A couple of questions...

<p>I'm mostly looking for instate colleges (basically anything over $20K/year for total cost is out of the question) or out of state colleges that somehow fit within that range. Unfortunately, my home state (Washington) doesn't offer a ton in what I'm interested in (journalism) so my options are limited. Plus I want to stay west of the Cascades--personal preference. I'm seriously looking into Western Washington University for journalism, but I don't think their program is accredited and I have no idea how strong it is. (A strong program in journalism is a biggie for me.) So basically, Question Number One is how important is accreditation in journalism?</p>

<p>Another school that caught my eye is on the other side of the country, Ohio University. I'm pretty sure I qualify for a scholarship that will give me full instate tuition, which would make its cost about the same as Western's. And, they have a well-known journalism school that seems to be highly regarded, which is a big plus. The problem with OU is how far away it is. According to my parents, I won't be able to visit it (I checked on travelocity.com--a trip to Athens for just my mom and me for one night would cost close to $1500). I'm not sure I want to bother considering a school I would be going to sight unseen. Question Number Two: Is visiting really that crucial?</p>

<p>Or, Question Number Three: Can anyone recommend any other schools that have a solid journalism program and are under $20k a year including room and board?</p>

<p>thanks :)</p>

<p>For question number two, I'll give what I'm sure will be an unpopular opinion and say "not necessarily." </p>

<p>I didn't visit my school until I was admitted; I went on one rather uninspiring overnight after admission and still decided to come. And I love where I am and wouldn't be anywhere different. I suppose that I was kind of playing Russian roulette with that approach, but if you're really excited about a school, you just know. :)</p>

<p>I can imagine it would be difficult for someone from across the country to visit OU -- Athens is so far out there. Did you look into perhaps flying into Columbus (CMH) and renting a car? Not that the Columbus airport is exactly a bustling one, but I can't imagine it would cost that much.</p>

<p>Yeah, that's what I did. I added up the cheapest flight into Columbus (all of them had connections in random places like Atlanta), the cheapest car rentals (yay for Geos and Hyundais), and the cheapest hotel in athens. That came out to about $1100, then I figured other expenses like food, gas, etc. would be about $200+ more. So yeah...</p>

<p>Also, it's nice to know that going to a school you haven't visited isn't always the horrible thing people say it is. I mentioned to my school's guidance counselor a while back that I was thinking about a couple schools in the midwest and that I wouldn't be able to see them probably, and he just looked at me like I was crazy.</p>

<p>Oh yeah, my friend went to a school halfway across the country, never saw it before she first got there in September, and loves it. Visiting can be important, but can also be overrated.</p>

<p>Western is a pretty good school all around, although I haven't heard anything specifically about their Journalism department, I doubt that they have any staggering weaknesses. Also, just curious, where in Washington do you live?</p>

<p>UW is also another good school, but I'm sure you knew that already.</p>

<p>How about "Mizzou?" Columbia school of Journlism, Missouri.</p>

<p>Yeah, I realized after I posted that you were talking about air + lodging for two people, in which case I can see that sort of expense. It costs me $300ish to fly into Columbus from Boston, which I consider a travesty. Well, in that case I apologize for my hometown airport's terrible lack of decently-priced flights.</p>

<p>Have you checked if it might be cheaper to fly in to Cinncinnati? Or possibly in to, Wheeling or Morgantown W.va. ? They might be cheaper alternatives.</p>

<p>yeah definitely look at U Missouri-Columbia - they have one of the best jouralism programs for a public school!</p>

<p>Yeah, Missouri is supposed to have a good program too, I haven't really looked into it a whole lot (too far south for my tastes and prejudices, I like the north lol) Plus I'm not sure it will give me such a good scholarship that OU offers, and it still has the same Distance/Visiting problems that OU does. I still really like Western though. It's the perfect distance from home and its close enough to Canada and Seattle, and I like Bellingham. The only thing, really, is that it felt just a tad too much like I was back in 6th grade outdoor school (all the trees and those wooden cabinlike residence halls, the ones with greek names were just a little too much summer-campish). But thats pretty minor. LOL I'm rambling on....</p>

<p>a reliable source--I looked at UW too, they just don't offer much in the way of journalism (and I've heard communications there aren't that great either). I'm also considering majoring in political science and then going on to grad. school for journalism but I'm not sure. In that case, UW might be a good choice. But I haven't looked at their poly sci department yet. And as for where I live, check your PM's ;)</p>

<p>I think accreditation is very important for a college degree in general, and for practicing journalism specifically. 90 percent of practicing U.S. journalists are college graduates. Any employer who so highly values a degree will also value an accredited institution. Your degree is of secondary importance, 60% did not study journalism in school.</p>