Journalism kid needs help picking journalism schools

College Majors Journalism Major
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<p>I'm planning on going in to journalism, and would like some info on journalism schools.</p>

<p>I know I don't NEED to go to j-school to be a journalist, but I want to go. </p>

<p>I've heard over and over that it was all about the University of Missouri-Columbia, and I've also heard stuff about Northwestern. I'm not exactly impressed with Missouri as a school (outside of its journalism program) and I'm afraid Northwestern will be filled with the same stuffy over-achievers in my AP Government class. Some people will straight out say Mizzou is the best, whereas others won't even mention it when talking about good j-schools. But then I've seen it consistently on top of US News rankings of journalism schools, but I'm under the impression that they haven't been updated in about 10 years. I'm really confused! </p>

<p>I'm partial to Mizzou, because the history is really interesting (the first school) and it has great opportunities with the Columbia Missourian and so forth.</p>

<p>I'm also really interested in Santa Clara, though I know its not a top program at all. I've heard its one of the better ones in California, though (where I'm from). It's also Catholic/Jesuit.</p>

<p>Soo... I guess my question is, are all 3 of these credible programs? And if Missouri is so great, then why do they breeze over it in their viewbook, listing other US News ranking programs but not the j-school? My mom works at a Mass Comm/Journalism department at CSU Fresno, and all the professors say Missouri, and there is one Missouri alum there.</p>

<p>Does anyone know the real story?</p>

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<p>Nope, can't say I really know the "real" story, except that forget the rankings...if you are intested in journalism you should check out this list of accredited journalism schools: <a href="http://www2.ku.edu/%7Eacejmc/STUDENT/PROGLIST.SHTML%5B/url%5D"&gt;http://www2.ku.edu/~acejmc/STUDENT/PROGLIST.SHTML&lt;/a>. But don't rule out schools with strong communications programs, too, where you can often major in communications but craft it like a journalism degree.</p>

<p>Anyway, the real benefit of a journalism school is its networking abilities, because I really believe anybody with two braincells in their head can write a newspaper article. So when you contact schools ask about job placement and if the journalism school has a special career center, and what types/how many internships students usually have.</p>

<p>The liberal arts education I think is the most important part of being a journalist, and so I also looked for j-schools that emphasized this philosophy that the liberal arts education was more important than the journalism education. The reason why I would never go to Mizzou even though it's ranked so high is because I really have heard the quality of the education is questionable outside of the journalism school, and that will really be the most important area of your study. A lot of people know how to write...but not what to write about, which is why I think Northwestern really is the top school for journalism. It combines a great journalism program with a solid foundation in whatever you want to write about, from political science to engineering.</p>

<p>So those are some ways you can get info for yourself first hand about Santa Clara and other schools you may be interested in. Look at the quality of the school overall first...journalism second...and then focus on how the j-school can help you build a career, IMHO.</p>

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<p>

. . .

[quote]
As a former journalist and editor who hired reporters, I want to echo something Carolyn wrote deep into her story. You don't have to major in journalism to be a good reporter. In fact, I thought it sometimes was a detriment. I'll explain below.</p>

<p>A journalism minor or part-time work on a campus paper, radio or TV station while majoring in something else such as business, urban planning, government, etc. may provide a much better preparation to be a working journalist. I hired j-school grads who had the story formula down pat, but they had no perspective. They wrote formula stories that lacked depth. Over time I came to prefer people who had work experience in another field but also had a talent for writing. In my experience, they generally were better reporters. </p>

<p>So my advice differs slightly. I think you may be better off finding a school where you can minor in journalism while getting an education in another field that prepares you to know and understand how business, government, politics, etc. actually works. That way you'll know what is real news and not just pablum.

[/quote]
</p>

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<p>Missouri is top ranked in the field of TELEVISION journalism - it so dominates the field, grads are called 'Mizzou Mafia.' If TV journalism is what you want, Missouri is the place to go. For print, Syracuse, Northwestern & Columbia are good (Columbia for internship opportunities in NY.) </p>

<p>You're right, you don't NEED to go to j-school to get into journalism. But it sure helps.</p>

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<p>Boston U.</p>

<p>I know Temple's is pretty decent.</p>

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<p>Ohio U in athens (NOT Ohio State)</p>

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<p>Syracuse University has one of the top 3 J-programs in the nation. 'Cuse is particularly strong in broadcast (TV) journalism and magazine journalism. Tons of EPSN commentators and people employed by big-name stations (national NBC, Fox, CNN) also went to Syracuse. As a matter of fact, the person who interviewed Terrell Owens (former Eagles WR) last year in the interview that got him booted from the Eagles was actually a Syracuse journalism freshman! He has since appeared on CNN and Leno and has interviewed (before T.O.) Adam Sandler, Muhammed Ali, etc.</p>

<p>If that is what you are looking for, Syracuse is the place to go. Beats any J-school in the northeast hands down and is right up there with Northwestern.</p>

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<p>Yeah, but it's in NY XD</p>

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<p>There is no definitive list, but based on discussions with a j school adcom (on a college visit), the editor in chief of a large metropolitan newspaper (a college friend), review of publically available articles, and (suggested by the adcom as significant) review of the results of the William Randolph Hearst College Journalism Awards ("the college Pulitzers") over the last 10-15 years, here's what seems to be the pecking order, at least among mid-sized to large schools (note--schools in categories are always listed alphabetically):</p>

<p>Very Top of the Heap--very strong in all areas: Mizzou, Northwestern, Syracuse</p>

<p>Just Below: Miami (Fla), North Carolina, Penn State, Southern Cal, Texas</p>

<p>Very Good Overall, and at the Top in particular areas: Illinois (adverising), Maryland (political reporting), Ohio U. (print)</p>

<p>Some others of note: Arizona State, Boston U., Georgia, Florida, Indiana, Kansas, Michigan State, Minnesota, Western Kentucky (for photojournalism), Wisconsin.</p>

<p>My oldest daughter is a senior who wants to be a journalist, so we've done a lot of research in this area, and visited several of the schools. If you want to pm me, I'd be happy to answer any questions I can.</p>

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<p>Do you mind if I ask some questions? I'm looking into journalism schools as well. I'm applying to Maryland, Texas, Northwestern, Syracuse, Chapel Hill and USC. Have you visited any of these schools? Could you share your impressions of the program there and/or just any little interesting tidbits you might have? :).</p>

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<p>heh superfantastic, i applied to unc, ut austin, usc and northwestern as well ... ended up at northwestern. you can't beat the size, location or quality of the student body.</p>

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<p>The funny thing is when I picked these schools I didn't even have journalism in mind particularly for all of them...</p>

<p>Northwestern is very high up on my list, because I really value a good liberal arts education, and I know a poli sci degree from Northwestern is going to be a lot more intellectually stimulating than one from, uh, Syracuse or something.</p>

<p>As far as location, though, I don't know...Austin and LA are pretty cool places...Evanston is just some Chicago suburb :).</p>

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<p>USC is in a ***<em>ty part of L.A., you NEED to have a car b/c public transportation in L.A. sucks. Austin is cool, but it's in Texas *cringe</em> and it's also not a huge city. Evanston is very well connected to Chicago and I must say, Chicago is awesome. I'd never been to the midwest before I came to NU for orientation week, and I fell in love with the city right away. Evanston is a very <em>nice</em> suburb, btw. </p>

<p>I'm a poli sci major here, if you have any questions regarding the department.</p>

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<p>Of the schools you mentioned, we visited Syracuse and Texas, and live 10 miles from Northwestern, so no formal visit was necesary. Some impressions of these schools:</p>

<p>Syracuse--very slick presentation, from the here's Syracuse film, to the bull session with the adcom (about 30, worked in the music industry before coming back, and very hip), to the wall of famous alums you pass on the way to the Placement Office. Really pushed placement, and noted that SU and Mizzou are strongest alumni networking programs in journalism area. Excellent facilities, particularly in the broadcast area, where SU is best known. We weren't overwhelmed by the surrounding city, and it gets really, really cold and snowy in the winter (and this is from a native Chicagoan), but it's a terrific program.</p>

<p>Texas--very impressed by the school and the city, but the j school is not emphasized--there is no separate j school tour, we couldn't make an appointment to meet with anyone at the j school (you can apparently do that occasionally, but we were going to be in the area on a particular day, and, despite the fact that we called a month earlier, no one was available that day), and, most importantly to my daughter, you have to reapply to the j school after sophmore year with the possibility (admittedly slim) that you might not get back in, and wind up in LS&A. We were left with the impression that UT would be a great place to go to school, but that it was intent on selling the school as a whole and not the journalism component.</p>

<p>Northwestern--excellent school and journalism program in all areas (particularly print). Very pretty campus. Students--in j school and otherwise--can be somewhat arrogant (at NU, more than any of the other j schools we visited, there was an aura of why would you go somewhere else if you could get in here?). I'm prejudiced, but I love Chicago--no better town to live in. To love NU, you have to be a very hard charger, and want your college experience to be intense, but that's you, it's an outstanding journalism program.</p>

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<p>I think BU's journalism is better than you gave it credit for.</p>

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<p>Thanks for all the good feedback. Someone up there said something about Ohio U and then added "NOT Ohio state."</p>

<p>I think this is hilarious - I have a friend who is a print journalism student, and got Ohio State mixed up with Ohio U and is currently ATTENDING the wrong school, because he was under the impression that it was state with Scripps. Didn't really do too much research I guess.</p>

<p>He just found out about a few weeks ago. So for the longest time I too thought it was Ohio State, just because thats where he said he was going for Scripps. </p>

<p>Ok, maybe not hilarious, but kinda funny.</p>

<p>Anyway, SU sounds great, but I couldn't imagine shipping out to NY from CA straight out of high school. I have a print focus, but I've heard arrogance stories about Northwestern that really turn me off. Plus its expensive and I probably couldn't get in anyway.</p>

<p>But thanks for the info :-)</p>

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<p>I would strongly consider the University of Florida</p>

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<p>Al Neuharth, founder of USA Today and the Freedom Forum, former CEO of Gannett.</p>

<p>Tom Brokaw, retired NBC News anchorman</p>

<p>Pat O'Brien, Current host of TV's "The Insider"</p>

<p>I think the past alumni of the University of South Dakota speak for its Journalism department.</p>

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<p>pat o'brien.</p>

<p>um.</p>

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<p>jkid, Mizzou is the real deal in journalism. Actually, the "Missouri Mafia" mentioned by another poster is primarily composed of people in the print, not television area--the school has a very strong newspaper journalism subconcentration, and places very highly in national writing competitions. It's also strong in the TV/radio area and other subdisciplines, like the other leading j schools. You asked why Missouri doesn't emphasize the journalism department more in brochures--my guess is that it's because there's no need to do so because the program is so well known, and they'd like to attract a stronger student body in other disciplines. It's NOT because the department isn't top of the line--it is. </p>

<p>The plusses we found when we visited Mizzou were the enormous practical experience you can get working in actual commercial newspaper/TV settings as opposed to campus ventures (available nowhere else), the atmosphere/school spirit which pervaded the campus, and the effort the University seems to put into making the student body happy (for my daughter, the new $50 million student rec center voted #1 in the nation by Sports Illustrated was a big plus), the placement opportunities afforded by the program's reputation and alumni network including the aforementioned "Missouri Mafia", the breadth of journalism offerings and commitment to the program (a new journalism convergence center, made possible by a $32 million donation to the department from an alum is going up as we speak), and the attractiveness/vitality of the campus and surrounding town. The downsides are that departments outside the j school are lower rated than those at other schools, i.e., if you change your mind about journalism, you likely will not be as able to slide into another strong department within the University as you would at other schools with outstanding journalism programs, and the overall campus is less diverse than other top j schools (though this is less of a problem in the department itself). There is a substantial "Greek" (fraternity/sorority) presence on campus, perhaps more so than at other leading j schools, though it is not all encompassing, or a seeming hinderance to social activity if you do not choose to join. Whether that's a plus or a minus is up to you.</p>

<p>Hope this helps.</p>