There is a lot of pressure that comes with the college decision, and rightfully so. It leads you to not only where the next four years will be spent, but also which opportunities will be available, before and after graduation.
On a freezing, snowy Tuesday in late April of 2016, I chose the iSchool at Syracuse University. Now as a second-semester freshman, my belief in this decision is reaffirmed each and every day.
My Decision
My decision to attend the iSchool and SU was much different than most people’s college decisions. I had no idea how much I loved the iSchool until I came to visit on an Accepted Students’ Day. I can’t put into words exactly what I was feeling during the information session – excitement? Thrill? Readiness? At-home? – but it all just felt so right. I loved what I was hearing about the courses I would take, the opportunities that would be available to me, the community I would join, and I just knew I wanted to be a part of it all.
My First Semester
In the first semester of freshman year, all iSchoolers have the requirement to take IST 101. It serves as a sort of forum for freshmen to ask questions and become acquainted with everything, in both small-group and large-group settings. In my small group meetings, I had the opportunity to meet with my soon-to-be IST 256 professor Mike Fudge, approximately 15 other freshman iSchoolers, and several upperclassman iSchoolers that served as peer advisors.
This combination allowed me and my peers to not only feel more comfortable but form our own sort of community within the iSchool. We were able to form a closer relationship with a professor we would all have the following semester. We were also able to bond with upperclassmen who had lived through freshman year just several years before us. They know what we’re experiencing and could give advice and answer our more personal questions about the iSchool and college in general.
Why the iSchool is My Home
The sense of community within the iSchool really sets the iSchool apart from the rest of the university for me. As the smallest college of SU, there are not only ample opportunities to form relationships with fellow iSchool classmates, but with professors and advisors as well. That definitely sets the iSchool apart. Even in larger courses, multiple professors are present to maintain the comfortable, communal feel, and to allow for personal attention.
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For me, going to college was about more than starting my life: it was about finding my home. The iSchool and Syracuse University have provided me not only with the tools for my future success but also for my current success and happiness. Every time I open my inbox, I have received a new email from someone at the iSchool. They’re always sending emails about a new workshop, employer visit, or an iSchool club/organization, which has made it very easy for me to feel connected within a large university. I could not be happier to call the iSchool my home.