Preparing for Public Relations “Bootcamp” at the S.I. Newhouse School of Public Communications at Syracuse University

This is my last week at home before moving to Syracuse, NY and starting the graduate program in Public Relations at the S.I. Newhouse School of Public Communications at Syracuse University. Mandatory orientation for every graduate program starts on Monday, July 2, 2012 at 9am. The S.I. Newhouse School Master’s Orientation Schedule 2012 was not e-mailed to us, but instead was posted to our Facebook group.

In addition to the schedule for orientation we’ve been given a welcome letter from the Brenda Wrigley, the director of the Public Relations Master’s Program and tentative general syllabi for Graphic Design and Writing for News/PR classes. Beyond that, we’ve generally been left to talk to current students about their experiences in the program/which professors they’ve preferred/what they’re doing now, etc.

To prepare for the program I’ve finished the required reading for the first day of PRL 600, “This is PR“. I’ve also read “Letter”, the first chapter of Ellen Lupton’s “Thinking with Type” and updated my resume for my graphic design course. For PRL 604, I’ve reviewed a bit of Writing and Reporting the News as a Story and perused the 2012 AP Stylebook.

In addition to the basics I’ve also done a bit to try to get ahead of the curve by reading most of Brian Solis’ “The End of Business as Usual“. I’ve been thinking of what I can do to make the most of this very expensive 13-month investment in my future. In addition to the standard curriculum, I’m considering auditing, if possible, CRS 325 Presentational Speaking from the Department of Communication and Rhetorical Studies in the College of Visual and Performing Arts as public speaking was unfortunately not offered where I went for my undergraduate degree.

If there are any public relations practitioners out there, what’s one thing you wish you did in school before beginning your career?