<p>I would appreciate it if current students take the time to answer a couple of questions about the communications program at Steinhardt:</p>
<p>1) My D is considering majoring in COM, with analytical inclination. In other words, she is more interested in the interdisciplinary aspects of communication analysis, rather than the generation of mass communication via various media and/or the PR aspects of it. How is the COM program at Steinhardt oriented - more towards the former or the latter? How much latitude is there to tailor your study towards the analytical side? Looking at the descriptions on the web site there should be quite a bit of opportunity to do just that, but it would be nice to hear it from current students.</p>
<p>2) Are admissions to Steinhardt COM significantly more competitive than CAS?</p>
<p>steinhardt is slightly less competitive than CAS</p>
<p>How so? Can you please elaborate? Thanks for your time...</p>
<p>Communications is not a real major. Why pay thousands of dollars to learn nothing. She's better off going to a state school and learning it. It's all the same b.s. </p>
<p>Steinhardt has lower standards across the board (probably because of music programs and such). It's not hard to get in, I know really dumb people doing com at Steinhardt.</p>
<p>
[quote]
Communications is not a real major.
[/quote]
</p>
<p>Can you please elaborate? I certainly agree that it can be fluff, but that seems to largely depend on the school. I get the impression that comms at USC, UCLA, Penn, and Ann Arbor is serious business. Not sure about NYU yet.</p>
<p>It is one of the very few majors that can be significantly influenced by geography, and NYU certainly has geography working in its favor. It is weird seeing comms bundled with a bunch of other essentially vocational departments, when I get the impression that comms is not a typical professional school at NYU. It is in CAS in many other schools.</p>
<p>My D is drawn to it because of the interdisciplinary nature and relatively broad scope, which can also be its weakness and the reason some people tend to label it as fluff. This is also my inclination for practically anything in humanities (have a grad degree in physics :-) but I readily admit that it is just bias. </p>
<p>My D has been looking at the listings in CAS, and nothing really sounds terribly exciting to her there, at least on paper, largely due to the significant subject concentration. 4 years of English, anyone --- shudder. Africana studies? NOW we are talking fluff, what can you possibly study in that subject matter for 4 years? IR is not really her cup of tea, and neither is journalism. She does not seem to be self-driven enough for Gallatin.</p>
<p>Thoughts? Comms majors willing to defend their subject?</p>
<p>Communications is not fluff because it's probably the one of the majors that can be useful to a wide range of careers. The need for effective communication, which addresses internal and external audiences, is very much in demand in the 21st century. </p>
<p>A communications specialist can work in human resources, advertising, publications, research and development, sales and marketing, and training departments. They can do contract work as a freelancer, work for a consulting or public relations firm, in the foreign service, for the government at all 3 levels, labor unions, non-profit organizations, in the medical services field, and at colleges, universities, technical and vocations schools.</p>
<p>My friend graduated NYU with a communications degree and she's currently interning at JP Morgan & Chase as a public relations major. Another friend of mine, who is also a graduate from NYU's Steinhardt, is currently working as a trilingual interpreter for an international company oversea. </p>
<p>However, I do advice your daughter to double major in something that pertains more to her career. Courses in economics, finance, management, marketing, and sociology can round out her communication studies and help with her entry or advancement in the workforce. </p>
<p>Steinhardt is not easier to get into than CAS, but it is slightly more HOLISTIC as the school emphasize less on your GPA/SAT score and more on your dedication towards the community.</p>
<p>GroovyGeek,</p>
<p>My dad owns a division of Seagate (a company that designs computer chips) so he definately shares a common view with you :) Many people in the technology/science field tend to label humanities as "useless", just as we laugh at you all for being ignorant and deprived of cultural experiences. </p>
<p>Nontheless, after visiting NYU, my father became extremely impressed with Steinhardt's com programs. He completely supports me as long as I go for pre-business as well.</p>
<p>My D is going to NYU Steinhardt in the fall in violin performance, but she wants to do a minor in something else. She's considering creative writing and journalism in CAS (NYU grad program in creative writing is top-ranked; for journalism, it would be technically a double major but journalism is set up with minimal requirements), and Record Producing in Tisch.</p>
<p>I suggest to continue to look through what CAS and Tisch have to offer in regard to possible minor concentrations that might provide some focus -- recognizable to folks reviewing a resume -- to a Communications major. NYU offers a lot in related areas across the university in writing, visual arts, and performing arts (technology, business, and management for someone not a performer him/herself). Not sure about the more 'analytic' disciplines but I imagine they are there.</p>
<p>My D is drawn to it because of the interdisciplinary nature and relatively broad scope, </p>
<p>Why not do Gallatin?</p>