Should I apply to Medill?

Colleges and Universities A-Z Northwestern University
1

<p>Hi! I'm a high school junior interested in Northwestern University. My extracurriculars, elective and awards center around writing and journalism, including radio and television, and I plan to incorporate journalism into the rest of my life. However, I don't think I want journalism to be my sole career.</p>

<p>The reason is that I like journalism because I like communicating about subjects I love, and those subjects mainly encompass the humanities and social sciences. In other words, I want to use journalism to analyze history, politics, etc. I want to express my own ideas in my writing or broadcasting; pure journalism that just recounts current events seems too narrow for me. (Correct me if you have majored in or worked in real journalism and have a different perspective!)</p>

<p>On the other hand, I write editorials, actualities, and other types of news most days, and when I go to college, I know I'll be seeking positions with newspapers and television stations. Whichever college I choose, I'll probably at least get a certificate in journalism anyway.</p>

<p>I've also read online that the best journalists actually did not major in journalism. That sounds the most appealing to me, because I love history, English, politics, languages, economics, international relations, and so forth. My instinct is telling me to select among those instead as my undergraduate concentration.</p>

<p>If I apply to Medill, I think my journalism- and writing-focused application, which may include my work, will be strong. And since Medill is difficult to transfer into, it might be better to apply there first in case I finally do decide on journalism.</p>

<p>On the flip side, I'm academically qualified for Northwestern, so I could apply to the less-selective Weinberg and thereby increase my chance of overall NU admission. Plus, I'd hate to possibly take away a Medill spot from someone who is 100% set on journalism.</p>

<p>Should I apply to Medill?
If I matriculate to another NU college, such as Weinberg, would I still have opportunities to study journalism as a non-major?</p>

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<p>You can definitely become a successful journalist without majoring in journalism. However, if you’re coming from a school with a journalism major/school, employers will probably give priority to journalism majors first (this is just my speculation though, so take it with a grain of salt). I imagine in this economy, there are hundreds, if not thousands, of people applying for a single internship(pair or unpaid)/job. There’s nothing like Medill to signify a stamp of readiness to enter the field. The reality is that hiring managers probably don’t read every single application submitted-- they screen for those with a big name (in the journalism industry, this means Northwestern, Columbia, Syracuse, etc) and/or connections. It’s just easier and saves time/resources. At Medill, you will have both. Imagine if they seriously consider every single liberal arts major applying (and a lot of them will have communications experience of some sort and are applying to journalism jobs just because), how will you stand out?</p>

<p>Also, employers know that Medill students are broadly educated in the liberal arts, since 2/3 of their classes have to come from outside Medill. </p>

<p>Regardless of which path you pursue in college, be aggressive in securing summer internships, making connections, and developing a strong portfolio. Develop a sophisticated LinkedIn profile. Even 2nd degree connections will matter in that your friend/acquaintance who knows somebody at a big company could then push for you to get an interview, which is obviously the first crucial hurdle to securing that internship/job. </p>

<p>Also, scan the entry-level positions at your desired publications/companies now to see what kind of experience they will be looking for. You don’t want to reach senior year only to find out most of them require a year or more of experience in the form of internships/publication experience and/or special skills (e.g. digital) you could have spent time developing but didn’t. Consider positions in communications departments of corporations/non-profits/NGOs as well, not just publications (e.g. Google, UN, etc.).</p>

<p>Journalism is a very competitive industry, as you know. Be bold and persistent. Good luck!</p>