I hope your first week(s) have been amazing! If you’re reading this post you might be thinking that you’re going to get some amazing advice or divine insight into the world of TRF, and while I hope you find this post helpful, I can’t guarantee anything. See, that’s the thing about this program- it is what you make of it, and everyone will have a unique experience. That being said, there are some universal truths about the program, and hopefully I (and the rest of my Sequence 63 gang) will help bring to light. In the spirit of this I’d like to offer you some advice, some things I wish someone had told me, and a little bit of humor (trust me, in the crazy year you have just begun, you’ll learn to appreciate every little thing that makes you laugh). The coming year is going to be a roller coaster ride, so buckle up, hang on, and get ready to scream – hopefully mostly in excitement!
Time is about to fly – not much to say here, except take my word for it! One year ago I remember sitting and thinking how much I had ahead of me, thinking I had a million years before I needed to worry about the internship hunt or studying for the comp exam. Part of that is true by the way, don’t stress yet about internships or the comps, the time will come for that – and trust me you’ll know it when it’s time. But seriously, in the blink of an eye the year is over. And now here I am writing to you as you sit in the same position I was in, in what feels like literally five minutes ago. Make the most of your time at Newhouse. It’s an intense year, a fast year, and hopefully an amazing year!
Focus on making meaningful and lasting relationships, not just connections – During your time in TRF, you’re going to hear a lot about the importance of networking. I don’t mean to short-change that at all, as networking has gotten me a wealth of industry knowledge, an internship, and will hopefully help get me a job (fingers crossed!). But some connections will be just that, connections – and you’ll make a lot of them on your industry seminar trips, around Newhouse, and at school functions. I’m not here to tell you about how to use them, that’s Schoony’s job (and the CDC – which you should definitely visit). It is also really important to make friends with your classmates, and bond with a few professors. As far as friends go, what better connections can you have! Aside from being great people to bounce ideas off of, vent to, and relax with, friends can be your best professional reference. If one of your classmates lands a position at your dream company, not only will they (hopefully) be able to tell you about available jobs, but they can also put in a good word for you. Friends know more about you, so they can sell you better, and they care more about you, so they’ll make an honest effort. Of course, be friends for the sake of being friends. Don’t be shallow and only use them for their insider status. And obviously, return the favor when you can! As for professors, the Newhouse faculty are notorious for having a wide range of professional experiences, and opinions. Find a few that you feel like you jive with, and don’t hesitate to drop in once in a while to ask for advice, talk out your life plan, or simply listen to their story of how they got where they are. Stay in touch with your friends, and the professors you’ve grown close with, after graduation – don’t forget about them, and they won’t forget about you!
Work hard, play hard, in that order – Chances are, you’ll be busting your ass non-stop for the next 11 months. And while the program is a lot of work in a relatively short time, you need to make sure that you take time out to have a little fun. Your mental, and perhaps even physical, health depends on it! Go for a run, have a drink with friends, take a trip to the zoo, or just play solitaire on your computer and veg out. Do something once in a while to get out of your cave – whether your cave be the edit suites, the orange chairs outside the academic suite in Newhouse 3 (great place to study by the way), or your own head (yes writers, this means you). By the way, you’re in the a program where watching TV and movies can be called “studying” – embrace it people!
And finally, don’t try to be Sequence 63 – You might hear a lot about us (we heard a thing or two about the class before us), but no one can ever re-create Sequence 63 – nor should they try to. You guys are a fresh group of people with varying ambitions, skills, and personalities. Your class is unique (as each one is) and you will find a way to make yourselves stand out in the world. As a class, you’ll be referred to as a whole. Embrace that. Find what it is that makes your group special (Schoony will probably nick name you for it) and own it! But don’t forget that each one of you has a unique path, and make the most of that too. Use (and that probably isn’t the best word for it) each other to work toward your goals. Feed off of each others’ knowledge, skills, and experiences. You may be only a few weeks old, but Sequence 64 will soon morph into something that you not only identify with now, but that you will remember forever.