The term 鈥渂oot camp鈥� might call to mind visions of military recruits crawling through mud under barbed wire at 4 a.m. on a sticky summer day. The Newhouse School鈥檚 version of boot camp doesn鈥檛 come close to demanding that level of physical exertion. However the six-week summer session held before the start of the fall semester is meant to provide graduate students with the tools to succeed in their upcoming academic year.
Joel Kaplan welcomes graduate students on the first day of boot camp (Photo by Molly Irland)
The biggest misconception about boot camp is that the rigor and intensity are meant to discourage students, says , associate dean of聽. 鈥淲e鈥檙e not trying to wash anyone out like they would in the military,鈥� says Kaplan. 鈥淲e鈥檙e really trying to imbue them with those skills that they鈥檙e going to need for the rest of their program.鈥�
The typical boot camp structure consists of six weeks of classes, Monday through Friday, from about 9 a.m.-5 p.m., with the schedule fluctuating depending on the program. Some cohorts might have a night class or classes Monday through Thursday, with Friday reserved as a time to shoot, write, report or complete a project. 鈥淎lmost every day, I was exposed to new knowledge,鈥� says Jiaqi Jin, an master鈥檚 student. 鈥淚t was a fascinating experience to feel my brain racing and thinking, understanding more about the media industry and thinking about the possibilities unseen before.鈥�
Boot camp was the brainchild of the late聽Nancy Weatherly Sharp, a professor emerita of newspaper journalism and the school鈥檚 first assistant dean for graduate and professional studies. Observing the beautiful but empty 黑料不打烊 summers, she had the idea to bring graduate students in when faculty could have their complete attention and the campus is quiet, Kaplan says.
Graduate students introduce themselves on the first day of boot camp. (Photo by Karen Z Velardi)
The Newhouse School鈥檚 graduate programs draw students from different universities with myriad skill sets and educational backgrounds, so the main purpose of boot camp is leveling the academic playing field and preparing students for the year to come. 鈥淭his is the evening out process, right? We鈥檙e going to assume that you don鈥檛 really know anything, even though some of you do and those who do will be in good shape at the beginning,鈥� Kaplan said. 鈥淏ut we have this intense six weeks in their topic areas so that when [the students] come out, they鈥檙e all pretty much on the same level,鈥� he added. 鈥淪o now we can go into the heavier academic courses in the fall and the spring and no one鈥檚 saying 鈥業鈥檝e never done that before.鈥� It鈥檚 a building block.鈥�
Every cohort takes different classes tailored to their program.聽聽students might take news writing and data reporting while聽 students take a production class and the history of television with Professor聽聽the director of the聽.
Students work while enjoying ice cream outside Newhouse 3. (Photo by Molly Irland)
Boot camp provided聽 student Gloria Rivera inspiration for the fall semester. 鈥淚 think it could be a wonderful time to be a journalist, but also challenging,鈥� says Rivera. 鈥淚鈥檓 hoping to be in an environment that pushes and encourages me to think critically about the type of writer I want to be.鈥�
Even with the academic rigor, Kaplan and his graduate program colleagues make sure there鈥檚 time for fun and bonding amongst the students, allowing them to make the types of connections that can help them support each other during the academic year.
James Roberts, a master鈥檚 student in the聽, said the best thing about boot camp was meeting his cohort. 鈥淲e became great friends very quickly and got even closer throughout the course of the summer,鈥� says Roberts. 鈥淲e explored the city together and got to know the campus very well.鈥�
The overall boot camp goal: developing poised graduate students who have grown comfortable at Newhouse, looking forward to the upcoming year.
What does Kaplan want future students to know? 鈥淭here鈥檚 a huge support system here to not only make sure you learn a lot, but that you actually have a good time,鈥� says Kaplan.
