Friday, August 17, 2012

Set your alarms and pack your bags: school's back!

Welcome back--or welcome anew--to the start of school in the TV Department at Columbia College in Chicago!  Many of you might be here because you're in my History of TV class, some because you're new to the TV department, and others because you're bored at the moment and stumbled upon the link somehow.  I'll be using this blog to try to address your various needs, and also to chat about the world of TV that we live in.

As you get settled into the first few weeks of school, here are 5 tips for you if you're new to TV/Columbia:

1) Make a point of meeting each of your teachers, one-on-one...we all deal with many students, and we'll be able to know you better and help you better if you spend a little time telling us about yourself.

2) Take some time to wander the campus on your own...while tours are great, you usually take them under some kind of stress (applying to the school, worrying about financial aid, desperately cursing Oasis...) Find your classrooms, find the library, find the best coffee, and get some Harold's Chicken (Wabash) and Flaco's Tacos (Dearborn).

3) Visit the 7th, 14th, and 15th floors for TV: find the Equipment Centers, the faculty offices, the main office, Frequency TV, Engineering, etc.  Get to know the staff--they wield great and necessary powers and should become your new best friends.

4) Start watching TV and talking about TV. We live and breathe it here and you'll find that discussing something you just saw will be the secret handshake that gains you access to great minds and personalities.

5) And last, whatever else you do from this tips list, embrace what you're learning.  If the cameras bewilder you, work with your TA to conquer the fear. If my exams put the fear of God in you, visit with Candis, your SI leader. When you find something you love, do it more and ask questions about opportunities in the department.  It's important to try a little bit of everything and not over-committ to one skill--you never know what you might end up being amazingly good at so keep an open mind as you move through your core classes.

(and ps: Get ready for the Emmys: http://www.emmys.com/)