After four years I am ready to graduate and take the next big step in my life. When I first came to UNCW I thought I wanted to major in Biology. I learned after my first two semesters that it wasn’t a good fit for me. That summer I took some communication classes and found my match. Since then I haven’t looked back.
I have been very fortunate to have such wonderful friends and professors that made my college experience amazing. I have found so much support here that it will be very hard to leave. But thanks to their help, I am truly ready to join the professional world. Between my course work and campus involvement I know I can balance a heavy load and I welcome the challenge. There have been many times in my four years that a week has gone by and I realize how much I accomplished. I have pushed myself and learned that I will meet my goals.
A big part of my accomplishments can be credited to my classes. I have tried to take a variety as well as advance coursework. I want to thank the professors that have designed these courses and taught me all that I have learned. A special thanks to Dr. Persuit who I have taken for many classes. She has brought her experience to the classroom and showed us how we would use our skills in the real world. A thanks to Professor Bollinger who taught us to work hard and never underestimate ourselves. And another thanks to Professor Pezzuolo for providing a creative outlet in the classroom. There are many other members of the UNCW team that deserve thanks. Without them, my experience would have been very different.
– Carissa Niederkorn
As the semester comes down to a close, it’s hard to imagine that this is the end. For some of us, the thought of finishing high school and going on to the promised land (a.k.a college) was all that filled our young, scholarly minds. Now that we have gotten through this institution dubbed as higher education, some of us begin to feel nervous, anxious, scared, and even lost as to what to expect after this fantastic journey. I for one forgot to think about what life might be like after college. I was so busy just trying to get here that I never even thought about what my life might be like after all of this was said and done.
All of my experiences so far have been wonderful. Through all of the ups and downs, I can say that I will be graduating with my head held high and my future wide open. Specifically speaking, my professors have taught me so many invaluable skills that even I may not yet know to what extent these skills will help me in my future. Classes concerning speech, personal finance, integrated marketing, research methods, and more classes that talked about theories than I could handle, I can safely say that I am truly grateful for the time that I have spent here at UNCW. I am looking forward to what the next few pages of my life will bring, but I will always remember my studies, professors, the memories that I created, and the friendships that I will never let go of.
– Deji Adeleke
As the semester comes to a close, I can only look back at the last four years and wonder how it went by so fast. I entered into UNCW with no direction and am now leaving as a confident, knowledgeable young professional. I want to use this post give a little “Senior Advice” to those of you who may still have a couple of years.
Write EVERYTHING down. If I’ve learned this lesson I’ve learned it a thousand times. You really do have the best of intentions on remembering that homework assignment or that group meeting but trust me on this one, if you don’t write it down (in a place that you’ll look back at), you will slip up eventually.
Stop PROCRASTINATING! Seriously. Stop. Have you ever finished something a few days early and had that overwhelming feeling of accomplishment? Okay, I can’t say that it’s happened to me very often but when I do, my life seems to be in much better order and I can focus on the other things that I’ve thrown by the wayside. (Like laundry. Just ask my roommate.) So use those time management skills you like to refer to during a job interview! Get it done now and be ahead of the rest. You’ll just feel better.
Get to KNOW your classmates. Most likely, you will see them again so sit somewhere different in the classroom, set up a small group study session, and after you’ve finished a big project together, go celebrate! These are the people who have been through the same stressful papers and projects as you. Take note of what they may have to offer because you never know, they may be your boss one day.
Get INVOLVED! Whether it’s an academic club, sports, Greek life, or the other hundreds of activities offered on campus, this is your opportunity to branch out and network. You never know who may stop in as a guest speaker or have a parent in your field of interest.
Same goes with INTERNSHIPS. Internships, internships, internships. Enough said.
I hope that my experiences can help guide those of you who are still living the good life. Make the best of it! Good luck to my fellow Seniors! The end is bittersweet but I am confident that my education at UNCW as a Communication Studies major has prepared me for what lies ahead.
-Tiffany Evans
I’m a big fan of lists. I like To Do Lists, lists of funny animals, lists of the top songs of the radio. Put anything in list form and, chances are, I will read it. So, to wrap up my time on the IMC-Hawks blog and at UNCW, I present the Top 4 Things I’ve Learned At UNCW.
4.) There’s a reason that you’re required to take the core classes in COM Studies. When you’re sitting in COM 200 or Communication Theory, you might be tempted to zone out or phone it in. Resist! Facebook will still be there after an hour and a half, I promise! Our professors have debated and discussed and voted on why these courses are required for majors and its because they tie into every single class we take as COM Studies students. So take listen up, take good notes, and, most importantly, see how the theories and concepts that you’re learning fit into your other courses. It can actually be (not to sound nerdy) fun!
3.) Take Your Time Figuring Out Your Path Whether you need to take your time figuring out if you want to pursue PR or TV Production, or if you want to be a COM major or a Creative Writing major (or both!): Take Your Time! So often in our lives we’re rushed to make decisions and it can feel like everyone’s pressuring you to just make up your mind. Here’s the thing, those people won’t be the ones in your classes or taking your exams or, eventually, looking for jobs in that area. I have a friend who’s switched from Marine Bio to Biology to Nursing to Biology (again) and she’s one of the happiest, most well-adjusted people I know. This is YOUR life and it’s okay to slow down, take a breath, and take your time figuring out your next step!
2.) You have the rest of your life! As graduation was looming in front of me and I had no job in sight, I started, to put it lightly, freaking out. After spending numerous nights losing sleep over it and having it act as a dark cloud over my last few weeks at UNCW, I finally had a revelation. For the past 21 years and a handful of months, I’ve been trained to think in terms of “summer vacation”, as in “What will I do to occupy my time for the next 3 months?” And, after thinking about it, I realized that after I leave UNCW, I’ll have the next 80 years or so to fill with amazing adventures and life-changing decisions. So, when your time comes to leave this wonderful place, take a deep breath and know that it’s ok to do something completely unique to you for a few weeks, months, or years before finding your next step.
1.) Your Professors Are People Too! When I was in elementary school, I always had this idea that my teachers lived at school. If I opened the closet, I would find that it was actually a door to a nice apartment set-up where my second grade teacher resided. As a matured, my ideas of my teachers did too. If you take nothing else from this list, please realize this: The people standing in front of you in your classes are people with thoughts and dreams and goals. And, because they’re wonderful, a lot of these dreams and goals are focused on the success of their students (that’s us!) So whether it’s taking the time to tell a professor that you really liked how they taught a particular theory in class or even just asking how they’re doing that week, do it! I can not thank the professors I’ve encountered enough, both in the COM department and outside, for the guidance they’ve provided during my four years. So, do me a favor, and say something nice to one of your professors before the year is out!
– Anna Kate Babnik
IMC Hawks Blog 
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