CAL media studies or SJSU pr/adv

State Forums
1

Hey Everyone,

I’ve been admitted to SJSU’s public relations major as a transfer student and I am still waiting to hear back from UC Berkeley, where I will be a Media Studies major and take courses in marketing and advertising at Haas.

I am having a huge internal struggle with all of this really. I know I havent gotten accepted to Cal just yet, but if I do, they are the obvious choice. I plan on pursuing a career in PR/marketing communications and know that the media studies major, along with most other majors, is rooted in theory and not an actual hands on major. However, I know that studying at Cal carries a great amount of prestige, and I am already interning at companies to help me develop my skills within the field. Cal has been my dream school for some time, and I want to immerse myself in the culture and community, not to mention I won’t have to move to attend (I live in Oakland.) I’ve been working closely with a TAP adviser to make sure my application is top notch, and have high hopes of getting accepted.

Alternatively, SJSU has a professional school dedicated to journalism and mass communications. Ideally, I will be double majoring in Advertising and Public relations, as many of the courses count for both majors. This will give me a very hands on education and teach me the skills I need to succeed within the industry. I will be taking courses in integrated marketing communications, campaign planning, media writing, etc. Plus, it’s located in Silicon Valley, a hub for technology and innovation. A huge factor is distance. I don’t want to commute, because it’s costly, and I don’t find San Jose appealing to live.

I know many people who have succeeded in marketing/pr/advertising who have no formal education in the field, so attending Cal would not mean I wouldn’t be able to break into the field, especially because I am already getting experience through internships. I know SJSU might be more logical, because of the program, but I don’t think it is as great a school, and may not have as strong of an alumni community.

I guess I just need some guidance and opinions to help guide my decision when the time comes.
Help?

2

I would say that in pr ‘brand’ is important and Haas is a huge brand nationally, plus alumni network, and you wouldn’t lack experience between campus opportunities and internship opportunities, so that would be my choice.

3

OP is not applying to the Haas School of Business Administration. The media studies major is in the College of Letters and Science.

(No idea on how much the school “brand” UCB versus SJSU matters in that type of career direction.)

4

Yeah, I’ll be in letters and science, not Haas. But as part of the media studies major, I’ll be allowed to take courses in marketing and branding at Haas and count the credits toward my major.

5

^yes, that’s what I meant: you’ll have double brand value: UCB, on its own, is big nationally, and for firms who care, Haas is also a brand. And in PR/advertising, “brand” matters.

6

Yeah you’re right. Being able to take marketing and ad courses at Haas will definitely give me an edge. I feel like having Cal on my job application would look much better than having a state school.

7

It won’t be an issue unless Cal accepts you. Enjoy this window with endless possibility. You’ll have plenty of time to worry about making the right choice after you understand your options.

8

Very true. Part of me hopes I don’t get into cal, that way this choice will be much easier.
The reason I’m debating so early is because the deadline to accept admissions to a CSU is May 1st, while Cal posts it’s decisions April 29th. If I get in, this only leaves me a window of about a day or two to decide.

9

UC Berkeley will post freshmen decisions March 24 this year…you will have plenty of time to decide.

10

OP is a transfer applicant.

11

just to make my decision even more complicated, I just got my acceptance letter into the Advertising and Marketing Communications program at FIT in New York.