Brandon McDonald

Current and Former Grad Students’ Experiences:

Brandon McDonald (MA Class of 2017)

What is the most challenging and rewarding part of the program?

The most challenging part of the program is the work you are expected to produce. The program expects top tier work which can be intimidating. However, the results yielded from this expectation has been the most rewarding part of the program. I entered the program as a business major who had no idea what rhetoric was. Within a year, I have presented at multiple academic conferences and currently have a pending publication in a peer-reviewed journal. Overall, the reward is a program that invests in you as much as you invest in it.

What kind of student should be interested in this program?

A student who should be interested in the program needs to be motivated and humble. Motivated because of the workload that they will be expected to fully complete. Humble because this program will humble the brightest of students. Students who believe they are “above” the work the instructor is assigning have proven to not be successful in the program. Students willing to trust and seek guidance from their instructors (i.e. visiting office hours) have been successful.

What do you think your training here will prepare you to do after graduation?

The training I have received in the program has me confident that I could succeed in a Ph.D. program or in the private sector. This program taught me the work ethic to stand out as an intern in the education department at a Fortune 500 ranked company. My job expects me to create curriculum, translate difficult concepts to maximize retainability, and be a classroom instructor for hundreds of incoming sales reps in the biomedical field. All of my job expectations are skills I was able to practice through the Communication Studies program.

What advice would you give to a student coming to this program?

Be intentional with your time. Developing good time management skills is key to your success in the program. The semester moves fast and you do not want to be caught two days before your final paper is due and you do not have anything written for it. For the latter end of my program, I utilized a journal to maintain my monthly, daily, and hourly tasks to ensure I would not fall behind on my work. Find what works for you and stick with it.

What were your reasons for coming to Long Beach?

I knew the program at Long Beach would push me to produce my best work. I did not want to attend a program that I could find success on minimal effort. I wanted to be in a program that every semester is a challenge. If you want to be proud of the work you do, Long Beach provides that program for that.