The College of Communication here at Boston University has a national reputation of being among the best communication schools, and deservedly so. The faculty has world-class credentials, and COM itself strives to be on the cutting edge of the rapidly changing fields of journalism, advertising, public relations, film, television and radio. In my four years here, I think they have done an admirable job. However, as I prepare to depart BU with a degree in journalism, I am extremely disappointed in the resources available to me through COM’s Office of Career Services.
COM’s Office of Student Services told me that between 500-600 students will be graduating from COM this year. COM’s total enrollment is 2,100 students. The Career Services office is vastly understaffed and unprepared to deal with this many students.
In order to take advantage of COM’s resume-critiquing hours, one must show up at the beginning of an hour-and-a-half block (eight of which are scheduled Monday-Friday) and hope that the one resume critiquer is not fully booked, as a work study student told me when I arrived 15 minutes after walk-in hours started. My resume was improved by the critique, but when I attempted to schedule an appointment with the only Career Services counselor, the work study students (who passed the time I spent in the office writing personal emails) informed me she was not offering appointments at this time. Presently, she is booked through Spring Break and does not yet know her availability afterwards. I was told I should “probably call back later.”
I am the first person to admit I am no good at math, but when I discovered that the career counselor only schedules three appointments per day, I quickly deduced there is no way she could conceivably see every graduating senior before graduation and handle the underclassmen seeking her advice regarding internships. Journalism is a deadline-oriented field. Classmates of mine who made appointments earlier in the semester were told they were TOO early to begin a career search. There doesn’t seem to be a happy medium, and I am frustrated and disappointed with COM Career Services’ ability to handle the amount of students seeking their help.
In order to go along with the high caliber of COM’s other departments, I would like to see the services provided by the Career Center improved. I would like to see extended resume critiquing hours and more daily appointments made available by the career counselor, or another career counselor brought on board during the busier times of the year.
I am hoping that students who have had similarly frustrating experiences with COM’s Career Services will bring this matter to the attention of the administration in hopes that it can be remedied, if not for our graduating class, then for those in the future. What good is our expensive education if we can’t get a job?
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