Why I Added a Public Relations Major

Photo Credit: Melanie Marie Guevara

By Donal Buckley

One of the privileges of studying at a school like USC is the amount of academic opportunities there are. From unique classes, to clubs, to study abroad, and much, much more, the university puts a real emphasis on interdisciplinary learning. Around this time last year, something clicked in my brain: I really wanted to take advantage of everything that USC had to offer. So, I started considering a double major.

I was, and still am, a creative writing major — and I had plans to add a screenwriting minor as well, which I have now done. But even with a major and a minor, my academic journey didn’t feel complete. Creative writing, to me, feels like a supplemental major. There’s a lot of room to study something else alongside it, and it pairs nicely with almost any academic field. But I didn’t want to force myself to add another major just for the sake of it. I wanted it to be something that I could genuinely see myself doing in the future.

So, I turned to Annenberg. Before committing to USC, I had been admitted to some other universities with a journalism major; and in high school, I created content for the yearbook. I knew that if I wanted to find another major, it would be in Annenberg.

Even though I had only seriously considered journalism before, I ended up applying to major in public relations. Honestly, I wasn’t 100% sure what PR entailed but I decided to roll the dice and try it out anyway. From my understanding, it was a more business-y side of journalism. While journalists write and seek out content, public relations experts work behind the scenes to represent clients and get the story out there.

An important thing to keep in mind is that applying to another major varies by school. For public relations, all I had to do was fill out a form that showed I met their GPA requirements. Other more competitive majors (such as business) require an internal transfer application. No matter what major you try to add or switch into, it’s important to do your research.

Having begun the introductory courses this semester, and learned more about public relations, I’m pretty confident in my decision to double major. Every class I’ve taken has emphasized how much writing you have to do in this field, which I already enjoy doing. But compared to creative writing, public relations writing is much different. Ultimately, though, I find that valuable because I’ll get to become proficient in writing across all areas. Also, the public relations market is hot right now — and even though I don’t want to buy into the stereotype of the struggling creative, it’s nice to be studying something a little more stable!

Adding a new major is providing me with a fresh opportunity for the back end of my USC journey. But, there are some downsides. Because I’m adding the major so late, I’m having to take 20 units for the next four semesters. Compared to the typical 16-18, it is not only an added cost but added work as well. Thankfully, with the Academic Achievement Award, I’ve got those extra units covered. But the extra work is all on me.

If you’re planning on pursuing another major, here’s my advice: start early! Do your research and talk to your advisor now. I’m lucky that I was able to add the public relations major recently, since I cut it just as close as I could. Your first two years are opportunities for you to explore other options while you still can, and I wish I took advantage of that a year earlier. Don’t let the idea of another academic field scare you — exploring is what college is about.