students may not recognize this value until it's too late (if ever), because they pursued a "safer" option regardless of whether their option reflected a true academic interest. It is sometimes difficult to convince students that it's ok - even preferred - to follow their passion because of other pressures to land a high-paying job.