<p>I understand that Communication Studies is the ideal major to get into for journalism but is it fairly comparable getting into it as an English major? The reason why I ask is because I will be attending CC in hopes of transferring to UCLA and there is A LOT of competition in the field of communication; the average GPA of admittance is around a 3.89. Going to UCLA as an English major is way less difficult to get into and thus I'd like to play it more safe and go in as that.</p>
<p>My main career goal is to become a sports writer so would being an English major help prepare me for the field in journalism and will employers not see me as qualified as an applicant who was a communications major in college? </p>
<p>I also hear that one can get into business as an English major? What specific jobs in business would I be able to get into as opposed to someone who was a business/econ major in college? Thanks in advance.</p>
<p>First, let me admit that I graduated from university in 1981, so what I say may not be relevant anymore. Still:
I earned a BA in English and came out of my university (not a nationally-ranked institution by any means ... I doubt you would have heard of it) and landed a job on a major metro daily immediately. In fact, I was hired before I graduated.
I believe English is an IDEAL undergraduate major for someone who wants to become a print reporter/journalist for a few reasons. The bottom line is: you learn to read carefully, analyze and write. You learn to read huge amounts of material and distill it in a way that others can read and understand. And no one can argue that reading some of the best writers who ever put pen to paper :) can hurt you as you develop your own writer's voice.
In my opinion, the key to getting a reporter's job AFTER graduation is not so much what you study as an undergrad, but WHAT INTERNSHIPS and experience you get before you cross the stage for your sheepskin. So, while you are studying as an undergrad, get internships (paid or volunteer or for credit) on local publications, and write for your college paper. Even if it is only a weekly, you will get experience in the process of reporting and writing, and you can use those clips to get internships on other papers, such as community weeklies. The idea is to build yourself a portfolio of clips that you can use to go up the next step of the ladder. Good luck!</p>