<p>Well, I'm gonna be a senior next year and my college list is pretty sad. The only schools I am really serious about are University of Maryland, University of Southern California, and Northwestern University. I'm looking for a big school, preferably close to a city, with a great journalism/communications program. I'm also tossing around American University, but I dunno...</p>
<p>Any ideas?</p>
<p>University of Missouri-Columbia. Excellent in communications. About halfway between St. Louis and Kansas City.</p>
<p>Indiana University is big, has journalism and near but not in a city. In a city but not a big school is Emerson. I'd look at both.
<a href="http://www.journalism.indiana.edu/%5B/url%5D">http://www.journalism.indiana.edu/</a>
<a href="http://www.emerson.edu/journalism/index.cfm%5B/url%5D">http://www.emerson.edu/journalism/index.cfm</a></p>
<p>Well, I'm going to Syracuse next year, they have one of the best J-schools in the country. Its fairly big probably ~15,000 including grad students and its right in the city of Syracuse which has a population of ~150,000.</p>
<p>Wisconsin-madison.</p>
<p>U.S. News and World Report last ranked Journalism schools in 1996. Their rankings are as follows:</p>
<ol>
<li>Missouri-Columbia</li>
<li>Columbia University</li>
<li>Northwestern (Medill)</li>
<li>UNC-Chapel Hill</li>
<li>Indiana-Bloomington</li>
<li>Florida</li>
<li>Ohio (Scripps)</li>
<li>Wisconsin-Madison</li>
<li>UC-Berkeley</li>
<li>Kansas (White)</li>
<li>Maryland-College Park</li>
<li>Texas-Austin</li>
<li>Syracuse (Newhouse)</li>
<li>Arizona State (Cronkite)</li>
<li>Minnesota-Twin Cities</li>
</ol>
<p>The Gourman Report ranked J-Schools in 1998:</p>
<ol>
<li>University of Missouri-Columbia </li>
<li>Northwestern University </li>
<li>Syracuse </li>
<li>Minnesota </li>
<li>University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign </li>
<li>University of North Carolina Chapel Hill</li>
<li>University of Wisconsin-Madison</li>
<li>Ohio State University Columbus </li>
<li>Michigan State University </li>
<li>University of Southern California </li>
<li>NYU </li>
<li>Indiana University-Bloomington </li>
<li>University of Washington </li>
<li>University of Kansas </li>
<li>University of Texas at Austin </li>
<li>Kansas State </li>
<li>Marquette University </li>
<li>University of Iowa</li>
<li>University of Colorado Boulder </li>
<li>Ohio University </li>
</ol>
<p><a href="http://www.jrn.columbia.edu/%5B/url%5D">http://www.jrn.columbia.edu/</a></p>
<p>Columbia has only a graduate program. Many times undergrads mention majoring in journalism on their applications and thus they haven't done their research. Please don't tell undergrads that Columbia Journalism is for them.</p>
<p>Indeed, Columbia does only have a graduate program in journalism. I'm not saying it's for undergraduates - it's just in the rankings. It is NOT the place to go for an undergrad degree in journalism. </p>
<p>If you want to have access to NYC and get a good undergrad journalism degree, the best place to go is Syracuse.</p>
<p>University of Wisconsin,University of Minn., University of Arizona, Arizona State all have good J Schools as does, of course, the stellar U Missouri.</p>
<p>search and selection forum seems perfect for this.</p>
<p>I personally would go to Northwestern. If you want a great education and the environment of a big, urban metropolis right next to you, NU is the place to go. </p>
<p>It is the smallest Big Ten university, but at the same time it is still big ten, meaning great school spirit and sports. NU has many differnt traditions that they have at the football games. I went to one a few years ago and it was a blast. Honestly, in this repsect NU has the feel of both a state school and an Ivy.</p>
<p>The campus itself is beautiful. Being right on lake michigan is great, its very scenic. Also, Evanston is a great town, there is tons to do... restaurants, shops, coffee, etc... whatever you want.</p>
<p>Also, you can't mention NU without the fact that Evanston directly borders Chicago. I cannot speak enough about this city, the feel, the crowd, the energy, the culture, the history, etc... There is nothing like shopping on Michigan Avenue during christmas and going to Grant Park for a concert during the summer. TONS of musuems, galleries, theaters, and other institutions have made it the cultural capital of the midwest since its inception. Culturally, very diverse as well. Living in Evanston, you will be minutes away from the Devon Ave Neighborhood, one of the largest South Asian neighborhoods in North America. There is tons of other diversity as well, Polish, Serbians, Lithuanians, Mexicans, Puerto Ricans, Irish, German, etc... are all heavily represented in the city. Chicago also has the neighborhoods of Boystown and Andersonville, two very large and lively gay villages. Don't even get me started on the number of sporting events you could attend in the city, with the Bear, the Bulls, the Sox, the Cubs, the Blackhawks, the Fire, etc...</p>
<p>AS for Northwestern itself, its an amazing institution. Especially for journalism. The Medill department attracts people from all around the world, so it would not be a midwest centered group of people or curriiculum fr that matter. They have some great faculty and graduating from Medill can get you a great job instantly. If you want to go above and beyond while at Medill, I would get an internship at the Chicago Tribune, one of the largest newspapers in the country.</p>
<p>GO WILDCATS!</p>
<p>This is hearsay but I hear USC is pretty good.</p>
<p>SYRACUSE!!!! Newhouse is tops. Search it on Wikipedia!</p>
<p>Yeah, I guess this does belong in the search forum (oops). Anyways, thanks everyone for responding; I think now I have a great place to start! Still open for any more suggestions...</p>
<p>Thanks especially for all that Northwestern info. I have to admit I didn't know that much about the school except it was pretty well known for its journalism program. I'm really pretty excited about it now.</p>
<p>I've definitely heard of University of Missouri's reputation, but, I don't know, kind of a random state to pack up and head off to!</p>
<p>MIZZOU, enough said.</p>
<p>combination of being highly ranked and having an amazing environment= Ohio University(Scripps)</p>
<p>ASU Cronkite school of Mass Communications is very good</p>
<p>Definitely not urban, but consider Washington State University; The Edward R. Murrow School. Excellent.</p>
<p>My sister is finishing her undergrad in journalism at Missouri. Mizzou's program is amazing and has always - ALWAYS - been ranked number one. She goes into KC or St. L regularly, and the serious advantage is that it's cheap to live there, so she was able to exit the dorms her soph year and live comfortably. When you consider schools, do consider the cost of living - it's something most people don't take into account, and they regret it later.</p>
<p>Syracuse has the best broadcast journalism program in the country. Its other journalism programs are also near the top. It is definately worth checking out, one of the best around!</p>