Brynne Turville

Communications 485
Program Reflection

To be graduating from Brigham Young University with my degree in Communications is

a truly humbling feeling. I feel so incredibly grateful for the experiences Ive had in college and
for the education I have received. There is no place I would rather have attended and I know
without a doubt I was supposed to study here. In my two years as a public relations student, I
have grown immensely as a student and individual. The coursework, although tedious at times,
refined me as a writer and a strategic thinker. I had meaningful interactions with multiple
professors, learned to really push myself, and made life-long friends in this program.
Before I applied to the program, I felt known and valued by the professors in the
department. In Communications 235 with Professor MacFarlane, he quickly knew me by name,
and I felt comfortable asking for advice or help in his class. As I have progressed over the past
two years in the program, there are multiple professors I feel the same about. While walking the
halls of the Brimhall, I will often see professors who stop to say hello, ask how my semester is
going, and what my future plans are. I am grateful for a faculty that invests so much in their
students. Professors genuinely cared about my academic strengths and weaknesses and wanted
me to succeed. Many opportunities for help were presented and I generally could receive
feedback on my work when I desired. A major strength of the public relations emphasis is the
personal interactions with teachers because of small class sizes.
The Communications department provides an immense amount of help for their students
regarding internship placement. I would not have completed the internship I did in Frankfurt,

Germany without the department. The weekly e-mails with job listings were so helpful and
welcomed. Professors were willing to introduce me to professionals and help me build a strong
network.
When I was first admitted to the program, I was frustrated with the two-year sequence of
the program. I felt the classes could be completed sooner, so I could graduate earlier. Nearing my
graduation, I now fully understand the reasoning behind the sequential nature of the courses.
Truly, the order of the classes is there for a reason and it helped me grow and mature as a student.
For example, although busy and stressful, Communications 321 was a huge building block for
me as a writer. I learned to be technical and precise, which helped me succeed in the courses
which followed. Having this course and others in the first semester of the program proved
helpful for me.
Group work is a large component of the public relations emphasis, which can be a
strength and a weakness. I generally enjoy working with groups and find I gain new insights
from members, learn to plan as a team, and work together creatively. However, I feel there could
have been more individual work in the public relations classes. I feel the individual campaigns
pushed me harder to think creatively and strategically on my own. I have found that in groups,
individuals understandably want to complete the part of the assignment where their strength lies.
Admittedly, this is helpful for everyone in an assignment context. However, I could have
expanded my skill set more by doing a few more projects on my own in the courses. Group work
was helpful for professional application, and I realize that future jobs in public relations involve
working with teams to succeed.

Suggestions for Improvement

The cluster courses have been less meaningful for me as I would have hoped. One course,
Communications 481: Gender, Race, Class and Media, helped me better understand the field of
communications and helped me think about the implications of my messages and campaigns on a
deeper level. The following courses Communications 411: Media Effects, and Communications
480: Media Ethics and Moral Reasoning, were not positive experiences for me. I felt these
courses were similar in content, but also were filled with busy work and required immense
attention and time. They did not necessarily help me in public relations, and I would have liked
to use the time to develop myself in other areas. I wish I had more opportunities in the program
to learn about design and web development, as these skills are critical when making oneself
competitive in the job market. The design and social media courses have only been available for
one semester, and I could not make them work with my schedule. It would have been helpful to
revise the elective system and require clusters in design and web development in place of the
current cluster categories in place. Perhaps one course could be required on the field, but three
was not necessary and felt redundant.
The cluster course structure was frustrating to work with as well. I felt the department
focused more on the technicalities, rather than adapting to specific student needs. In 2012, I
interned for the London Olympic Summer Games in the Broadcasting Services department. I
earned three academic credits for this internship and prepared intently for it. This experience
taught me far more about the communications field and enhanced my skill set in a more valuable
way than I have learned in the classroom in a cluster course. When I petitioned to have this
experience and three credits (Communications 396R: Special Projects in Communications) count

for a cluster course, it was denied with no explanation. The three cluster course policy should
have some sort of substitution policy in place so students can find more personal and meaningful
educational experiences to fill the elective requirements.
A positive to the cluster system I have enjoyed is the opportunity to interact with students
form other disciplines. I have learned a great amount from interacting academically with
Journalism and Advertising students. This has helped me better understand each field, as well as
make friends outside of the public relations emphasis.
Overall, this program has enhanced my life in countless ways. I feel well-rounded as a
student, and feel proud of what I have accomplished in the program. I will leave this program
with confidence in my abilities to write, think strategically, and work well with others.