School Review: Syracuse, Etc.

I started writing this more than a week ago. Things have been either busy or coma-inducing. I find that I'm either running full-throttle or passed out on the couch. The latter will be the speed of choice this Thanksgiving weekend.

The past seven days have been active in regard to the push to my Ph.D. I paid for and submitted the application to Ohio State. (And we all know that once money is involved, it's totally official. Kind of like changing your relationship status on Facebook. You know it's not love until it's on Facebook.) I also called Syracuse last week, which was a small accomplishment unto itself.

You see, I hate making phone calls.

I especially hate making phone calls to ask questions of people who might be judging me. When I called I tried to feel better by imagining a sweet lady named Betty sitting at the other end of the line. The thought was ruined when I visualized her giving me the stink eye before quietly sliding my file into the recycling bin. I suddenly hoped Betty wouldn't answer the phone.

The good news is that a woman NOT named Betty answered the phone and she was super nice. (I'm also fairly confident she kept my file.) I asked relatively mundane questions and found out that no, I don't need to pay a $75 application fee -- $45 is all I need. Yes, it's OK that my responses went over the 320 character limit. (I have to say one of the most amusing parts of this application process is seeing universities seemingly try to outdo each other on word and character limits. "How do you feel about War and Peace? Please explain in 10 characters." I bet if I wait five years I can just tweet them my credentials.)

That said, the phone call was relatively painless. Not-Betty was very nice and said she enjoyed speaking with me. (I refrained from blurting out, "Do you like me?! Will you fly me to Syracuse so we can meet in person?!") We also discussed how everyone admitted to Syracuse is fully funded in some way. Which leads me to my first installment of:

Reasons I want to go to insert college here Syracuse.

I actually plan on doing this for all the schools, not just Syracuse (SU). But let's face the facts. Let's be honest with ourselves. Let's not beat around the bush. (I'll stop now.) SU is totally my number one choice. (Unless you're a recruiter from another school, in which case I can assure that your school is my top pick.)

Something about SU sets my heart aflutter, and it's not just Otto rolling in the end zone. Maybe it's the fact that it's located in upstate New York. Maybe it's the excitement of experiencing four different seasons for the first time since I was 12. Maybe it's the fact that there are no less than ten (TEN!) Tim Hortons in the greater Syracuse area (plug in "Syracuse, NY" for all the TimBit-laden goodness your heart could desire). There's also the measly 245.41 mile distance from SU to the Hockey Hall of Fame in Toronto. I don't even need to remind you that Ryan Miller and my beloved Buffalo Sabres are about two hours away. So, yeah. I think it's apparent I'm falling in love with Syracuse for all the wrong reasons.

I am falling in love with SU for the right reasons, though, and I honestly can't wait to visit the school. Why? Reasons include:

• (Slightly obvious) S. I. Newhouse School of Public Communications. (You can also check out the beta site, which is pretty but still missing some information.) Their course offerings look awesome, and in their Ph.D. program I can specialize in public relations.
• Seemingly awesome faculty. Comstock, Longstaff, Shoemaker. I've been reading their stuff since I got to grad school in 2007. Wrigley has done work in crisis communications. I just cited Yang while building my fan/comm. manager surveys, 'cause he's got love for reputation management. No less than four faculty members are listed as crisis communication specialists. Manna from heaven, if I do say so myself.
• The facilities are supposedly super high-tech and relatively new. They actually have a public relations lab to simulate a professional agency atmosphere.
  
• Being fully funded for three years doesn't hurt, either.

Of course, this is just the tip of the iceberg. I'm sure I'll revisit why I would give my firstborn and their firstborn for a chance to attend this school, but right now my pillow is begging to be used.

May your dreams be filled with visions of sharing TimBits with Otto.


- Mel(li) :)