Recommend some Journalism schools in my reach?

College Search & Selection
1

<p>Hi. I'm a junior going to a NJ public school. I'm looking at schools in or around the mid-atlantic, but I wouldn't cross out any schools beyond that area, I just think that if I were to go far it would really have to be worth it, both financially and academically. </p>

<p>I had an 88-89 GPA the end of my sophomore year, I'll get the numbers for my junior year in a few months. My SATs are decent 1240/1840 (670 CR, 570 M, 600 W).</p>

<p>I've visited Temple which is supposed to have a very good Journalism program, but I didn't get a lot of information about it when I was there. Is it really that good? Does it offer a lot of opportunities? Does it have a good reputation? </p>

<p>I also saw UConn and liked it a lot but I wasn't sure about the amount of internship opportunities it would have to offer since it's essentially in the middle of nowhere.</p>

<p>I'll also apply to American and Syracuse as reaches, but I'm certainly not counting on getting in there and even if I did, I doubt I would be able to pay for it.</p>

<p>And, I'll apply to some state schools (Rutgers, Ramapo, TCNJ) for the in-state tuition.</p>

<p>What other good journalism schools could I get into? I'm looking for a school on the larger side but am open to smaller schools as well. </p>

<p>ECs:
SADD - 2 years
Newspaper - 3 years (very selective, hold page editor position and hopefully editor-in-chief next year)
Homework Help Center volunteer program- around 30 service hours for this year, will probably participate again next year and get another 30, and definitely do some additional community service in the mean time. This is a selective program as well.
Over the summer I will be volunteering at my local assemblyman's office, so I'm hoping that will set me apart a little bit.</p>

<p>Any advice offered would be greatly appreciated!</p>

2

<p>Syracuse isn’t that hard to get into. I would say it’s a match, if you can get your Math Score up.</p>

3

<p>“Is it really that good? Does it offer a lot of opportunities? Does it have a good reputation?”</p>

<p>Yes.</p>

4

<p>How about University of Maryland? Excellent journalism programs, and even OOS tuition would be less than American. Some great internship opportunities there.</p>

5

<p>If you would be willing to leave the Mid-Atlantic region, consider Mizzou, which has an excellent journalism program. </p>

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

6

<p>Thank you! I’m considering Mizzou but I think it might be too far. I don’t think I could afford to fly out there unless I managed to dig up some money. How about UMass and Penn State?</p>

<p>How difficult would it be for me to get into Maryland?</p>

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<p>Also, can someone expand on Temple? Is it respected?</p>

8

<p>How bout Ohio University? It’s got a great Journalism school and is “around” the mid-Atlantic. You would get in the university, as well, with your scores. It’s “large”, like you want (but not gigantic). Only thing is, it’s kind of expensive. Tuition, room and board, and meal plan is a combined just under $30,000 for OOS. However, you could probably establish Ohio residency after just a year to decrease the cost for your remaining three years.</p>

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<p>Shannon, I already said yes. Basically everyone in the Philly media is a Temple grad, especially journalism and communications.</p>

10

<p>Look at Northeastern. You may be able to be in the coop program and get some good paid experience. U Maryland has a good program, but it is a Limited Enrollment Program. That means that you need a certain GPA in certain courses to gain admission to the major. I’m not saying that it’s the end of the world, but it is a consideration.</p>

11

<p>Although it is located in the Midwest, Northwestern also has a good undergraduate journalism program.</p>

12

<p>University of Maryland is not a match for OP; it would be a reach/high reach. If you would consider going west, both Mizzou and University of Kansas have solid j-schools.</p>

13

<p>tenisghs, NU does have an excellent j-school but it would be a very big reach for the OP.</p>

14

<p>Thank you dionte. But I guess the question I should be asking is can you go outside of the Philadelphia-area with a Temple degree?</p>

15

<p>I wouldn’t discount Maryland for her yet. Depends on GPA junior year as well and if she can pull up her math SAT score a bit. Her out of state money might be appealing in this era of tight state budgets…</p>

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<p>Is that a serious question?</p>

17

<p>Cuse has one of the best journalism schools in the country and its within range if you work for it.</p>

18

<p>Keep in mind that journalism is a highly fluid field these days. Print journalism seems to be in crisis. People are losing jobs, not getting them. I don’t know where the field will be in five years, which is when you will be looking for a job.</p>

<p>You might do better to get the best well-rounded education possible and then pursue journalism as a career with your educational credentials leaving you the broadest possible choices. That won’t preclude a job in whatever forms of journalism are active in the future, but having a degree in journalism could simply leave you feeling lost as the field continues to evolve. (Even people with masters degrees from Columbia’s J school are looking in vain for work.)</p>

19

<p>Thanks for the advice, mattmom. I’m definitely going to go to a school where I can keep my options open and either double major or minor so I have something to fall back on.</p>

<p>Yes, dionte, that was a serious question. I wouldn’t waste anyone’s time asking it if it wasn’t. I’m very, very interested in Temple and haven’t been able to garner much information about the Journalism program specifically besides what’s offered on their website and what others have told me, which is simply that it is “very good.” I figured a few more opinions couldn’t hurt. I’ve heard that a Temple degree doesn’t mean much outside the Philadelphia area compared to a degree from Penn State or another similar school, although I assume that the journalism program is an exception. I know people have done very well after graduating from Temple, I know it’s a good school, I wouldn’t ask about it if it wasn’t. Still, I want to thank you for taking the time for reading my post and responding to my questions, however foolish you find them.</p>

20

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<p>Well that’s just not true at all. Temple is a nationally and internationally respected school that believe it or not has a better rep outside of the Philadelphia area. The difference between us and Penn State is that their alumni network is completely enormous and much more expansive than ours nationally. Their alums tend to be more into ‘school pride’ and go out of their way to help out their own. We just have to do more of the leg work ourselves, although our connections in basically all industries are phenomenal.</p>