Journalism schools HELP!! IU vs. USC vs. Syracuse vs. Penn State

<p>I have applied to Indiana University Bloomington, USC, Syracuse U, and Penn State. I am very nervous because I worry I am not making the right decision or not applying to good enough J-schools. :-S Does anyone know the pros/cons of each and what you all recommend. My dream is to move to Pittsburgh and work for the Pittsburgh Post Gazette or the Pittsburgh Press or maybe even a magazine there and I really need to know what program will get me to the place I want to be. I think I'm on track to get into all of them, so the playing field is kind of open.</p>

<p>The top-ranked journalism school is Mizzou and a direct admit is not all that tough, relatively speaking for CC. (Top 10% of HS class OR 29 ACT OR 1290 CR+M SAT) If you can meet any one of those criteria, why don’t you apply there and if you get in, you’ll at least have the option of going to one of the top J-schools.</p>

<p><a href=“Undergraduate – Missouri School of Journalism”>http://journalism.missouri.edu/admissions/undergraduate/&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

<p>I’m also considering Emerson, Mizzou, and U of Oregon.</p>

<p>My niece just graduated from USC in sports journalism and she loved the experience. Had several very good internships in LA. Speaks very highly of Annenberg.</p>

<p>As far as getting a job in a particular city, get a job first. It’s a very competitive industry undergoing enormous change. It’s very important that you be flexible and savvy about your career. </p>

<p>Where you go to school isn’t going to be very important after a couple years. The work that you produce will be what enables you to move into jobs that you want. Pittsburgh’s a lovely city, but the world has many great places to live.</p>

<p>The less mobile you are, the less your job and promotion prospects. If you insist on a certain city, you’ll take whatever job is offered there, even if a better one is on offer in another city. That can be career suicide and it gives you zero negotiating power with your employer. Yes, it’s a pain to move, but when you’re young without a house and kids in school, you should plan on going where opportunity takes you.</p>

<p>The media is flooded with apps from kids who majored in journalism or english but have little other knowledge to bring to the table (and who are frightened by math/science). If you want to look like the rest of the herd pick those majors. Some get jobs, but many struggle.</p>

<p>What really jumps out is a kid with experience in the media (writing for the school paper, summer job at a paper, intern in television, etc) but majored in something that gives them an ability to understand the world out there. So if you have an aptitude for science or languages it would be better to major on one of those fields AND pursue journalism via the school paper and internships. Someone with a business or accounting degree has a leg up, too; open the paper and see how many articles are about business and the economy, usually written by people who’ve never taken a single class in the area who are at the mercy of the PR staffs that want to spin what is reported.</p>

<p>So the most important thing for you to know is that your future is going to depend on what you do, not whether you attend some “best” college for journalism. Plenty of kids from great schools such as Syracuse or Missouri are going to struggle to find jobs because they didn’t spend the time laying the groundwork to be attractive to employers. To be sure, going to a top school and taking advantage of all the resources puts you in a great position. Bottom line, however, attending a top school doesn’t guarantee success, nor does going somewhere else prevent it. </p>

<p>A second thing to bring up is “why journalism”? Many HS kids have a narrow view of the types of jobs out there because they don’t really see too many examples. So a kid that likes to write may take part in the HS paper and decide “journalism is for me” even though it has become an increasingly troubled field. Yet if you take a step back, what are journalists doing? They are sharing ideas with others, they are trying to inform and/or persuade, they are learning about new things, to give a few attributes. If you think of these as dials on a career chooser then all of a sudden a wider vista opens up. Twist the dials and you might be interested in a job in advertising, public or media relations, government policy, for example. Maybe journalism is the best fit but until you take the time to think about other options you won’t know.</p>

<p>^I second this: major in Political science, history, “foreign language/place” studies (French studies, not just French; Latin American Studies, not just Spanish…), international relations, economics, science&society, AND minor in digital media or such AND work diligently at your university’s newspaper, get internships in publication, etc.
Therefore, since basically all colleges have the above majors (except perhaps the “studies” version of the language, ie., where history and contemporary culture of the countries where the language is spoken, are emphasized, rather than or equally to its literature - examples of this within your selectivity range include FSU, Penn State, Dickinson…) what you need to focus on is the quality of the newspaper. What awards has it won? How often is it published? How competitive is it to work there - can you start as a freshman and what do freshmen typically do? What internships do newspaper writers get? Is there a chance to develop the website - as web development and apps are the only way for journalists and anyone contemplating journalism should be looking into those fields. </p>

<p>Arizona State has an amazing program with the Cronkite School of Business. Northwestern University’s Medill School of Journalism is a great choice as well - especially if you are trying to gain your Master’s degree…even before you graduate with your Undergrad. </p>

<p>Syracuse is amazing as well and you can’t go wrong there either. </p>

<p>Try looking into Temple University - their journalism/communications program is great! </p>

<p>But to be honest with you…the school doesn’t matter as much as the internships. Knowing people and gaining real life experience in is more crucial in the job market for Journalism. Many employers may not even ask you where you went to college…they will want to see a portfolio of some sort. </p>

<p>I’ve studied this field for years so I hope it helps! </p>

<p>I second the advice from @mikemac. I am in the field. This is my advice:</p>

<p>Do not major in journalism. Major in a liberal art. Anything. Could be English, History, Japanese Culture, Classics, or Anthropology, to name a few. The number-one most important thing is to join the student newspaper the first day you step on campus and stay with it until the day you graduate. Select a college that has a good DAILY newspaper with a strong digital presence. Google to find a list of the top daily college newspapers, and go to one of those colleges. </p>

<p>Another option is to go to a school with a good writing program or communications school - that gives you more flexibility on graduation. Schools like Emory or Hamilton for writing or BU for communications are all very successful for getting students into highly regarded places in all forms of media, not just journalism. My wife knows someone who’s daughter went to Hamilton and got a job working for a media company that no journalism major would ordinarily have a shot at. And BU Communications is actually very good at getting people into Hollywood or broadcast journalism as well as traditional journalism jobs.</p>

<p>My daughter is a sophomore in Northwestern’s Medill School, and decided at the end of the last year to double major in Political Science. But as others have noted, her #1 love at school is working for the school paper. What I like most about the Medill program is the breadth and the hands on experience. Second year students are required to take a class that is a storefront newsroom, they are on the street developing their own stories. One quarter, most students taken a residency, where they are basically working as an intern at a real site. </p>

<p>Look at University of Florida (UF) not Florida State University (FSU).</p>

<p>@kidacat - Those are all fine journalism schools. As a person with a degree in journalism (and English) and a former newspaper reporter, let me warn you that print journalism is definitely a dying vocation. Sad, but true. I understand the passion for it, but unfortunately you WILL need to make a living. I have seen some very good and seasoned reporters let go from some big daily newspapers because they just weren’t needed. That said, there are still newspapers, and they need reporters. You will likely start at a very small paper somewhere…perhaps a weekly, or you will begin as an intern with a big paper for a finite period of time…they will use you to get stories for them on the cheap in exchange for experience for you, but then when the time is over, that’s it.</p>

<p>Is broadcast journalism at all an option for you? Or do you mind if most of what you write ends up on the internet rather than in hard copy print? Those two options are better roads today in my opinion. Or, if you can really focus on a specific type of writing and reporting (financial, religious, government, etc.). Combine a degree in journalism with one in History or Political Science or Religion or Economics.</p>

<p>Being a reporter can be a tough job. Seems every meeting or event that you need to cover begins at 7:30 p.m. I left the business when I got married. I wanted to see my wife in the evenings and knew I wanted children to see eventually. Don’t mean to be a downer on your passion, but you asked for opinions. The world needs great writers, so even if you decide someday not to work as a journalist, you will be able to use the skills you honed in college as a journalism student. Good luck.</p>

<p>I’m definitely planning on either writing for online or magazine. I’m also very into web design and graphic design in general.</p>

<p>Are any of those schools in-state for you? How will you pay for them?</p>

<p>Erin’s Dad, no, they’re not. My state has horrible schools and almost the worst education standards in the entire US. To get a good education and get good internships, I need to go out of state. I have my own online business where I have saved up a really good chunk of my first year’s tuition and my parents can help a little and I will take some student loans. I have also applied for like a million scholarships that I pray I will get. Also, I should also get a good chunk from FAFSA.</p>

<p>financing college 101: YOU cannot pay for college since you can only borrow $5500 your first year and 27K for four years. schools will expect you and your family to pay an amount (the Expected Family Contribution) determined by your family’s income and assets. In order to determine what that amount is, you must go to the financial aid page of any school in which you’re interested, click on the net price calculator (npc), and provide the info they request. The npc will provide you with an EFC and that will pretty accurately (unless your parents are divorced or own a business or second home) tell you what you’ll have to pay the first year and perhaps each year thereafter unless there’s a change in your family’s assets, income, or ability to pay. Do this for each college.</p>

<p>This is the only way you can determine what a college will cost you. You might want to transfer that money you’ve saved into your parent’s savings in order to get the most out of your hard work. You should also know that outside scholarships are usually for small amounts and for one year, non-renewable. It is not the best way to finance an education.</p>