<p>All right, so here's my dilemma. I'm a junior in high school and I'm looking for a college with an excellent journalism program. I'm planning on majoring in magazine journalism and/or photojournalism, and I get decent grades. I've already decided I'm not interested in the typical big-name journalism programs at places like Syracruse, Northwestern, Chapel Hill, Columbia, etc. I don't have the grades or the money to get into those kinds of schools. Now, I live in Missouri, so the obvious choice would be Mizzou - but I'm trying to keep my options open.</p>
<p>So here's the real question: out of all the schools I'm considering in the list below, how would you compare their journalism programs? Be honest. Tell me which are better, which are on the rise, which are mediocre, etc.
Creighton, Bradley, Drake, Earlham, Loyola-Chicago, Ohio University, Point Park, and Western Kentucky University.</p>
<p>Thank you for taking time to read this, and I appreciate any and all feedback!</p>
<p>Ohio U has the best journalism school hands down...
The rest aren't particularly well-known. </p>
<p>But honestly, I don't think you could possibly beat instate tuition at Mizzou. It's one of the top 3 j-schools in the country, and you'd go practically for free.</p>
<p>If I were you I would definitely go to Mizzou. Top-notch J school plus in-state tuition. It's a win-win. I agree that of the others on your list, Ohio is the best. It's a beautiful campus too, and if you have the stats, they have fabulous scholarships: you can get in-state tuition plus nearly half of your out-of-state surcharge paid for!</p>
<p>I understand wanting to go out of state just to get out of state and see something different, but maybe you could line up summer jobs/internships to get you out of MO during the college years.</p>
<p>If you qualify for the honors program, that will get you some smaller freshman classes (particularly economics, which I think will be a requirement for you).</p>
<p>If college sports interest you, MU's football is looking good. Don't even ask about basketball.</p>
<p>If you were looking at programs that were better than what MU has to offer, or if money were absolutely no object, perhaps I would suggest looking around, but in this case, I see no point.</p>
<p>See now, here's my problem with Mizzou: it's HUGE, and literally everyone at my school who's interested in studying journalism has gone there. Even my journalism teacher went there! And I know it's supposed to be a great program and all, but I don't know. I feel like internships and making connections are such a huge part of journalism, and I worry that living in a college town like Columbia would limit me.</p>
<p>My first choices are actually Drake and Loyola-Chicago because both of them are in big media cities where it's easy to get internships. Actually, at Loyola they require that you have at least one internship to graduate. I mean, to me internship = making connections = getting a job. And my worst fear is that I'll graduate from Mizzou with a ton of knowledge about journalism but have zero job opportunities lined up.</p>
<p>I think you are correct that connections are important in journalism. How does MU deal with this? Do they have an office that facilitates summer or semester-long internships in larger markets? There are a lot of famous alums of the J-school, and I know they bring them in for seminars, talks, and guest faculty spots. Is that a way for students to make connections?</p>
<p>You probably know that the J-school publishes a daily newspaper that is distributed throughout Columbia, and operates a regional television station. There is a lot of hands-on training.</p>
<p>I think if I were in your position, I would contact some undergraduate program directors and the career-center office (or whatever it is called at MU's J-school) and ask some very explicit questions about internships and other opportunities to make contacts with employers in the larger markets.</p>
<p>You are asking some good questions, but I would urge you to keep in mind what it means for your future job opportunities if you graduate with a lot of debt. It will definitely limit the kinds of job opportunities you will be free to pursue. In a field like journalism, it seems to me that you want as much freedom as possible upon graduation.</p>
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And my worst fear is that I'll graduate from Mizzou with a ton of knowledge about journalism but have zero job opportunities lined up.
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<p>Ask the J-school to provide you with some details about graduates from the last 10 or 12 years. Remember, it takes a few years for even the biggest talent to get established, but there should be a considerable number of success stories over this time frame if the school has earned its name and reputation.</p>
<p>As for the size of MU and the J-school. The campus seems pretty big if you haven't been around other flagship public universities, but it really isn't as large as many of the publics in the midwest. It includes a medical school, veterinary school, law school and big agricultural college. You won't be hanging around those parts of campus; the J-school itself is contained within a few buildings all in the same part of campus. You will be directly next to the downtown, which is actually quite nice for a college town.</p>
<p>I agree with the other posters that Missouri in-state will be hard to beat. However, I understand the need to spread your wings and get out of state. You might want to check out Arizona State. Their j school, the Cronkite School is being moved to their downtown Phoenix campus. Brand new building and new dorms scheduled to open in the fall of 08. The move will give the Cronkite students internship opportunities in downtown Phoenix. The size of the downtown school is much smaller than Tempe but close enough to Tempe (lite rail connecting the two) so that students can travel to the main campus for games and such.</p>
<p>If you want a new scenery, try out Northwestern's undergraduate journalism program. It is one of the best programs out there. It is in the state of Illinois (Chicagoland) so you won't be too far from home.</p>
<p>Don't know your stats, but ASU was very generous with my son and it ends up being less expensive than going to our state flagship. Indiana U. also has a fine j school and generous merit scholarships for oos students.</p>
<p>^^^Actually Columbia has been promoted from "small town" to "large town" or even "small city". It still doesn't register as a significant media market, of course. (population around 100K, including fast-growing sprawling subdivisions.)</p>
<p>I graduated from Mizzou's journalism school many years ago, and from what I understand, it's only gotten better. I, too, understand the need to spread your wings, but in my opinion choosing Mizzou -- especially with in-state tuition -- is a no-brainer.</p>
<p>^^^bbronston, I don't follow the curriculum issues closely, but the physical plant is far, far better than it was in the not too distant past. Very nice new buildings and a brand-new (inside the shell of a historic building on the quad) building going up right now, compliments of a wealthy donor.</p>
<p>Mizzou values its journalism program, and I think it has a bright future.</p>