Berkeley & Mizzou Graduate Journalism Programs

Graduate School
1

<p>Hello everyone, </p>

<p>I am an international student from India. I have received two admits: One from the Berkeley Graduate Journalism program and another from the Missouri Graduate Journalism program for Fall 2007. Of course, I understand that Mizzou is THE best. However, Berkeley intrigues me, if only for its awesome reputation and access to alumni base. When I last checked, I could not find much information or ranking on their journalism program. I would like to know more and hear from people who have attended or are planning to attend their program. Also, any other first-hand information about their J-school program would be welcome!!</p>

<p>Thanks!
Rakesh</p>

2

<p>Hi Rakesh,</p>

<p>I know someone who attends Berkeley, and she's reasonably happy about. I can't say if it's because she's going their basically for free or because it's a great experience. In previous threads, there's been discussions about J-school in general: <a href="http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/showthread.php?t=294411&page=2&highlight=journalism+school%5B/url%5D"&gt;http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/showthread.php?t=294411&page=2&highlight=journalism+school&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/p>

<p>Berkeley has a very strong Asia journalism program, so if you're interested in Asia then it's the university that you should go too. But strangely enough, I know someone from China who attended Mizzou. She enjoyed Mizzou. It's got a small town feel where everyone knows everyone, which can be good or bad. She worked at CNN for awhile, and you can't beat Mizzou's network of alumni and professionals. But Berkeley is also among the best J-schools in the nation.</p>

3

<p>Hi Rakesh: As you can see, if you look at the thread Pseudonomdeplume referred to, we both like to weigh in on people making J-school decisions. I actually have very little reason to do so other than I've had friends who went to these schools as well as friends who are successful journalists.</p>

<p>Profiles:</p>

<p>Missouri: Great J-school, I think always at the top, but in my opinion always an also-ran. I don't know. In spite of whatever rankings exist, I think people think of Columbia and Berkeley first when talking about J-school. I roomed in Asia with a couple of Missouri grads, and they really liked it. Test my hypothesis that Missou is most well known because of its broadcast journalism program. (My friends in Asia looked down their noses at the TV types, though.)</p>

<p>Missouri-Columbia is not a well known school otherwise. I am sure it must have some good programs, but I wouldn't think of it as drawing many people nationally or internationally.</p>

<p>Berkeley, on the other hand, does, and especially on the graduate level. It is widely considered the top public university in the nation. The Dean of the school was hired a few years ago to revitalize the program, and that he has done. The school puts out some really good investigative articles and reports that seem to rival major magazines in terms of quality. And it attracts top talent. I would say Berkeley as a whole would be broadly seen as an intellectual center and a place of great international ferment. It is in an urban region where there are plenty of stories to cover, too.</p>

<p>My question for you is: what's your focus? Do you want to cover India? Do you want to cover business? International diplomacy? Because in my book, I think you should have such a focus and do more study in the area of focus you have in addition to J-school (see thread mentioned by Pseudo....). You can do this more readily at Berkeley, I think. But you should test that hypothesis.</p>

<p>Good luck.</p>

4

<p>I applied to Berkeley as well, and I'm wondering how they notified you of your acceptance and when you heard. I'd really appreciate it if you could let me know!</p>

<p>Thanks :).</p>

5

<p>Thanks, BedHead and Pseudo for your replies. Yes, I am more interested in International Journalism than anything else (though again that could change once I get into Grad School!). Berkeley seems the more interesting option. Unfortunately, it is also the more expensive one (No, I have not been offered aid or funding this far from either...). Money, of course, is a HUGE factor in my ultimate decision.....</p>

6

<p>Hi Rakesh,</p>

<p>When did you hear from Berkeley? My D has applied to Berkeley?s School of Journalism & has not heard from them yet. She applied to their concurrent program in Asian Studies & unfortunately, was rejected by that Department. Just curious?where else did you apply?</p>

<p>BedHead & Pseudonomedeplume gave me good advice in my posts with them. They gave you the link to our postings.</p>

<p>My D has been accepted by UNC-Chapel Hill with a fellowship for a full ride. In addition to reporting about Asia, she is also interested in health communications. She can pursue a certificate in Health Communications at UNC so she is very interested in their program. She also has been accepted by BU but no word on funding yet. I think she will make her decision based on funding. We cannot help her with grad school because we are still paying loans we took to help pay for our 2 daughters? private college undergrad tuition. In addition to Berkeley, she is waiting to hear from Columbia & Northwestern.</p>

<p>Good luck. I hope you receive funding so that you can attend your first choice school.</p>

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<p>Yeah, like BedHead, I don't consider myself an expert on J-school. Even though, I weigh in people making J-school decisions. I know people who went/go to J-school, but I've never been myself. I debated going at one point, but ultimately decided not to go at this point in my life. And I'm a young journalist, so I'm just going on what other more experienced people have told me.</p>

<p>Like BedHead, some people that I've talked to consider Missouri an also-ran. I think it may have to do with their lack innovation programs. A lot of J-schools nowadays are rising to prominence with unique programs of study that don't view journalism as an independent field study but rather an interdisciplinary one. I think that's what BedHead was talking about when he asked about developing a focus (you can correct me if I'm wrong here) outside of the nuts & bolts of journalism.</p>

<p>People have told me that Orville Schell has done a lot to revitalize Berkeley's J-school too. I don't know what it was like before he arrived, but I hear that he's done a lot to make it one of the best J-schools in nation.</p>

<p>Did you apply for the International Reporting program (<a href="http://journalism.berkeley.edu/program/international/)%5B/url%5D"&gt;http://journalism.berkeley.edu/program/international/)&lt;/a>, rakeshsharmak?</p>

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<p>You could argue Schell is a dilettante (sp?), but if so, he's one of the most fascinating. I prefer to think of him as a polymath who has chosen a different route than just staying in academia. He has written many books on China, many of which are well respected, and he can wax eloquent about all varieties of subjects.</p>

<p>But what has he done for the school?</p>

<p>He has clearly re-established its pre-eminence. I don't know what it was like before, but now it is considered a dynamic center. I don't think it had that profile before, but was just considered the good J-school on the West Coast.</p>

<p>I understand that he got leave to aggressively recruit students who were considering other programs (meaning dollars), so the quality of your fellow students has gone up.</p>

<p>He has hired some first-rate profs. Michael Pollan, for instance, who has written extensively about food, plants, etc. and is considered a thought leader and a really interesting person. He writes for the NYT as well.</p>

<p>I think Michael Lewis was based there for awhile, if not still. Author of Moneyball, Liar's Poker.</p>

<p>Others I can't think of.</p>

<p>He has helped spearhead some really interesting international journalism projects from a wonderful series co-produced by Salon.com on the visible effects of global warming on every continent. Or some interesting stories on the economy and pop culture of contemp. China that were published I think by the SF Chronicle.</p>

<p>On the Berkeley campus, he has helped enhance the general discourse by being the sort of Charlie Rose in residence, inviting and interviewing luminaries in all walks of intelligentsia.</p>

<p>I would say, based on my impressions only, that Schell has tried to have students stretch beyond the basic mechanics of writing for newspapers to considering the quality of thought in their pieces. Also, he seems interested in non-daily-journalism media or writing, and I get the impression that such a broad view of journalism informs his program.</p>

<p>I think in other word's I am re-stating perhaps less eloquently what PNDP said about interdisciplinary focus. </p>

<p>Additionally, I would say that PNDP is absolutely right when she says that I think it is necessary to develop a thematic focus or foci outside of the narrow mechanics of journalism. I have friends who have hit the biggest time possible in journalism, at least in their age group. And all them had a focus that was beyond just wanting to be a journalist. "I want to write about China and its growth." "I want to be a journalist in Asia covering countries there for a US publication." "I want to work for a major NYC-based magazine covering top corporate stories." For example. And these are real examples of friends who write for top rags on the level of Fortune, WSJ, and Forbes, respectively. And one is a published author of a reasonably authoritative book on a subject of faddish interest within the corporate and political worlds.</p>

<p>I realize that this is impressionistic.</p>

9

<p>Kwoo, </p>

<p>I heard from Berkeley early March and was finalized for admission three weeks later. I have been told that apart from the first semester, funds should not be a huge problem as the school pulls out all stops to help its students. Of course, as an aspiring journalist, I am inclined to take this with a pinch of salt :-). </p>

<p>Bedhead and Pseudo, </p>

<p>Thanks once again for your comments. Berkeley seems more and more attractive. By the way, Pseudo, just curious about why you decided against J-school? My main purpose is to get a grounding (and a shortcut to a job since I am not from a journalism background) about news and information. No, I have not applied specifically for the International reporting program. </p>

<p>Strangely enough, I was rejected at USC.......</p>

<ul>
<li>Rakesh</li>
</ul>

10

<p>rakeshsharmak,</p>

<p>I actually wrote a long response to your question about why I decided not to go to J-school, but I got logged out of my session. :-(</p>

<p>So, I'll try to summarize why I opted not to go.</p>

<p>I had a long talk with a journalism professor and one the J-schools mentioned in this thread. He basically said that even though I was still a young journalist at a small publication, going to J-school wouldn't really help my career much because the vast majority of his J-school students come in with little or no journalism experience. He also said most of the students who graduate end up at small publications anyway, so I was on the right track. He added that he started out at a small pub after graduating from Columbia.</p>

<p>But he said there were benefits to going to J-school: no pressure to learn on the job; the ability to explore new ideas; intellectual stimulation from being in the university environment.</p>

<p>The bottom line is that it depends on the person. For some, J-school is a good decision. For others, it's not.</p>