What Do PR Students Actually Want for Christmas?

As Christmas quickly approaches, it is easy to see that everyone is getting into the holiday spirit. As a college student, however, that Christmas spirit may be associated with the thought of finals finally being over. While all of the children are anxiously awaiting the day they can scurry down the stairs to be greeted with a tree full of presents from Santa, college students alike are all just waiting for the day we can finally stop stressing and finally start sleeping in. As a PR student especially, I find myself always busy and always on the move. I have always been one to have a lot of holiday spirit so this year I decided to make a Christmas list of my own. While I love my major and future profession, this year I decided to ask Santa for a few things that might make any PR students life a tiny bit easier: 

An internship where I can do more than just make the copies
Internship hunting is a pastime any PR students know all too well. We look for these positions as not only something to add to a resume, but to gain life experience to help prepare us for our future endeavors. As we all know with the term “intern” you could be signing yourself up for a multitude of things. While it is very likely to be presented with an internship that provides you with real world experience, it may be just be as common that you were hired to take the coffee order and shred old papers. So with this in mind: Santa, I would love the opportunity to score a great internship!

The entire Express store as my closet
Look good, feel good. I am a firm believer in this sentiment and the importance that fashion has in public relations. There always seem to be multiple days of the week where I am expected to dress professionally. As a college student I find myself always on a budget and reaching for the same blazer and dress pants in my closet time after time. So for Christmas I would love to open the doors to the closet in my apartment and find myself walking into my very own Express. 

A personal coffee cart to follow me around
If this doesn’t sum up the existence of a public relations student then I’m not sure what does. In this profession we are always on the move juggling our schoolwork, clubs and organizations, internships, and client work. We need caffeine to thrive and maybe even simply exist. I find myself in line for Starbucks a few times a day and realized that this takes away time that could be spent elsewhere. I suppose then that the only logical solution is to have a personal coffee cart around at all times. Thanks Santa! 

A job waiting for me after college
As bright as the future looks it can also look pretty scary. While the college bubble we are all in can seem like a lot at times, it is ultimately preparing us all for the real world. The scariest thing about the future is how unknown and open it is. We all want to be successful and we strive to lock in a great job. So Santa, it would be great if you could have my dream job waiting for me the moment I walk across the stage my senior year.

These are just a few things I decided to ask for Christmas for this year. However, as we all know he’s a busy guy and can’t always get us exactly what we want. The PR profession is a busy one that requires a lot of hard work and dedication and as PR students we are more than likely never going to be handed things. So I sent my list to Santa anyway and I encourage you all to do the same. But get ready to put in the necessary work too in case he can’t grant every wish.

Happy holidays!

Chantal Shaw is a junior at Grand Valley State University studying Advertising and Public Relations. She is an account associate at GrandPR as well as a member of the public relations organization PRSSA. Chantal is an active member in her sorority, Phi Mu, where she serves on the Executive Board as Membership Director. In her free time, she loves hanging out with her friends, binge-watching Greys Anatomy, and dancing along to every One Direction song.