Tttttrrrrinnnnggg! The alarm wails through the air. It’s 7.30 AM on a mid-summer Monday morning. And after a lapse of nearly 12 months, I am on the job again.
It’s been a superb fall, winter and spring at Medill IMC. But for now at least, it’s a return to the real world. Nearly all my fellow classmates at Medill IMC have been enrolled in the three-unit summer residency. The summer program, a substitute for coursework, is highly recommended and gives students a chance to exhibit practical application of the learnings over the past three quarters.
Comparing a residency to an academic quarter in the classroom is like comparing an apple to a peach. Both have their pros and cons. But the great thing about the IMC program at Medill is that it allows you the opportunity to experience both. And even though I personally prefer coursework, there is a feeling this 11-week exercise may be equally significant, if not more so, when it comes to my future career.
Residencies are also important to most students as they fund tuition for the summer quarter.
You will find Medill IMC students applying their trade in residencies of every description this summer. From the very best advertising agencies in America located in sky-touching high-rises in downtown Chicago… to a small-scale computer software firm 10 minutes from the Medill IMC home at the McCormick Tribune Center… to the division of a fried chicken, fast food chain half way across the world in Shanghai…to a well-reputed chemical firm in a little known town in the heart of Michigan…to a beautiful office in a small suburb outside of Denver…to the Kellogg Media Management Center at Fisk Hall…to the breathtaking, rustic, mountainous city of sweet Portland… and on and on.
You will also find interesting diversity in the work being done as well, ranging from the very data-centric analytics residency to the tactical implementation of an IMC branding strategy to cutting-edge work in media management.
A notable thing about the residency is that it makes you work hard during the week and relax during the weekend. Working hours are typical of a regular job; in fact, employers of residents are expected to treat students like full-time staff members. And although the long hours leave little time to do anything else during the week, this also means that the weekend is available at your mercy to indulge in whichever way you please.
Talking about weeknights…since I have chosen to pen this blog on one, I think this is an opportune time to end it here.
……….Ateeq Abdul Rauf
