No!
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Yeah, thatās basically their mentality.
How does Criminal Justice with a minor in Journalism sound? I saw that option in the Kean University program. I could do law school later, or become an officer, maybe with an internship. Maybe that could be my ānicheā when I become a journalist.
Youāre right about all of this, but I donāt have a choice. I wonāt get a car for a long time (my brother didnāt until he went to med school) and my sisters take the train, sometimes taking two hours and going at nighttime. My parents are cultural, and they donāt think taking the train is more dangerous than living away from home.
Iām trying to do so at the moment, but theyāre really stubborn. My sister wanted to do fashion or interior design, but she compromised with architecture. Iām trying to compromise as well. I was considering a major like Economics or Data Science to complement the Humanities major, but the bit about AI replacing jobs has me a bit worried.
Which topics would you like to write news stories about? Those subjects could suggest what college major might go well with a journalism interest. E.g. data science or statistics could be helpful if you want to write about things involving statistics (which range from medicine, elections, economics, sports, etc.). Economics is obviously applicable if you are a journalist writing about economics and business topics. Political science and international relations are applicable if you are writing about those topics.
But also consider which majors could be helpful in getting non-journalism jobs if journalism is too competitive to get into, and whether you like those non-journalism jobs associated with each major.
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Crime stories seem to be a staple of local newsā¦ but is that the kind of journalism you are interested in?
I havenāt, actually! Thatās one of the colleges Iām willing to attend, even though itās not very selective, if NYU doesnāt work out. The major you mentioned sounds very useful, Iāll look into it. Does it require fluency in another language and a professional internship before enrollment?
I tried the NPC and it says that my net price will be $19,110 and my EFC will be $11,549. It doesnāt include any merit aid, so maybe it will actually be cheaper.
Probably not, since my familyās gross income is about 140k. Do they take into account household size?
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But if I specialized in, say, diplomacy or foreign language, I think Iāll be able to find a job that hasnāt been taken by AI or other people. AI can report the news, but we still need people to interpret it, right?
I believe so, if I specialize in an area that is in demand or underrepresented. Thatās also why Iām not going to take Journalism alone as a degree, because itās not good enough by itself.
Iām not aiming for a six-figure income- my parents are. I donāt really want that many kids in the future, if any, and me and my future partner will probably be able to cover all costs of living. Unpopular view- I think money is overrated. Whenever you have some, you just want more of it.
Itās definitely my goal in life. Itās been since fourth grade, and is unlikely to change. I just want to balance it with practical decisions and backup plans in case it goes wrong. The first plan was always to be a journalist.
Nope! Just for graduation.
No idea. What I quoted is all that I know. This NJ website seems to have more info about various opportunities the state provides: NJ Grants Home | New Jersey Student Financial Aid | HESAA
Iām not sure, but they may allow deductions for dependents when calculating the AGI. But thatās something to investigate more and ask the NJ officials about.
If criminal justice is of interest to you, and ālawā in general, I could see your parents relating that to feasible career options.
Whether you truly end up working with a public safety agency - or whether you end up with a job that more directly incorporates your passion for the written word ā you are not limited to ācrime reportingā either, or ānewsā stories in general.
You may discover many other jobs, even outside of public safety agencies, where a journalism/literature/English major will be an important factor, and your criminal justice degree will also be required. Writing talent will be needed for training manuals, for public relations, for advocacy groups,ā¦
There are journalists with law degrees. So itās practical.
You asked if poli sci is a waste. No major is a waste. Life is long with many turns. What you do with it is what matters. M people become successful withiut colkege, going to junior college b4 a four year school and going to lesser known schools .
If you work hard to secure opportunities, if you try new things and run with them, then you will find lifetime success.
It comes from grit and hustleā¦so if youāve had a goal, chase your goal. It may or may not be Bos a major. You donāt need to be a journalism major to write - but you could be.
If you do IR or Intl studies, youāll likely need to go abroad - great for writing stories - but will your parents let you leave a close radius of home to study abroad ?
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Iām not picky about which form of journalism I want to take on. Whatever is more in demand, Iāll take it, and take any courses needed to specialize in it. I just want to communicate the truth to people, and since I love writing, itās the perfect job.
Neither. My parents donāt want me to leave the house just yet. Itās a cultural thing.
Weāre middle income, but I have so many siblings, so I have a limited budget to work with. The problem is, I donāt think grant-giving institutions really look at household size, which puts me in a difficult situation. Iām going for merit scholarships or sweepstakes- just throwing the net as far as I can.
I know it will be difficult. But I think if youāre really passionate about something, youāll find a way to make it happen. Maybe itās naive, but what else should I do? Throw away my goals and let others decide my life for me? No, thanks.
I canāt figure it out. It seems their ability to pay rests on whether they care enough about what theyāre paying for. Recently, they enrolled my younger siblings in a private school and paid a lot of money for it. But when my sister had to pay nearly $10k for her tuition one year, she paid for half of it with her own money from her job and had to take out loans for the rest. So, I donāt know. I think if I did med school, theyād pay for it all, but if I did a humanities major, they wouldnāt pay because they donāt care for it as much. That kind of makes it difficult.
Great, then go for it! As others have noted, there is not much advantage to a journalism degree (perhaps a minor bump if its one of the renowned programs) versus a degree from a good program in one of the areas you would like to write about. For the journalism itself, it will all be about internships and other experience (working on the college paper or TV station, getting traction with your own website, getting published in known places while in college, etc.) ā all of which can be done whether it is your major or not.
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I believe NYU has many opportunities for internshipsā¦ especially because theyāre in NYC. Do you know of any other colleges that offer good internships?
I donāt have a problem with moving away, but my parents might. I think by then Iāll be gone anyway, since Iāll have a paying full-time job and be out of college. I am willing to travel almost anywhere, thereās nothing rooting me.
When you talk about making enough, a lot of media today is contracted. To magazines, to tv stations vs employees.
So these folks have to fight for everything they get. All the talking heads you see on various stations or writing for Forbes. So many are contractors.
You become a journalist and a business person. You are the product.
Maybe you can ask a local journalist, at a community paper if you can shadow and maybe write some short stories forā¦covering a school board meeting or town council meeting, etc.
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Yeah, my parents donāt like that major either, unfortunately. My sister wanted to do Psychology, but she ended up doing Clinical Lab Science instead.
Hopefully I can. Parents can be stubborn, though. Itās hard to get them to listen. Thanks for your encouragement, though!
Thank you, your insight was very enlightening.
I suppose I do put a lot of emphasis on college prestige, but thereās other reasons I want to attend NYU. Itās located in NYC, where Iāve always wanted to go, and itās diverse and expansive. There are a lot of options to study abroad and do internships. But if I donāt end up enrolling and instead go to a small-town college, Iām hoping to just do a major Iām passionate in.
Nah, theyāre āreligiousā about not dorming. Iāll be fine- my siblings managed. They took the train.
Like I said, my parents are stubborn. Sometimes they donāt respond to reason.
They want me to commute because they donāt want me to experience school life. Itās too liberal for them and they think Iāll go wild or something. Itās alright, Iāll just take the train.
I think it depends on the college. To Kean there are 1-2 train rides, and a short walk. To NYU I think thereās a train close to my house, that goes to NY-Penn Station, then a short walk to a short subway ride, then another walk to the university. Overall, itās about an hour and a half. Not too bad, considering it takes nearly an hour to get there by car anyway. Itās a bit expensive, though.
We take out a lot of loans. Obviously my parents canāt pay 70k a year for med school. We also budget a lot- on trips, shopping, etc. My dad has a pretty stable job, and my mom works too. They work hard, and Iām grateful. I just wish theyād be a little understanding.
For example, pharmacy is not easy to get a good job in, but they still want me to do it. If not, then something else related to healthcare or at least a STEM major.
Iām not really interested in math or economics (as a matter of fact I hate it), but Iām willing to study it if I can do Journalism alongside it. Itās not that Iām bad at math- Iām pretty good, I got an A in all my math classes, which were all Honors, and my math teachers give me good feedback. Given a reason, I can do math, and do it well. Economics could be a little trickier- but Iāll just work harder and Iām sure I can manage. Again, I need motivation.
I want to write about international topics, be a foreign correspondent. Thatās what I want to do most, but I also want to have a backup plan if things go wrong money-wise. The Data Science and Statistics is to mollify my parents, who need to see some STEM in their kidsā studies or else they think itās useless. Iād really like to do something related to Government, History, or International. Iām hoping to report abroad, become an activist, that type of thing.