Grad School May Be in the Forecast...

Well, I was given quite a wake up call the other day at work. During a lengthy discussion with a fellow copy writer, he informed me that unless my portfolio is short of breathtaking, the odds of getting a job at an ad agency out of college is more or less nil. So...in what may end up being a constantly evolving post, I will attempt to flesh out the pros and cons of such a decision as well as document where I am in the process. But let's back up a little bit to set the stage.

My college career has been anything but set in stone. Department complications, time spent abroad, "fine-tuning" of degree tracks, the list could go on. Basically, I never envisioned myself attending graduate school so soon after graduation. Which brings me to the list of cons I associate with attending it now:

-It is expensive. This is unambitious point #1. I will be more than doubling my student loans by attending grad school.

-It is 'resource' consuming. I use this word as it better represents what I have to sacrifice to attend school. For one, I won't be able to hold a part time job. Estimated work load outside of class is approximately 70-80 hours I have been informed. Which acts as a double sword as I must not only work harder, trying to support myself is all but inconceivable. For more on what this means, please refer to previous dash.

-This is more of a segue from the last dash in that I have already been in school for five and a half years, do I really want to subject myself to another two years? Do I have the drive to succeed at such a level of intensity?(Not to neglect the level of competition.) Regardless, 80 hours is no walk in the park.

Our conversation continued as we discussed the importance that ad school plays in more than one ways—which seems like a good place to create my pros list:

-This business is all about your portfolio. Sure,I got some decent work under my belt at uni, but in reality, with the advent of affordable high quality equipment and software that was once reserved for large companies and those with equally deep pockets, agencies nowadays have come to expect students to have portfolios that compete on a professional level. I know I have the abilities inside of me to produce work that meets that criteria, I just may need a hand to help grasp it. All my contact thus far had indicated that grad school will really help me hone in on those abilities I have inside of me. For the small fee of $40,000. But you can't put a price tag on something like that right?

-This business is all about who you know. And what better way to know people than to be taught by working professionals in the industry? These places offer internships at some of the biggest agencies and the schools boast very high job rates upon graduating.

-I will be surrounded by driven people. We all (at least I hope) have experience the joy of being around/involved with people who are enthusiastic about what they do. At Winthrop, this was a mixed bag in my opinion as being assigned groups were always hit or miss. Sometimes you would be working with people who want produce the best work in the class, and sometimes you get stuck working with people who...well, you get the idea. Undoubtedly, if you were to think objectively about your personal involvement within the group, you would most likely acknowledge that you worked better/harder when you felt inclined to do so. Which for me is definitely propelled when my teammates are driven. Since the investment for Ad school is so steep, I imagine that everyone would share that mentality and help push the whole class to produce top notch work.

I will most likely update this list of +/-'s as new ones come to me. To date, I have sent off information to two schools: The Creative Circus, located in Atlanta, Ga as well as Miami Ad School. Now, I have heard good things about both schools so it is too early in the game to form a decision—not to mention I still have to send off applications and find out if I get accepted before deciding. I like the fact that second year students at Miami have the option to do their internships abroad at prominent agencies, however Creative Circus seems to incubate my learning style and may thus provide the opportunity to "make the most of education." I plan to schedule a trip down there to tour the school and sit in on a class or two and see for myself if in fact that is the case. If confirmed, I may have a winner.

I will indubitably be updating this post in the coming weeks/months to document where I am in the process as well as add new pros and cons to the list as they come to me.

To date I have received packets in the mail from both schools. The Creative Circus packet provides more of an overview of the program as well as some sample materials. Provided was the typical "hey this is what makes us stand out amongst the pack," student work examples, a Q and A pamphlet, stickers (the clear standout saying "How's My Kerning? (A play off off of the "How's My Driving" that is ubiquitous with 18-wheelers,) a CD with a virtual tour of the school and most notably—a brochure entitled "33 Interesting Facts about The Creative Circus & Harry S Truman."

Here is what I got.

Some subtle things I should mention about The Creative Circus that I have liked. For one, I got a phone call from an employee just two days after requesting for information. Secondly, that yellow sheet of paper in the top-right has "real" signatures from four staff members. I know, they probably all sat down one day and just toiled off some squiggly lines all at once—but it was a small touch that they didn't have to do that says to me they really are invested in their students. The tone of the materials included really connected with me in their quirky, offbeat delivery. All signs to date have impressed me and I look forward to finding out in person if the fit seems right. For a brief idea of how the place operates, check out this blog post about The Creative Circus. Could just be bogus propaganda but who knows...

Miami Ad School's materials were a lot more straightforward. The big difference being that they have included the application for admission into the school.

Rather bland—although the redhead is a looker huh.

Since I will most likely be pursuing a career of copywriting, there are four assignments I get to choose from to send in:

1) Develop a 200-word article with headline for "The Onion."
2) Write a 500-word anecdote about some "memory-making moment. Something you could use to break the ice at the First Quarter Student Mixer."
3) Develop ten "deep thoughts" that would be on par with something Jack Handey would have used on SNL.
4) Develop a campaign for RC Cola that identifies a target audience and then how to reach them.

I think that all of these provide some really interesting subject matter to choose from. Although diverse in nature, 2.5 of the choices (depending how you handle #2) involve humor. Regardless, I haven't decided which route to take...I love "The Onion," I am not a very good journalist writer. I have a feeling I do both #2 and #3 as one hits my sense of humor on the nail and the other I have plenty of material to draw from with all of the trips I have been on in my short life.