A Guidebook For New PR Majors at GVSU

Hey, you. Welcome to the Advertising and Public Relations Major here at GVSU. Whether you have just declared as an incoming freshman, switched from another major, transferred from a community college, or are adding a double major, you’ve chosen correctly, congratulations.

From someone who switched his major junior year to Ad/PR, let me tell you, a post such as the one you are about to read is going to be a lifeline in succeeding in the Ad/PR program. Hopefully this insight revs the engine of your inner-PR young professional and provides you with some resources I had no idea existed until way into my time here at Grand Valley State University.

Who you should know: 
Get to know everyone in the PR program, professors, faculty, and students. Everyone in this program is incredible, knowledgeable, driven, and ready to help at your convenience. Here are a few contacts you can turn if you want to become more involved in the Ad/PR major:

  • Dr. Tim Penning, Head of Advertising and PR Program
  • Adrienne Wallace, GVSU PRSSA Faculty Adviser
  • Derek DeVries, GVSU PRSSA Professional Adviser
  • Tyler Lehner, GVSU PRSSA President
  • Elle O’Hara, GrandPR CEO

What you should do:
Advice coming from networking and interacting with the countless PR and advertising professionals I’ve had the pleasure of meeting these past few years, they have all told me two things that have stood out: write a lot and do more than just go to class.

Let’s tackle the whole writing thing first. Those of you that had CAP 220 already can attest to this, you are going to write a lot in public relations, so start practicing. Begin writing when you’re bored. Write short stories (you will do a lot of this if you take COM 225), poems, songs, about the PR or communications industries, daily journals, etc. Write anything. Get into the habit of not dreading it. It can be done, trust me.  Might as well start now before you find yourself in CAP 220 bawling your eyes out.

Next, let’s talk about how you can get involved.  Joining organizations will provide you with the resources that get you places. Notice I say provide resources because you do have to do some work.

For those interested in public relations, the GVSU Public Relations Student Society of America Chapter (PRSSA) has been a powerhouse for our PR students. PRSSA meets biweekly on Wednesday nights at 9PM in Niemeyer 148 and hosts spectacular industry speakers at every meeting. With trips to agencies and corporate offices in Grand Rapids, Detroit, and Chicago, there is never a dull moment with PRSSA.

As PRSSA is a national organization, there are hundreds of chapters with tens of thousands of members across the country ready to be networked with at regional or national conferences, both of which GVSU PRSSA attends. If you or someone you know would like to join PRSSA, please contact the executive board found on the PRSSA website. This organization will provide you with the resources that get you places. Notice I say ‘provide resources’ because you do have to do some of the work J.

What to follow:
I know your Twitter and Facebook feeds are full of World Star Hip Hop videos and Vines, maybe even a few ‘Just Girly Things’ or ‘Tweet Like A Girl’ RTs. Okay, sure, but you’re in college now and it’s time we grow up just a little bit.

In the field of public relations, you need to know what is going on all of the time across several industries. To sum it up, you’re going to be working for clients in some random sectors of business, so the more you know about the world and industries, the better.

Start following accounts such as @PRWeek, @adweek, @adage, @PRDailyNews, @MediaWeek, @PRDaily and trusted major news sources. Not only does this give you relevant industry insight right on your timeline/feed, but what is going on in the world. These tweets, even if you just read the headlines, are conversations starters, which will be important during networking opportunities.

Another great tool is Feedly, a website that allows you to add any feed from news sources, industry/trade sites, blogs, etc. into your own personal Feedly and displays all new posts in one place. It’s convenient, helps immensely when trying to find content for a social media client, and is also great for personal use.

Where to go:
I’ve already talked about PRSSA, which you should be a member of and attend regularly. If you’re interested in getting some real world PR experience while you’re still enrolled in university, GVSU PRSSA employs a student-run public relations firm right here on campus. Previous employees of GrandPR have gone on to work in big agencies and corporations post-grad because of that GrandPR firm experience.

Additionally, you are going to need some help with academics as well. Here are some academic resources available to students on campus at no charge:

Other GVSU PR Student Tips:

  • There are Mac labs in the DeVos building downtown and in the Calder Art Center that have literally all of the Adobe programs loaded onto them that are available for you to use. This means Photoshop, Illustrator, InDesign, Premeire, After Effects. PR pros are multi-faceted individuals, so if you’re interested in graphic design, photography, or film/video production, head to these labs, watch some tutorials, and just play around.
  • Keep a personal blog/online portfolio for your work. This is something that I am very happy that I started junior year thanks to CAP 220 with Adrienne Wallace. My blog varies from industry thoughts to random thoughts to showcasing work that I’ve done personally or in classes. This is a great way to get something professional to show up instead of your old MySpace when you type in your name on Google.
  • If you’re committed to PR, you’re going to be putting yourself out there a lot and subject yourself to criticism from other students, professors, your friends & family, and frankly, the world. Publishing your blogs and showing your work is vital in creating your brand and having an online presence. Something that I realized is that friends are going to think you’re weird and they aren’t going to understand. They will not understand what public relations is and why you’re doing the things you are. Stop worrying about what people think of you. Trust me, you’ll thank me later.
  • Get a mentor and get one quickly. It’s easier to tackle growing up with someone that has been through what you have. Unless mom and dad are PR professionals, they probably aren’t the best people to ask career advice from.
  • GOOGLE IS YOUR BEST FRIEND. NEVER STOP SEARCHING AND LEARNING. There is no such thing as pointless learning. 




Tyler is a senior advertising and public relations student at Grand Valley State University. He serves as President of GVSU Public Relations Student Society of America (PRSSA) and works as the Creative Director for GrandPR, the student-run firm on campus. This past summer he interned with the 834 Design and Marketing team as an Integrated Marketing Communications Intern and currently he is the Public Relations Intern at Lambert, Edwards & Associates. Check out his personal blog and portfolio at www.tylerlehner.com.

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