Newhouse, New Home
I did my undergrad at the Syracuse School of Architecture, and the last year of my education was, for lack of a better word, miserable. My only moment of reprieve was getting my acceptance “letter” (e-mail) from the Newhouse Advertising Program. I will admit I was a bit shocked. Competing for one of 17 spots against applicants from around the world can really make you feel small. Especially following 5 years of traditional architecture school deprecation. Without getting overly spiritual, I took this as a sign. A second chance for me to truly make something of myself. I would finally be able to shed the proverbial monkey from my back and step into a new chapter of life.
Fast-forward to July 7th when I realized that, due to some miscommunications, I would have the privilege of completing my architecture thesis, a 6-credit capstone course, at the same time I would be enrolled in Bootcamp. Every single day was a battle; trudging home after 8 hours of class, somehow trying to divide my evening time between Bootcamp projects and a thesis that I truly did not have my heart in anymore, ordering take-out at 2a.m. and eventually embracing the sweet release of sleep. Friends and family kept telling me, “It’s a testament to your work ethic!” or “It’ll really help you learn time management!” But for me, the most important thing I retained from this 6 week long struggle was the fact that for the first time in a long time, I was actually enjoying school again. After my third year in the architecture program, “school” really translated to me sitting in the computer lab for 12 hours a day, unfed and unwashed, working on my studio projects and using class time to sleep. My only goal was to survive, my passion had long since gone. Bootcamp revitalized me, not necessarily in a physical sense, but in a spiritual sense. I enjoyed being in class and feeling like the professor valued my opinion and cared about my success. I felt inspired to do great work, not just work that would allow me to pass and move on. And even when I struggled, I felt that I was learning and bettering myself and that I wasn’t just destined to be a bad student forever. My only fear during this whole time was that I would not pass thesis, which would have effectively destroyed this chance of a new path in life.
The good news is that I did complete my thesis and I get to stay at Newhouse. The better news is that, following Bootcamp, this fall semester has kept me just as energized and excited for the future. My classmates push me to be the best I can be, and I consider them not just collaborators, but good friends. I have made positive connections with my professors, something I never really felt during my undergrad years, and I can tell that they all actually want to be teaching, that they enjoy interacting with students and imparting their wisdom onto the class. I have been given more opportunities to get involved than ever before, and doing so is encouraged, rather than seen as a waste of time that could be spent in studio. And after a great deal of time spent just trying to live day to day, I once again find myself thinking about the future and imagining what I can accomplish with my life after this year. In short, I really do feel that I’ve begun a new chapter of my life, and Newhouse has helped me to do that. Even with midterms fast approaching, the future looks bright, and I welcome its arrival.
(The Gradvertising Crew)
