How Should I Decide on Which College to Go to?

[RuuIsk34]

<p>Dear CC Community,
In essence my question is this: money aside, would you sacrifice going to a school with a better program in order to go to a school with a better location, atmosphere (for you), and internship/job opportunities? Or would you go to the school with the better program?</p>

<p>I posted on this thread hoping someone has been in this situation and in hindsight wishes they either did or didn’t do something different when choosing a college.</p>

<p>Here are all the details for anyone who wants to know a little more. Oh, and I’m going to be a freshman in the fall of 2013 and I hope to major in Journalism or Public Relations. </p>

<p>I applied to the following four colleges for the following basic reasons:</p>

<p>The University of Tennessee – Knoxville:
- In my current home state.
- Best public school in home state.
- Good Public Relations program.
- Close to home, but not too close.</p>

<p>The University of Georgia:
- Went there for a week this summer for their journalism camp and had a blast and loved the experience.
- One of the best public journalism schools in the country.
- Close to home, but not too close.</p>

<p>The University of Missouri – Columbia:
- The first journalism school in the country.
- One of the best public journalism schools in the country.</p>

<p>The University of Minnesota – Twin Cites:
- Dad graduated from there and so I’ve been there many times ever since I was a little kid and love the school and area.
- Half of my extended family lives in the state and so while I’m really far from home, I can still visit family any time I want or need to.
- Lived in the Midwest until I was 13 so I’m very familiar with the atmosphere and type of people that live there.
- It’s IN the Twin Cities so there are many more internship/job opportunities than any of my other schools seeing as they’re all located in much smaller areas. </p>

<p>I’ve gotten into Tennessee, Minnesota, and Missouri but for argument’s sake let’s say I get into Georgia too. I’m very thankful to have the opportunity to go to any of these schools because they’re all great, but in case it isn’t obvious Minnesota is the one I’m really leaning towards. Like I said, I grew up in the Midwest, moved to Maryland and then moved to Tennessee my junior year of high school. While I really do like UGA’s journalism program the best, I’m not sure how I feel about living in the south for another four years because I’ve discovered that the south really isn’t the place for me. I wish I could move their program to Minnesota, and then I’d be set!</p>

<p>I just want to go to a school that has a great program and opportunities and all that, but also where I could really feel at home at. So what would you do? Money aside, would you sacrifice going to a school with a better program in order to go to a school with a better location, atmosphere (for you), and internship/job opportunities? Or would you go to the school with the better program? All answers appreciated! Thanks!</p>

[wallrus75]

<p>First of all, I hate when people say “I want to be close enough to home so I can drive back for a weekend.” You won’t want to do that, so you should be looking at other things. Are you fine with driving a long distance a couple times a year? If yes, then take location out of consideration. It will make things simpler. </p>

<p>Being the first journalism program doesn’t matter, delete that. </p>

<p>Being the best public school in homestate doesn’t matter since you are not comparing it to any other schools in Tennessee. There is very little advantage to going to the best university in the state.</p>

<p>With all of that revised, you have</p>

<p>The University of Tennessee – Knoxville:
-Good Public Relations program.
-Instate tuition</p>

<p>The University of Georgia:
-Went there for a week this summer for their journalism camp and had a blast and loved the experience.
-One of the best public journalism schools in the country.</p>

<p>The University of Missouri – Columbia:
-One of the best public journalism schools in the country.</p>

<p>The University of Minnesota – Twin Cites:
-Love the school and area.
-It’s in the Twin Cities so there are many more internship/job opportunities than any of my other schools seeing as they’re all located in much smaller areas. </p>

<p>I’ve been enrolled in the University of Minnesota since 7th grade and have not had 1 bad experience. The Union is amazing, the resources are limitless, and the professors are open to work with you. </p>

<p>From there, you really just need to evaluate how nice that instate tuition is and whether you want to go to a public relation school or a journalism school. I would personally choose Georgia or Minnesota because you have the most experience with those two. I also happen to like people in Minnesota more than down south (they just seem more… friendly). I would also just research which of these schools have the best crossover between journalism and public relations in case if you want to go from one to another.</p>

<p>I just recommend making a long list, and then deleting things until you simply it. Don’t try to make things too complicated.</p>

[Bezan1]

<p>I would say either Tennessee or Missouri. If Missouri really has the best journalism school in the country then why wouldn’t you want go…And even though tennessee might be close, it is a really great school and you might even find some of ur friends over there if you’re lucky and who doesn’t want to be with their friends… So it’s up to you to decide though! I’m just recommending some schools that I know you might like!</p>

[ucbalumnus]

<p>Does cost matter? Do you know your net costs from financial aid and scholarship offers, or estimates from the net price calculators?</p>

[mom2collegekids]

<p>If your parents will pay the costs no matter where you go, then you can put costs aside.</p>

<p>If your parents won’t pay all the costs, then this issue is important. Journalists often don’t earn much for many years. I’m not even sure if you should take out the max Stafford loans for a journalism or PR degree since income can be so low those early years. </p>

<p>How much do you think you’ll be earning upon graduation from college?</p>

[egelloc80]

<p>Cost should never ever not matter but anyways I would second Minnesota (cost aside)</p>

[michellel]

<p>I would say it depends on how set you are on journalism and how strongly you feel about the location thing. Most students end up changing their major, so I wouldn’t choose a school just because of one program there. Plus, I don’t know how you came to the conclusion that UGA has one of the best journalism programs, but be careful not to put much faith in rankings (they’re generally biased and often more reflective of graduate programs than undergrad ones). Also, have you visited all these schools? Often if a school has a good reputation that extends beyond its region, it will draw students from all over and will have a cosmopolitan feel. In other words, maybe the southern schools don’t actually feel that southern.</p>

<p>Based on what little I know about your situation, I would gravitate towards the schools with the best location/atmosphere/internship and job opportunities.</p>

[lenmen]

<p>College is a part of life and life is a holistic experience. I personally would not go to a school within 100 miles of where I currently live, because I want to experience something different, even if there was a school with a very excellent program that was within the area. You should pick what you feel will make you happy all-around. You’re spending a lot of money and time, and a couple of ranks on an arbitrary list should not make the choice for you.</p>

<p>Secondly, is journalism the type of program where the level of the school makes much of a difference? From my understanding (although I could be completely off), with paths like Journalism, the crucial/difficult part is transitioning into the job market, in which case, those internships are pretty important.</p>

[Ivyt]

<p>Minnesota if you can afford it seems like where you want to go</p>

[redpoint]

<p>I cringe when I hear “best Journalism department.” According to what? Dont make your personal choices based on some arbitrary ranking. Also, I’m wondering about price. Just because a school is public doesn’t mean it’s much cheaper than a private school if it’s out of state. Maybe these are less expensive schools for out of state students, I don’t know.</p>

<p>If you are seeking a journalism degree, price is crucial. It is a popular field, and it’ll be tough to make much money for a while. Follow your dream, by all means, major in journalism if that’s what you love, but don’t go into debt to do it. Take the least expensive route, unless you have strong objections to it.</p>

[critmaster]

<p>can anyone grade my essay?</p>

[EliKresses]

<p>If you to to Tennessee, steer clear of butt-chugging…o.O</p>