5 Tips to Survive Bateman

By Lauren Biertempfel

​Being a part of the PRSSA Bateman Case Study Competition is probably one of the most rewarding things for young public relations professionals. Bateman gives great chances to grow as a professional, expand a portfolio and put the knowledge learned in the classroom to work. Bateman is time consuming and fast-paced, and worth every second that is put into it.
 
For any student who is in Bateman, or wants to be, I have a few tips from my personal experience that will help you successfully survive Bateman.
 
1. Be prepared to invest a lot of time: Bateman is time consuming. You will spend long nights in the library with your team conducting research and creating your plan. If you go into the competition with the intention of investing a lot of time into it, you will do great!
 
2. Learn to love your team and leave the drama behind: Your teammates will become your best friends, the people you text at 2 a.m. when you get an idea for the cover of the campaign or come up with new tactics. You do not get to choose your team, but keep in mind that you were all placed together for a reason.
 
3. Grammer is important! Yes, I did that on purpose. The judges will notice and deduct for grammar errors. Make sure your casebook is flawless both visually and grammatically. Your casebook will be printed and kept as an example for years to come
 
4. Become best friends with your client:  The more comfortable your client is with you, the more they are willing to work with you. It may be difficult to get them to open up at first, but adapt to their needs. Remember that this is a competition, but your plan should resemble your client’s ethics and morals.
 
5. Be creative and have fun! Bateman is one of the best experiences you will have in college, and it is a great asset to your resume. It is so easy to become stressed with the workload, but you and your team will balance each other out. This is your chance to show what you know, so be creative and have fun with it!
 

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