For myself and the other 27 students in the S.I. Newhouse School of Public Communications and the College of Visual and Performing Arts, the sun shines brighter in Los Angeles.

After spending a glorious semester in Hollywood, we are now experiencing culture shock back in Syracuse. ‘I woke up this morning and there was snow outside,’ said Melissa Weinstein, a junior film major. ‘Syracuse is not L.A.’

Sure, the sun always shines in California, and expensive convertible tops are down year-round, but what myself and the other film, television and music students miss most is being in the home of entertainment.

Andrea Asimow, director of the Syracuse University Los Angeles Semester Program, said, ‘The general consensus of the 28 students was that it was a highlight of their college education. Almost everyone felt this was remarkable, thorough, intense, life-changing, maturing and intensely educational in a real-world way much different from classroom experiences.’

Perfectly put.

In L.A., we sat in the audience of the American Music Awards, we soaked up the beautiful view from Emmy Award-winning SU alumnus Aaron Sorkin’s home. We had an intimate talk with Michael Weber, another alumnus and one of the writers of ‘500 Days of Summer.’ We attended an Orange-themed cocktail party at the Creative Artists Agency where Akon, Sara Bareilles, Judd Apatow and Sarah Silverman spoke, and we formed legitimate relationships with the countless entertainment moguls that have SU degrees.

But that’s aside from our internships in Hollywood, which were the most valuable experiences we carried with us back to Syracuse. Some of us worked at talent agencies, production companies, development offices and music studios, and others were on sets for television shows.

‘The internship was a huge aspect of the semester because I did so much more than I’ve been able to do at school,’ Weinstein said. ‘It really showed me what I want to do after college. I got to discover something that I love so much that I hadn’t learned in the classroom.’

Rather than reading a textbook about how to produce a television show, we went on set and produced a television show. Instead of listening to a professor’s lecture on how to write a successful screenplay, we met the writers of successful screenplays.

Jeremy Garber, a junior in the Bandier Program for Music and the Entertainment Industries, said he feels strange returning to the school routine. ‘After being exposed to real work situations and networking with remarkable SU alums, being back in Syracuse now feels like we’re reversing in time.’

Most, if not all, of us who traveled to Los Angeles hope to get a one-way ticket back to The City of Angels as a graduation gift.

‘I hate being back here,’ said Zach Mahassine, a television, radio and film major. ‘It’s just waiting-time now until we graduate.’ And you can’t blame him. If you had your name said on the variety show for which you worked for a segment you suggested and dressed up as the abominable snowman alongside Pee-Wee Herman, you’d hate being back in a classroom, too.

But when we weren’t striving to make an impression at our jobs, we also tried to make the most of our downtime. We taught ourselves how to patiently handle Los Angeles traffic. We discovered the best clubs, beaches, hikes, restaurants and celebrity hot spots.

Most of us gained confidence by learning that our dreams to go to Hollywood can come true.

‘Seeing everything up close like that drives you to do better. It makes you want to be there,’ Mahassine explained. ‘It shows you how to get there.’

So that’s what we’ll do. We’ll make the most of our remaining time here in the cold and look forward to going back west. To do this, we plan to strengthen the relationships with our new friends from work. Some of us have already received job offers for after graduation, and others are planning to go back to L.A. and intern again this summer.

We’ll do all we can to make our returns into the spotlight in which we shone for four months.

tpollock@syr.edu

Published on January 19, 2010 at 12:00 pm