medill vs newhouse

<p>Hi, I have already been admitted into both of these schools under the magazine major. I was wondering the pros and cons of both schools and how they compare...
Also if i end up at newhouse i will probably switch to the broadcast journalism major, which to my understanding is very highly ranked...
Thanks so much!</p>

<p>Two questions:

  1. How have you already been admitted to both? NU admissions decisions for RD have not been released, meaning you only could have gotten in through ED, which is binding.
  2. Why would you switch to broadcast at SU if you haven’t had a chance to explore the options?</p>

<p>And one comment:
*There is no “magazine major” at NU–it’s just journalism. I have serious doubts that you really are an admitted student.</p>

<p>@atarddecer0

  1. I got into northwestern early but the lack of financial aid i received has given me the ability to not go there.
  2. what i meant to say was not a magazine major, but specializing in magazine if that makes sense. On my trip there i talked to some people and they said that was possible. is in not?
  3. I said i might switch to broadcast journalism at SU because it is my second choice and recently i have personally come to like the idea of that major more. </p>

<p>Sorry for the confusion and if you think i am lying or something, but that would be dumb. why would i do that…</p>

<p>journalists don’t make much at the entry-level. if SU gives you a generous scholarship, you should seriously consider it.</p>

<p>as far as how they compare in journalism goes, they are peers and you know more about the specifics than most of us here. so it’s probably not worth to pay much more for medill. </p>

<p>if you are not so sure about journalism, NU is a better school in other fields and more prestigious; it’d be a pretty different academic environment. the decision would be a bit more complicated in this case.</p>

<p>Thanks. well SU gave me a couple thousand dollars more than northwestern.
I fell in love with northwestern when i visited it my sophomore year and hate the fact that finances may not allow me to go. Its not that i am not sure about journalism is more which field i want to study i am torn between magazine specialization if i go to northwestern or broadcast if i go to syracuse.</p>

<p>@wittywriter: Sorry if I came off as an ass before, things just didn’t add up.</p>

<p>You do get a concentration in journalism–newspaper, magazine, or broadcast–but you do not choose a specific medium during your freshman year (although you may have some idea). I have friends that are magazine and broadcast journalists, and all of them have had success gaining exciting internships and decent jobs after graduation. </p>

<p>Having been a Medill student myself, all I can say is not to overvalue the quality of the JOURNALISM education you will receive at NU. The instruction and actual skills you will gain is pretty much equal at all respectable j-schools. So the only variable is brand name. While the Medill name can get your foot in the door, it does not guarantee success–that depends largely on your motivation and dedication to the craft. </p>

<p>Lastly, like Sam said, if you are not sure about journalism, then you ultimately should choose the school where you feel most comfortable and confident that you can do well academically, socially and personally. I don’t mean to dissuade you from going into journalism or make you second-guess your career aspirations, but I had the same mentality 4 years ago when I accepted Medill’s offer in the freshmen class. I had my heart set on journalism for two full years before applying, and by the end of my first year I had gotten all the forms to transfer to Arts & Science (and am now in the process of applying to medical school! ha). All I mean to say is don’t put blinders on and consider only journalism when making your decision. Hope that helps.</p>

<p>Medill’s print journalism experience is measurably better than any other undergraduate program in the US. The overall academic quality of your fellow students will also be as good as one can find anywhere. Broadcast is a different story, though. Newhouse has a very strong program and is very well connected to industry (at least regionally in the Northeast). The same applies to USC’s connections on the West Coast and Maryland’s connections along the Baltimore-Washington corridor. Missouri has a national reputation for strong preparation in all subfields but is academically less rigorous than NU.</p>

<p>To follow-up atardecer0’s comments, while the attrition rate at Medill remains very low, ultimately only about 1/2 of graduates go into pure journalism based careers. Many find their way into related fields like PR, advertising, and marketing. A large contingent head off to law school. No matter where they go, Medill’s name carries a significant brand advantage when applying for jobs or to grad schools. Writing skills are highly valued and the expectation by the world at large is that Medill grads deliver on these skills.</p>

<p>If you think broadcast is your calling, Newhouse will prep you very well. But if you ultimately change career paths, even if not as dramatically as atardecer0 did in seeking a path to medical school, you may give consideration to the advantage Northwestern’s academic cred will offer.</p>

<p>@Bala:
I’m curious, how many medill grads per graduating class do you think head off to law school?</p>

<p>Straight out of undergrad - I would guess no more than 5-10%. But this number probably doubles by the time one looks up to 5 years out from graduation. Overall, I’d expect the number to be similar to that seen at most competitive colleges.</p>