Timothy Rule comes to UCSC from Annville, PA (about 10 miles east of Hershey). He currently lives in Charleston, on the West Ashley side of the city. He earned his B.A. in Health Communication from Juniata College in Huntingdon, PA. He comes to the MCOM program with multiple professional experiences, such as an Administration and Outreach Intern for the Shirley Home for the Aged and a Marketing and Communication Intern at the Penn State Milton S. Hershey Medical Center. His professional work while in the program has included the Social Media Graduate Assistant at the Lowcountry Graduate Center and a Teaching Assistant for the Department of Communication at CofC.
Why did you choose the Master of Arts in Communication program at College of Charleston?
I didn’t know what else to do after undergrad. I had no idea what job I wanted, and I knew CofC had a good Master of Arts in Communication program. I also liked the idea of living somewhere warm and on the coast.
Describe a project or experience relevant to your MCOM program of study that you are currently working on or have already accomplished (graduate assistantship, research project, internship, etc.)?
Last spring, I completed a quantitative research project on the television show Parks and Recreation. I spent the semester watching dozens of episodes and carefully coding for various political messages stated by the show’s various characters. In the end, I was surprised to learn that, overall, P&R actually presents a relatively positive message about local government…or, at least, that’s the claim that the numbers support.
What are your plans following graduate school (professional career, doctoral program, personal aspirations, etc.)? Why?
I’m still exploring all of my options, but I would really enjoy going into the field of skydive marketing.
What is one piece of advice that you would give incoming graduate students?
Have a career goal in mind for what you want to do with your degree. Not having one will make the program more challenging.
What is a fun fact about you that most people do not know?
Most people know that I skydive, so I can’t use that one. I suppose most of the incoming cohort doesn’t know that I am a singer. I’ve been singing since I was little. I grew up participating in musicals and various choirs. During my senior year of high school, I was the highest scoring Bass II at PA Regionals, and went on to sing in the PA All-State choir. I’ve also sung internationally as an undergraduate student.
