<p>I want to be a public relations specialist when I grow up, which means a degree thats somewhat business related. Ive always wanted to go to Columbia because I LOVE NYC, and the fact that Columbia actually has a campus, which NYU doesnt. </p>
<p>But this sort of clashes considering that Columbia doesnt have an undergrad business or communications department. </p>
<p>So my main question is -</p>
<p>If I was to go to Columbia, which degree or degrees should i look into if I want to do something PR related for a career. English, Economics, etc. ?</p>
<p>or should i just give up on that dream of going to Columbia and just stick with somewhere else?</p>
<p>Your career is not predicated upon your undergraduate degree, contrary to what you might have heard. Having an undergraduate degree in the field similar to your career may help but for most occupations, the skills and knowledge you will need for daily work is dependent more on on-the-job learning. In fact, recent trends in Singapore (where I grew up) seem to indicate that having a slightly different background can get you solid jobs in lucrative industries. For example, math and physics majors are sending increasingly visible numbers to the business/finance sectors. So especially since PR is where you want to hear, you’ll be looking for majors that ground you in thinks like your ability to communicate and draw analyses. English or Economics or anything similar will be fine as an undergraduate degree. Also, restricting yourself too early is a bad idea. At 17-18 we don’t have the best idea of how exactly this world works and what exactly our place in it might be. Keep your options open. A lot about Columbia’s educational philosophy is centered around being an eclectic, all-rounded person.</p>
<p>^Well said. I’m often discouraged by the focus on majors and departments by high school students. As a 53 year-old, I can’t imagine how anyone would have a clue about career goals at age 17.</p>
<p>Lots of people go into PR or business-management-related fields out of all sorts of obscure majors. The key thing isn’t what you study, it’s how you demonstrate interest in the field beyond the classroom. Get an internship, study with a professor, take a class or 2 at the business school. Columbia gives you advantages in that: it’s in NYC and has deep relationships with all sorts of NYC-centric industries (including PR/Marketing/Media), and its business school is world-class and right in the middle of campus.</p>
<p>Major means a lot less than many students think it does. Unless you want a PhD in the field, it almost doesn’t matter what you study, just study something interesting to you, that’ll motivate you to get good grades.</p>
<p>Last point: Most “business” or “communications” majors, unless you’re getting them at Penn or someplace that takes them <em>really</em> seriously, are total B.S. Lightweight classes, give-a-crap attitudes from professors, athletes taking filler classes, you don’t really get the same kind of workout, the same value from your 4 years there. Graduate study (particularly an MBA) can be much more serious, of course, but don’t assume that a Communications or Business major will be the best preparation for your future career.</p>