<p>As a so. cal dad working in the entertainment business, being on Board of advisors to Boston U. school of communication, father of a freshman RTF major, and having many family members currently attending Syracuse…Here goes…</p>
<p>Congrats on getting accepted to two great programs. I do not think you can go wrong with Newhouse or UT. As you have said, each has it’s own merits and minuses.
Student demo…Syracuse while drawing some national students is made up of primarily kids from the Northeast. UT, mostly texas. I am happy to report that Texas is spreading their wings uite a bit. Last year, we were aware of only a small handful of kids going to Texas. My d, was the first from her high school. This year, 8 kids got in from her HS, and three are going. My d told me yesterday that she can’t believe how many kids are going next year. 3 from her school, one from viewpoint, one from oakwood, a few from Beverly hills, and another private westside school. That is just her circle of influence. The dean told me last year, they want to increase the amount of kids from So. Cal. They started a semester program in LA a few yeas ago, and that has really helped the students in RTF, and the schools recruiting efforts. As far as the difference in students, I would say it is significant. Syracuse students tend to be more of the stereotypical NY pushy kids. Intense would be a good word to describe. Texans are much more polite and laid back. My daughter pointed out on spring break when she was home, she had not opened a door all year in Texas. That is not something oyu would say here in CA or Syracuse. Both schools have smart kids. Depends on what you want.
Location…Austin beats syracuse by a large margin. Take away the beauty of the Cuse campus, and the city is an armpit. Two planes and a whole day of travel from LA. Besides the long cold winters, it is a very grey city. Not sure why, but known for it. I can not speak to the social aspects of the city of Cuse, though I do not hear much about it. Austin is one of the coolest cities in the Country. 6th street is the best time anywhere. The music scene is as varied and deep as it gets. The food is shockingly good in the city. Austin has great weather. More humidity in the warm weather months. Stays hot a few weeks longer than LA. Heat more like the valley than westside. Austin has some rainy months. Warmer weather makes it more tolerable than northeast snow. Winter days are 50-65, nights 10-15 degrees cooler.
School spirit. Texas by a mile. Nothing comes close to UT football weekends. Syracuse(I have been) does not come close. While cuse basketball is great, and next year should be stellar, UT has a very good program. Don’t forget they made it ti number 1, and then the dreaded curse killed them. A history of good players. TJ ford, DJ augustine, Kevin Durant, and many more. Recently, you could say they have been equal or close to cuse. Baseball team is top five, and too many more. IF you care about sports and spirit, I think burnt orange is better than orangemen.</p>
<p>Reputation. On a pure school basis, Texas out ranks Syracuse. Not enough to make a difference. Newhouse is a great Comm school. They have a deep alumni network in NY and LA. I think they are known more for TV, PR, Journalism, than for film. I could be wrong, just my perception. UT school of Comm. is very impressive. Rising up the ranks in most polls. It does not have the depth of years of Alumni network, but as a result of UTLA program, they have a good young network that seems to support each other. I do not know if Cuse has an LA program for a semester. I have spoken at BU’s, Emerson"s, and Texas. They are really good programs, and have helped their students get jobs when they graduate. I am sorry, but do not know What cuse does or does not. </p>
<p>Bottom line, you can not go wrong. You have two great choices. MY d could not be happier. She loves everything about the school. She is part of greek life, she is working at the TV station on a music show, she works relatively hard, and helped to make UT the number one party school in America.</p>
<p>Good Luck, Either school will be awesome. Mostly lifestyle decisions.</p>