In the words of Brandford Winstonworth: "Yeah, I'm headed up to CUSE for the official visit."
My plane landed at 4:45 in Buffalo, New York on Thursday, September 30, 2010. It was pouring rain and rather miserable. Two and half hours later and I arrived at Syracuse University for my second visit in less than a year (45 minutes late for a Bandier Program lecture David Rezak, the program director, invited my mom and me to attend.) I was confident after the first visit that this was the school for me, but I kept my mind open to anything else that was out there in hopes to avoid an impulse purchase of sorts . However, 10 months and a plethora of college visits later, I know that Syracuse is where I belong.
But I'm getting ahead of myself here.
The lecture that I attended (or slipped in the back of near the end) was given by a guest speaker about sampling, copyright law, etc. After the question and answer session, Mr. Rezak stood up, walked over to me, shook my hand and introduced me to the 60 or so students in the auditorium. I was touched by his effort to make me feel important, however embarrassing it may have been with mother by my side. After the presentation was over, 6 different students walked up to me, introduced themselves, and offered advice from the perspective of a current Bandier student. And these 6 students weren't the odd over-achiever types trying to replicate their status as high school teachers pets, but genuine, friendly kids who just wanted me to feel welcome. "It's like one big loving family," one of them told me. And I believe him.
Today I had two interviews scheduled. One with David Rezak, who I briefly met on Thursday, and another with a general admissions counselor. So at 2:30, I stepped into an open classroom with Mr. Rezak, mother, and a curious mind-set. An hour and a half later, he had answered every question and then some, setting me up perfectly for my interview with the admissions counselor. I felt a sense of security that Bandier was the answer to chasing a career with passion. He also confirmed the nerve-racking selectivity of the program. "We're talking about 25 students a year," he said. The small size is appealing, considering I get accepted, because it gives me the best of both worlds-a close knit family inside of a 20,000 person school with enormous spirit and enthusiasm. So after hearing an earful from Mr. Rezak, and talking my lungs out to give the admissions conselor a sense of who I am, hitting submit on my application is all that's left. Wish me luck.
