Are big name j-schools worth the money?

College Majors Journalism Major
1

<p>I'm accepted to Ohio University, Syracuse University, Boston University, and New York University. I'm fortunate enough that my family could conceivably help pay for any of these options, but I'd still have a substantial amount of debt. At Ohio U, I'm being offered over 10 k in scholarships per year, making it about a third of the cost of any of the other schools. I know Syracuse is pretty exclusive so I was very honored to be accepted, but I'm wondering if it's worth the money for an undergraduate degree? And would a big city school like NYU or BU be worth it for the internship opportunities? </p>

<p>Thanks for your help!</p>

<p>P.S. I liked Ohio University, so I would not be disappointed going there. NYU has always been my dream, but like many others I'm a bit wary of the cost. As far as Syracuse, I want to know I'm not skipping a huge opportunity because of the cost. </p>

2

<p>For journalism, you want to go to the cheapest place possible, because not many, if any, journalists make big $$$ right out of school. Besides, OU is one of the top journalism schools in the nation, so it’s really not like you’d be settling. True, big cities can help with internships, but OU students often do pretty well, from what I hear.</p>

3

<p>Ohio. What’s your career goal (job titles? employers?)?</p>

<p>As for internships, try D.C. in the summers. </p>

4

These are great … other thoughts?

5

Journalism major here. I’ve had several mentors within the field. They all say the same thing. Your internships, your work are what matter must of all. Do not go into heavy debt for a journalism degree! To put it into perspective. The average starting salary for a journalist is around $33k. A year of tuition and fees at NYU is $66k. It’s not rational. You can make the most out of OU. I live in PA and I’ve heard it’s a good school.

6

-Any top-notch J school is going to provide you with a good network. Your work is what matters, and you can land NY and Washington internships from any of them.
-Each school can tend to be a bit stronger in one area over another, so that could help you make the call if you have an idea (broadcast vs. data viz vs. reporting vs. photojournalism).

  • anecdotally, Northwestern is doing some neat stuff with data journalism. Ohio is known for preeminent photo program. Mizzou is strong in several areas … ditto for Syracuse
    -That said, I’d pick the cheaper school if you liked it.