My First Semester studying Public Relations and Communications

Why PR at Solent?

I chose Southampton Solent University because it offered the No.1 Public Relations Course in student satisfaction. This course uses live clients and prepares PR students for working in the real world.

What will your first week be like?

In my first week at Solent I was warmly welcomed by my lecturers who were all very approachable, amicable and available. They will always make time for you and help in anyway you need. Moving away from home to the unknown can be really difficult. My experience of starting university has had its ups and downs, of course I felt homesick and was worried about things like trying to find the lecture rooms. However, all these worries seem pointless now especially as everything was so well organised!

During your first week you will find student ambassadors everywhere directing you to your lectures and helping with any questions you might have. So don’t worry!! The stress of getting lost won’t even be an issue. You will get the chance to meet your course mates and lecturers which will help you get to know one another much better. You will also start covering some of the basic curriculum which will help you understand the true meaning of PR.

Let me tell you some of the things I have learnt whilst being at Solent and my top tips for you during fresher’s:

My 5 top tips:

1. Feeling homesick? - Of course, moving away from home is going to be a bit scary and you’re bound to feel homesick. But everyone is in the same situation and you will soon find that making friends is easy.
2. Keep up to date with the news- my one regret is not keeping up to date with the news. I spent a lot of my time scrolling through social media, like Facebook or Instagram. But these social media sites aren’t suitable for keeping thoroughly up to date with what’s current in the news. I wish I had spent my time scrolling through the BBC news website instead. As there is nothing more embarrassing than a lecturer bringing up a current event, expecting your view, and you have no idea what they are talking about! Subsequently, I downloaded the BBC app for my phone and it sends me alerts on current news events. Definitely something I wish I knew about before I started my course.
3. Start a blog- your writing skills are extremely important; you will find your marks increasing as your writing ability improves. As well as this, you’ll find that your university lecturers will be extremely impressed so don’t hesitate and start blogging now!
4. Get involved- don’t be afraid to ask questions and engage in activities. All the PR lecturers are so friendly and easy to talk to. Initially I was nervous about asking questions as I didn’t want to appear stupid. But I soon found that the more questions I asked, the more engaged I felt. So put that hand up and get involved!
5. Initiative- this course isn’t just about turning up to the lectures. PR is a competitive field.  If you want to stand out amongst the crowd, go above and beyond by using your own initiative. What I mean by this is, although this course will prepare you for the industry, you have to build your own reputation. Get as much work experience as you can whilst working consistently throughout the course. 

I hope you liked my tips and I’m always here if you need me @PR_SSU, you can private message me or mention me in any of your posts. That’s all from me for now but I wish all you first year’s good luck and don’t worry you will be absolutely fine! 

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