1. “Sooo what exactly are you studying lol”
A.) This isn’t your parents COM studies. While COM students today spend time studying the classics just like the ancient Greeks, they also study new media, advertising, research methods, video production, among countless other fields that are designed and curated to prepare them for a dynamic job market. A better question would be what AREN’T you studying. COM students are also either double majoring or minoring in some other field of study.
2. “You’re not going to be able to find a job!”
A.) Alright, buckle up while I explain just how wrong you are. First let’s look at the numbers, for UNCW the COM department produces at the same time one of the largest and most employable groups on campus. UNCW COM majors find jobs after graduation on average much faster than almost any other major on campus. And now let’s get into the why. Yes, a COM degree does teach you ‘how to talk’ among other things, but guess what, that’s a pretty important thing. When employers are looking for new hires they rank communication abilities above every other factor. Technical abilities related to the job usually fall near the bottom half of most lists.
So once a COM degree gets you through the interview, then what? The curriculum of the department doesn’t just teach you information, it teaches you how to learn, adapt, and work with others. A COM degree prepares a student to be a helpful and contributing worker in almost any field. After all, 90% of anything you need to know to do a given job you learn after you’re hired. So how prepared do YOU feel?
3. “It’s so eaaassssyyy”
A). I implore you to join me for a week of COM 200. But in all seriousness, the COM curriculum is no joke. What the department lacks in 9pm exams and complex formulas, it makes up for with a mountain of history and practical knowledge and exhaustive semester long group projects. And all along the way there are classes that will punch you right in the face with rigorous exams and dense specific scientific information. If you think you’re going to skate through a COM degree, you’re gonna have a bad time. There’s a reason why we’re some of the most employable people to graduate UNCW, and it’s not because it’s handed to us.
– Austin, Kaela, and Jonny
IMC Hawks Blog 
This blog entry made me smile in all honesty! I hear it all the time from students (especially Business majors) that COM studies is so easy and that I won’t be able to do anything with this degree. It makes me so frustrated because COM studies is everything else but easy. Yes, we communicate and learn all the different features to it, however, sitting in COM200 three times a week at 8am I can tell anyone that COM IS NOT EASY!!! There are classes that are very hard and very easy, just like in all the other majors, however, it is so frustrating to hear form people (who think they are better) that COM isn’t easy when they haven’t even taken one class.
I really appreciated this post. All my friends are Biology and Chemistry majors and when we study together they often wonder how I could be stressed and worried over assignments. They assume we just love to listen to ourselves speak and that we wanted an easy degree. COM is anything but. It’s a nuanced major that really does require serious thinking.
It made me smile too! Its good to hear some justification amid the doubtful talk of our degree. Business majors are definitely some of the ones plagued by these misconceptions. Com is no joke. And it’s pretty frustrating when people act like it isn’t useful. Either way, its in our hands to prove them wrong. I know that I am developing skills that will benefit me for the rest of my life.
This blog post was somewhat reassuring. As a COM major who didn’t realize everyone apparently pairs this degree with something else, it concerns me to see that it is basically assumed. I am planning on banking on a bachelors in COM and nothing else. I wish more people were doing the same. It feels like everyone is double majoring or minoring. COM alone isn’t either, I couldn’t imagine pairing this with another degree.
I really appreciated this post because as a PCOM major, sometimes I honestly don’t know how to most effectively respond to this question. While I understand what a communication studies major is and how it is helping me in my own life, I sometimes find it difficult to get that message across to other people. As I progress in the major, I will improve, but this post gave me more insight into the perception of communication studies outside of our major, and how to explain it to other people.
I relate to this post on such a deep level. As someone who switched from a Biology major to Communication Studies, I have heard all of these and it is so frustrating. Personally, I have found that I have many more options as far as employment goes being a COM student rather than BIO. It also becomes very apparent to friends and family who are in more traditional majors like business or nursing why being a COM student is so great. The minute someone has a paper to write, has to design a website, or needs help with their resume, they come to me because they know that this is something that is very important in the COM major. While it is frustrating explaining the answers to these questions, it is slowly becoming more understood among my own friends and family. I hope the same applies for my fellow COM students!
I totally agree with this blog post! I live with three girls who are bio majors and they always joke and say I’m taking the “easy” way out of college and Com is not a real major. While I admit these three girls are extremely intelligent their major doesn’t make them smarter than me! I defiantly don’t feel like people give Com majors the respect they deserve.