I’m a wannabe journalist, but interested in a liberal arts education at a small to mid-sized school in a large city. A journalism major is preferred, but I’m also considering majoring in international studies or linguistics. Some stats (warning: not the strongest):
SAT: 1530 (790 reading + writing, 740 math), 790 (literature subject test), 660 (U.S. history + math 1 subject tests)
GPA: 4.0 (unweighted, I’m homeschooled so no APs available)
Extracurriculars: Beta Club (president), theatre, work as a lifeguard/swim instructor, yearbook, lots of volunteering
Honors/Awards: National Merit Semi-Finalist, some silver/gold medals in the National Spanish and National Latin Exams
Here’s my current list (top 3 schools are in order but otherwise I’m lost):
UChicago
Northwestern
Columbia
Georgetown
Fordham
George Washington
American
Emerson
Syracuse
Washington U of St. Louis
Washington & Lee (rural but great journalism program)
Iona
St. Edwards
Lipscomb
Reed
Earlham
Wesleyan
College of Wooster
Creighton
Tufts
A wide range, as you can see. Anyone have any input in terms of what I should add/delete? And what do my chances look like for the more prestigious schools?
Have you visited any of the “prestigious” schools (or any of the others, for that matter)? Do you have any idea what they are like, and whether they might be a good fit for you, or did you just pull those names off a ranking list? I would worry less about getting into a “prestigious” school, and more about getting into the “best school” that you can, in the sense that the “best school” is the one at which you can be your personal best. The “best school” for you may not be what you consider to be “prestigious,” or some other place with great name recognition.
As another poster on College Confidential once noted, “There is so much more to college than just academics, and there are plenty of jewels out there that are not top ranked. In the end where you find happiness is where you will more likely excel which is the ultimate goal. If you are hating life you are not going to do well no matter how great a school is or supposedly is. College is what you make of it no matter where you land.” So don’t be overly concerned with “prestige.”
COW is not in a large city. Syracuse is an excellent choice for journalism.
Look at the Common Data Sets for the respective schools, in particular Parts C7, C9, C11, and C12; that may give you some information to compare with your statistics, and provide a rough estimate of your admission chances.
The top journalism programs that I know are UNC, Northwestern, and Missouri.
The list is very disparate in terms of profiles with a lot of colleges that are very different from each other. Can you share more about type of vibe and culture you’d like at colleges? Have you visited any and what are some colleges you like? Do you care about Greek or prefer not a big Greek presence? Sports to root for or no? Geographic part of the country? Are you applying this year or do you have more time?
Finally, do you know your family’s EFC and what your parents are able/willing to pay? That’s a huge driving factor for pulling together a solid list.
This info can help those on CC provide better guidance.
From my list, I’ve visited Northwestern, UChicago, Columbia, and Georgetown (also have visited Stanford, UC Berkeley, UCSB, UCLA, Chapman, USC, Vanguard, Biola, Cal Poly SLO, Hillsdale, Loyola, Notre Dame- and Juilliard but that seems irrelevant).
As for vibe, I like the quirky intellectual feel combined with the energy of the city at UChicago (my top choice). Also loved Berkeley but I’m trying to go out of state and I’m not interested in a huge public school. I also spent the summer at SCAD and enjoyed the individualistic, artsy culture, but I’m not sure if that’s a reasonable wish for a non-arts school.
I’m not into partying and not planning to join Greek life, so I’m looking for a school without a heavy emphasis on it (I should probably drop COW now that I think about it). I don’t care either way about sports (I’m a huge pro football fan but I can live without a decent college team).
As for location, I’m from sunny SoCal and looking to experience something different, so (mostly) looking at the Midwest and northern East Coast. I don’t care too much about being close to family but I do have relatives in D.C. and Nashville.
I’m applying this year (and have procrastinated waaaaay too much, as you can tell).
EFC is around $9000 and my parents are able to pay $10-12k.
I would consider adding Rice to your list. It doesn’t have a journalism major per se, but Princeton Review rates it as having the #3 ranked school newspaper in the country (behind Columbia and Syracuse). Moreover, you don’t need a journalism degree to succeed at the intersection of writing and politics. For example, Ben Rhodes–who became an influential speechwriter and adviser to President Obama while he was still quite young–graduated from Rice in 2000 with a BA in English. Josh Earnest, who worked as press secretary for Obama, graduated from Rice in 1997 with a degree in Political Science.
With 3,900 students and a unique residential college system (think Harry Potter) that supplants Greek life, Rice offers a nice cross between the intimacy of a LAC and the resources of an elite research university. The campus is lovely, and Houston is a happening town these days.
Like you, my daughter hails from sunny SoCal and considered some conservative schools (in her case, Wheaton in Illinois) in addition to the usual suspects. She has quite happy during her years at Rice. The Texas Gulf Coast provides a very different feel and experience from arid Orange County, but without the bone-chilling, hibernation-inducing cold of somewhere like Chicago or Syracuse. Good luck!
Ohio U (not The Ohio State U) is probably lower-tier for the OP, but it too has a very strong journalism program. Otherwise, I like the OP’s spread of schools. He/she should be a shoo-in for schools like Wooster, Earlham, Creighton, and a few others (these are all fine colleges, btw; I like Wooster a lot).
Just understand that some of the OP’s reaches are real reaches, in particular Columbia, Northwestern, Wash U, and U of Chicago. The rest of the list seems sound. There are still reaches (Georgetown, even Reed (which is very idiosyncratic, as a school and for admissions)), but none of the schools make me think that they are crazy impossible.
Consider the University of Georgia Honors College & SMU.
Some of the schools on your list are a bit ridiculous in my opinion for one with such strong academic credentials. Better to apply to large state university honors colleges & get significant merit aid than to attend any school where you won’t face academic challenges fitting your abilities.