<p>So here is my problem. I understand the prestige of being an Editor-in-Chief of a newspaper (or a tri-editor in my school's case as we have three rotations of staff), however, being an EIC would do nothing for me in terms of what I want to do in journalism. I'm currently one of two graphic and design editors on the paper, which goes more with what I want to do in collge (Communications Design with a concentration in Magazine Design). It involves a lot of work (being a specialist in InDesign and Photoshop, being available 24/7 to work out any problems, going to every workday after school instead of just every third week like all other positions, EICs included, etc.). It really is the most time-consuming position on the paper, and it's what I love. But I'm worried that considering I am applying to a number of Journalism/Communication programs, people will look down on the position because it's not the supreme leadership one. Do you think this is the case?</p>
<p>thentheresme, which country are you from? I have a similar query =/ I am the Editor-in-Chief of my school magazine (an annual 200 page publication). I have also designed and compiled over three departmental journals. Is Editor-in-Chief a formidable achievement at top journalism colleges?</p>
<p>I had the same dillema at my school, but I’ve gotten into all the schools that I’ve applied to (Depaul, U of I, Loyola) and I think you will be fine as long as you state somewhere in your admissions papers about your responsibility on the paper.</p>
<p>I had the same predicament as you. I really, really wanted to be Opinion Editor because I’d get my own column, but I was lured by the prestige of Editor-In-Chief. I ultimately chose Opinion Editor because I decided that Editor-In-Chief wouldn’t have been as fulfilling of an experience for me–Editor-In-Chiefs at my school at least do more organizational work, and what I wanted to do was write, write, write. I would suggest you go with which position you’d be more passionate about. As long as you can convince colleges on your resume that you have put forth a significant time commitment and have experience with graphic design programs, they will be impressed. Journalism is becoming increasingly multimedia oriented anyway, so graphic design skills are increasingly in demand. I think at 95% of colleges, it doesn’t matter which editorial position you hold, as long as you demonstrate that it’s a significant achievement!</p>
<p>Is your staff really that strict that you can’t be EIC and work on graphic design too? I’m the online chief of my school paper, which involves a lot of organization and planning. However, as one of the members of the executive staff, I have to know how to do…well, pretty much everything there is to do. I write constantly, take photos a few times a week and get to help out with the print paper layout too. My real responsibilities are writing and organizing the online paper, but I simply like the other parts of the paper as well, so I help out those areas whenever possible. </p>
<p>Talk to your journalism teacher/moderator and see if you can work out some kind of an arrangement. I don’t really know what journalism schools are looking for, but you probably can’t go wrong with being EIC. Still, if graphic design is your real passion, maybe just go for that.</p>