PLEASE HELP ME DECIDE!! And maybe some pros and cons?
I’ll be majoring in journalism and possibly a second major in International Affairs/ IR
Universities :
BU (College of Communications/COM)
GWU (School of media and public affairs)
Emerson (School of Communications)
Northeastern(CAMD)
Syracuse (Newhouse and Maxwell Dual enrollment)
What’s the COA? Will you have to go in-debt for any of these schools?
Have you visited any of these schools? What are you looking for in a school?
Syracuse is off the beaten path. Nice campus but a wide mix of dorms. Some pretty old ones without AC. Well-known for Communications.
GW didn’t seem like much of a campus. DC is great but not sure it’s your normal college experience.
Boston would be a great place to spend 4 years. S21 loved Emerson but he’s a film major. S20 loved Northeastern but he was a business major.
I’ve received merit scholarships from all universities other than GWU and Northeastern. However, Emerson and GWU are a bit over my budget. Northeastern, BU and Syracuse are coming around the same cost. I like the city vibe over traditional college experience since I’m not much into sports and greek life, etc.
Havent been able to visit any of the campuses since I’m an international student.
I would look at BU in-depth. I don’t know a lot about BU. I’m sure they have some sports and Greek life but I don’t think it’s a “jock” school at all. You’re in the the middle of Boston so it’s OK.
Emerson is also good but it’s more of an arts school. Theater, film, painting, etc. Not much of a campus. It’s very close to the theater district. You could walk past the buildings and not realize it was Emerson.
Northeastern could be great fit for you! we’re in the city but still have a distinct campus, little greek life on campus, and sports arent the biggest deal although some games can be very fun! Also, our co-op program is incredible! I’ve heard of journalism co-ops at the Boston Globe, NBC, etc.
Based on what you said above, your two top choices are BU and Northeastern.
The others (Emerson, GWU) aren’t worth paying more for and Syracuse is big into Greek life/sports.
Northeastern has a traditional campus and is preprofessional with the co-op system, BU is very urban (no “campus” to speak of) but has traditional semesters.
If you have a preference, there’s no wrong choice between these two.
I’d go with BU or Northeastern. I’ve been on both campuses, and to me, they felt about the same - Boston inner city campuses, located along major secondary arteries (Huntington or Commonwealth), although Northeastern did seem to have a bit of a campus. I saw a freshman dorm room at Northeastern, and it was TINY for two people. But I didn’t get to see BU dorms for comparison.
Boston is a much better city to be in, for everything, than Syracuse. Emerson is way below the level of BU and Northeastern, and GW is not worth more then BU and Northeastern. Also, if you’re flying, Boston’s airport has a lot of international flights, which will make travel easier, and possibly cheaper for you. We’re from New England, and often find it cheaper to fly out of Boston.
I’d narrow the choice to just BU and Northeastern, and do some more research, especially about whether the co-op program at Northeastern has more opportunities for good internships than what BU can offer. In addition, I’d appeal for more money from both schools, and see if you can wring a few more thousand out of their offers.
Syracuse is by far the most prominent on the list for journalism. But for every “name you know” - there’s 500 people that are not making it in the field…why a 2nd major is always advisable and at least when I was in school, you were required to have a 2nd major. Journalism was always about - how you looked or sounded or wrote and today there are so many more mechanisms and opportunities than in the past. Where SU will help you is the name and being seen and known. For example, I got a job at ESPN - in large part due to SU.
Good luck.