The TCU College of Communication's decision to create an application process for the strategic communication major continues to help make the program more competitive and prestigious.

A forum about the new application process was held in Moudy North on Saturday.

“We had so many students come into the program and we felt like they were changing their major sort of impulsively," Dr. Jacqueline Lambiase, Chair of Strategic Communication Division, said. "They would get into our program and they didn’t really know what we did or what we prepared our students to do."

Lambiase went on to say that the forum allows faculty to talk to students about what the programs is, the opportunities they have and the many assets the program has to offer.

“In a way it's to pump up potential students to tell them about what we do and make sure that there is a clear understanding of where the kind of training we provide lead you and about what this academic discipline is about,” Lambiase said.

The forum began with a general explanation of the program and the application process. Students then went into a computer classroom and wrote an essay about what they were interested in.

Schieffer School professor Steve Levering said that this measure was taken so that faculty can see that prospective students have done some research and informed themselves before applying so that they are making a career choice instead of simply just picking another major.

Junior strategic communication major Taylor Bentley thinks that having to apply gives the program more credibility.

“Previously I think students switched from other majors to strategic communication because they thought it was an easy major and then realized too late that it’s challenging and requires a skill set that requires hard work and a passion to develop,” Bentley said.

Former strategic communication student junior Brent Forester said that students should be able to choose any major once they have been accepted to attend TCU and not have to worry about applying to certain departments.

"If it was nationally recognized like the Neely School of Business then I would understand but it is not at that level yet so students should be able to choose it if that is the career path they want to take," said Forester.

Levering said that the department has been working on making the program more prestigious in the past two years.

“This is a good way to make the strategic communication division more competitive with other strategic communication programs in the U.S. and the world,” Levering said. "The better student that comes out of our program is great promotion for us."

Administrative assistant Jennifer O’Keefe said that last semester there were an estimated 60-70 students who attended the forum.

“This semester we have gotten the word out a lot more so it will be interesting to see how many students actually do come and apply,” O'Keefe said.