Current students: Annenberg question

Colleges and Universities A-Z University of Southern California
1

<p>Right now, I'm deliberating between Medill at Northwestern and Annenberg at USC. So far, I've only had experience in print, but I'm very interested in getting into broadcast, as well.</p>

<p>One of the thing that worries me about USC's journalism program is the Hollywood influence. For journalism, does the Hollywood element of having to go to the right places and having jobs based on how you look and who you know instead of what you can do come into play? Has anyone had experience with internships in the LA area where they have had to deal with this?</p>

<p>Many people have told me that USC is the way to go if I want to go into broadcast or if I want to work on the coasts, and Northwestern's the best choice if I want print in the Midwest.</p>

<p>Is it really that clear cut?</p>

<p>What will the job market be like if I have a degree from USC as opposed to Northwestern? I dream of getting into the "big leagues," so to speak, as in national coverage at a respected media outlet. Is there an enormous difference, assuming I go into each school's respective strong program (USC's broadcast and Northwestern's print)?</p>

2

<p>
[quote]
Many people have told me that USC is the way to go if I want to go into broadcast or if I want to work on the coasts, and Northwestern's the best choice if I want print in the Midwest.</p>

<p>Is it really that clear cut?</p>

<p>What will the job market be like if I have a degree from USC as opposed to Northwestern? I dream of getting into the "big leagues," so to speak, as in national coverage at a respected media outlet. Is there an enormous difference, assuming I go into each school's respective strong program (USC's broadcast and Northwestern's print)?

[/quote]
</p>

<p>I think people often overlook the importance of location when looking into colleges. Being at USC will make it a lot easier as an undergrad (assuming you have a car) to land a internship at a big media outlet like CNN simply because you are 20 minutes away from the corporate offices. This means you can start your internships earlier in your college career. You will be hard to beat with several years of internship experience at CNN and a degree from Annenberg. Very few UG graduates can match that.</p>

<p>I'm not sure how far Northwestern is from the Chicago media outlets, but you should be doing heavy research to find out. If you find that Northwestern is close to major media outlets, I would probably recommend going there simply because it's ranked higher and is generally more prestigious. </p>

<p>Also think about where you would like to work post-graduation. Regional presence is very important in landing a job. In LA, you'll be hard pressed to find a school that has more influence than SC. The same can probably be said for Northwestern in the midwest.</p>

<p>Hope that helps.</p>

3

<p>i can only give you perspective on Medill, and the reason i picked Anenberg is because i didn't get into medill, and annenberg is VERY VERY similar. when are you supposed to make your decision by? i assume you only have until may 1st (which makes things very hard at this point). Anyways, here's some perspective:</p>

<p>both Medill and Annenberg have similar facilities, conference rooms, programs, etc. both also have students who get internships at big media outlets, and students getting jobs right out of college. I know annnenberg has its OWN carreer resource center, and that students get emails (either weekly/daily) with availible internships from various companies. </p>

<p>I was at Medill for a monthlong journalism program last summer (Northwestern National High School Institute of Journalism), and i have to say that Medill really emphasizes ethical practices in journalism, and the honing of basic writing, editing, listening and reporting skills. They even gave all of us a chance to try our hand at broadcasting (the main focus of the northwestern program was writing based--print journalism).
My instructor from Northwestern (who recently graduated) was a broadcast major, and if you have any questions about the program at all, i can send them to her to answer. What the instructors (some of whom attended Northwestern) told us was that medill is VERY competititve (at times stressful) . Based on the sessions i attended at student admit day at USC, i'm sure the same can be said for annenberg. </p>

<p>Medill is viewed as THE school for journalism (in terms of rankings and general top schools for journalism), and i think medill holds somewhat more prestige than annenberg does (Because northwestern is ranked #12, and usc is ranked #30, and Northwestern's program has been around longer than USC's). </p>

<p>Talk to faculty members or students at either school to get a feel for both programs. i think your best bet is to talk to faculty and students to understand which program benefits you more. If you know of any alumni from the schools, talk to them too. If you're ultimately interested in broadcast, I think USC might be the best place for you because of what LA offers (resources due to the media). </p>

<p>you are deciding between two very fantastic schools, and i know it is a very difficult choice. </p>

<p>Getting into medill is a real honor, and if you really want to go there, don't pass up on the opportunity. !</p>

<p>feel free to send me a message if you have any more questions.</p>

4

<p>oh, and for those who asked how far northwestern is from the city of chicago, it's about an hour or so train ride (so it's not nearly as close as annenberg is to los angeles)</p>

5

<p>Northwestern is only 12 miles from downtown Chicago; the train-ride takes almost an hour because of many stops.</p>

6

<p>thank you for clearing that up.</p>

7

<p>does anyone know what the avg beginning salary is for broadcast journalists out of Annenberg? The avg is pretty low for reporters in general, would Annenberg/USC alumni make it higher though?</p>