UNC Wilmington boasts a wide variety of clubs where you can find anything from sports to special interests and even to your major. Communication Studies (COM) majors will find that they have the perfect club, Communication Studies Society (CSS), for them on campus that offers career, volunteer and internship opportunities. The club operates on a point system, so in order to remain an active member, you must accumulate 10 points per semester. There are various ways in which you can earn points such as attending and bringing snacks to club meetings, participating in volunteer opportunities and going to COM sponsored events. CSS meets every other week in Leutze Hall room 143 at 6:30 p.m. Meetings usually run for an hour. 

CSS provides COM majors with valuable experiences that help them navigate through the major. The club hosts plenty of different events during each club meeting. Examples of these include having guest speakers and companies come in to speak about how they are using their COM degree. Companies that have visited and talked in-depth about how their degree led them to their current careers include AlphaGraphics, a commercial print, sign and marketing service. Guest speakers that have shared their own experiences with their COM degree include Charles Ozuna, a representative from UNCW’s Career Center. 

Notable events that CSS holds or has held are COM Studies Week, Making the Most of Your Major, and volunteering with DREAMS of Wilmington. COM Studies Week is a weeklong celebration of the major where various seminars and networking opportunities are held to help further COM majors into their field of study. Making the Most of Your Major is an event that provides a brief overview of all the COM courses being offered that next semester. Communication professors come in to articulate the courses they are teaching, what they are, and how they can be of value to your COM degree. One excellent perk of attending the Making the Most of Your Major event is that the organization gives out “fast passes” to all pre-COM majors for course registration. This efficiently helps pre-COM students to bypass long lines when meeting with their academic advisor. Volunteering opportunities with CSS are endless as well. One organization that CSS frequently volunteers for is DREAMS of Wilmington. DREAMS of Wilmington is a non-profit organization that aims to provide youth development programs that help foster creative and artistic skills at no cost. CSS is an amazing avenue to dig deeper into the study of communication and the various career opportunities that arise from it. Not to mention, it is a strong way to boost your resume for future internships and employment. 

If you want to be part of CSS and all the amazing benefits that comes with being part of this organization, contact Allison Philipps, the president of CSS, at [email protected]. Be sure to follow CSS on Instagram and Twitter at @uncw_css to keep up with meetings, volunteer and networking opportunities, as well as important events related to COM!