My D wants to be a Reporter. Does it matter what school she attends?

Parents Forum
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<p>My D is a bright and ambitious Senior at a middle college high school (high school/college concurrent enrollment) with an average gpa of 3.8, decent scores, and lots of ECs. She's decided from the get-go that she wants to be a Broadcast Journalist/Reporter. My question to you is, does she need to attend a very prestigious school to pursue this career? Based off of my knowledge, a hands-on career like that emphasizes more on internships and connections rather than a highly ranked school (though naturally, it wouldn't be bad in a competitive market). My D thinks she won't get a job if she ends up at a school that isn't NYU or Stanford or whatnot. </p>

<p>Thus far, she's applied to Pepperdine, CSUN, and Cal Poly San Luis Obispo. She's also been accepted to Hawaii Pacific University on a scholarship but she'd prefer to be in the L.A. area. But since she's already accumulated 45 or so college units, she's also considering staying at our local community college to finish the 60 transferable units (1 semester) and transferring then. I suppose we'll see what happens.</p>

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<p>She needs to go to a school where she can get significant experience writing for a daily campus newspaper and doing hands-on work for a campus TV station where she can report and edit. You are right that what gets people internships and jobs in the journalism field is the quality of their work in student media. </p>

<p>I am not familiar with the journalism programs at the schools you mention. I believe that USC and San Francisco state have excellent journalism programs as do Arizona State and U of Arizona. U Missouri and Northwestern are considered by many to have the top journalism programs in the country.</p>

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<p>Right, Mizzou is the school I hear most about.</p>

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<p>Add to those Newhouse at Syracuse.</p>

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<p>I think Columbia has the best journalism programs in the country.</p>

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<p>I second Mizzou. Supposed to be the best. We drove through there last Friday and it’s a beautiful campus. I believe Ohio University is good as well. Here’s what the Ruggs book says are best in Journalism/Communications: American U, Boston COllege, Boston U, UCLA, UCSD, Creighton, DePauw, Florida, Gettysburg, Illinois, Macalester, Miami (FL), Michigan, Minnesota, Mizzou, NYU, NC, Northeastern, Northwestern, Ohio U, Pomona, USC, Southwestern (TX), Stanford, Syracuse, Trinity (TX), Villanova, Washington & Lee, Wheaton (IL), Wisconsin</p>

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<p>Columbia’s excellent journalism program is only graduate level.</p>

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<p>POIH, Columbia’s journalism school is graduate-only.</p>

<p>Whoops, should refresh before I hit post if I’ve taken a call in between.</p>

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<p>If she is looking for broadcast journalism, Arizona State, Syracuse, UNC Chapel Hill, Northwestern, Mizzou are probably the top ones for broadcast. There are many others, but it would be important to explore the broadcast environment of the individual colleges, some may be well known in the past print environment but weaker in braodcast. More important would be to be at a campus where one can participate in an on-air environment. Starting salaries are lower and typically in small markets, but it can be an enormously satisfying career.</p>

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<p>I work in TV news, and my colleagues attended a wide range of schools. Some majored in journalism, some did not. Personality and drive count for a lot in this business. A good liberal arts education will make your daughter’s reporting more thoughtful and comprehensive.</p>

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<p>Your hunch that your D needs to focus on internships and hands-on experience is spot on (I teach in a state university communication program that no one on CC would call prestigious). While the “name” programs may have connections to internships, she could also accomplish a great deal in less prestigious programs. </p>

<p>The key will be her willingness to work hard - very, very hard - and put herself out there. That means taking the graveyard shift at the local station on Saturday night, getting ridiculous amounts of coffee for people, shadowing reporters, carrying heavy equipment, attending every on-campus event and reporting for the school newspaper or TV station or radio station… for free. If you’re not near a major market, she should consider a semester “exchange program” interning in the big city.</p>

<p>At least, that’s what our grads who’ve landed - and kept - industry jobs at the networks and on local news stations and at places like MTV and ESPN have done.</p>

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<p>I have an acquaintance and a close friend whose collective advice is to major in something you are interested in and get the journalism experience around it. </p>

<p>One of these people was a bio major at an Ivy and became a producer for one of the networks and a nature-oriented cable channel where she specialized in biology and nature type stories. The other was a history and urban studies major at our flagship state U (not mentioned in this thread), worked on the nationally recognized student daily eventually landing the top editorial spot, and worked for several different newspapers and the AP after graduation.</p>

<p>FWIW, neither of these schools offered a journalism major at the time.</p>

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<p>Harvard doesn’t offer a journalism major, but it does offer a top notch student newspaper and radio. (Not sure about TV though I’ve seen some things on youtube.)</p>

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<p>I teach high school journalism and spent two weeks at Mizzou this past summer in an intensive journalism program for teachers. That said and assuming she wants to stay on the west coast, I highly recommend you look at Arizona State University’s new Walter Cronkite School of Journalism. Brand new facilities, up and coming program. </p>

<p>[The</a> Walter Cronkite School of Journalism and Mass Communication](<a href=“http://cronkite.asu.edu/]The”>http://cronkite.asu.edu/)</p>

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<p>Surprise nomination here: Ball State. It has a telecommunications department and a new (well new-ish now) facility [David</a> Letterman Communication and Media Building opening](<a href=“http://www.bsu.edu/web/news/letterman/]David”>http://www.bsu.edu/web/news/letterman/) that houses all sorts of digital this and thats.</p>

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<p>Hmmm, it was interesting to see a few smaller colleges on here like Gettysburg and Wheaton (IL). I am curious if folks have more insight on the Communications programs at either of those two (both on D’s prelim list - she is looking at the same field as the OP)</p>

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<p>Missouri used to own a commercial television station years ago. I have no idea whether it still does. It was one of two universities in the country at the time that owned commercial stations. The other one (Iowa State) has since been sold and moved.</p>

<p>Something to consider when choosing a school is how close the school is to a commercial market–even a small one. The big cities are not going to use students on air the way a small market will. And in a small market, you get to do everything. In the Midwest, there is less of an accent as well, which is helpful when you “is lurnin to talk good.”</p>

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<p>According to Google Answers, almost every list includes the following:</p>

<p>Northwestern University, Medill School of Journalism
[Medill</a> - Northwestern University](<a href=“http://www.medill.northwestern.edu/]Medill”>http://www.medill.northwestern.edu/)</p>

<p>Columbia University (grad school only)
[Columbia</a> University Graduate School of Journalism](<a href=“http://www.jrn.columbia.edu/]Columbia”>http://www.jrn.columbia.edu/)</p>

<p>University of Missouri at Columbia
[Missouri</a> School of Journalism](<a href=“http://www.journalism.missouri.edu/]Missouri”>http://www.journalism.missouri.edu/)</p>

<p>University of Georgia – Henry W. Grady College of Journalism and Mass
Communication
[Welcome</a> To Grady College](<a href=“http://www.grady.uga.edu/]Welcome”>http://www.grady.uga.edu/)</p>

<p>Ohio University, E.W. Scripps School of Journalism
[E.W</a>. Scripps School of Journalism](<a href=“http://scrippsjschool.org/]E.W”>http://scrippsjschool.org/)</p>

<p>Arizona State University - Cronkite School
[Cronkite</a> School redirect](<a href=“http://www.asu.edu/cronkite/]Cronkite”>Your future starts now | ASU Cronkite School)</p>

<p>University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill School of Journalism
[UNC</a> School of Journalism and Mass Communication](<a href=“http://www.jomc.unc.edu/]UNC”>http://www.jomc.unc.edu/)</p>

<p>Syracuse - S.I. Newhouse School of Public Communications
[Welcome</a> to the S.I. Newhouse School of Public Communications](<a href=“http://newhouse.syr.edu/]Welcome”>http://newhouse.syr.edu/)</p>

<p>University of Maryland – Phillip Merril College of Journalism
[Philip</a> Merrill College of Journalism | University of Maryland](<a href=“http://www.journalism.umd.edu/]Philip”>http://www.journalism.umd.edu/)</p>

<p>University of Kansas – William Allen White School of Journalism
[KU</a> School of Journalism and Mass Communications](<a href=“http://www.ku.edu/~jschool/]KU”>http://www.ku.edu/~jschool/)</p>

<p>But here is another source:</p>

<p>=======================================================</p>

<h1>Journalism School Rankings - US News & World Report Rankings (previous years)</h1>

<ol>
<li><p>Univ. of Missouri at Columbia </p></li>
<li><p>Columbia University (N.Y.) </p></li>
<li><p>Northwestern Univ. (Medill) (Ill.) </p></li>
<li><p>Univ. of N.C. at Chapel Hill </p></li>
<li><p>Indiana Univ. at Bloomington </p></li>
<li><p>University of Florida </p></li>
<li><p>Ohio University (Scripps) </p></li>
<li><p>Univ. of Wisconsin at Madison </p></li>
<li><p>Univ. of California at Berkeley </p></li>
<li><p>University of Kansas (White) </p></li>
<li><p>Univ. of Md. at College Park </p></li>
<li><p>University of Texas at Austin </p></li>
</ol>

<p>=====================</p>

<p>My son just graduated from Ohio University’s Scripps School of Communication (in Media Arts/Video Production). They have great (guaranteed) merit scholarships, based on GPA and test scores alone, and operate a television station with lots of opportunities (as well as several radio stations).</p>

<p>I highly, highly recommend it.</p>

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<p>Thank you so much, it is very reassuring to know that I was right about the internships and whatnot! (it means I know what’s best, teehee!) She’s looked up most of those schools (Boston U used to be her first choice!) but she realized that she couldn’t be too far away from home and would like to stay in California (we live in the Los Angeles area). She was crushed when we found out that UCLA’s Communications major is closed – for the next two years. She’s applying to USC, but doesn’t like the location very much; it seems like she’s decided with Pepperdine. But, are there any other school recommendations that you would suggest, or any other tips on breaking into the industry?</p>

<p>And this is just an aside, but she’s also considering graduate school… in that case she’d just go to a more prestigious university then. Would that affect anything?</p>

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<p>UC Berkley?</p>