So unfortunately UC Riverside does not have a communications or journalism major which is completely frustrating. I am on the waitlist at Santa Barbara and I am really hoping that I get in which may be completely crazy. My question is, is it worth it to major in something else, while still participating in the Highlander News or the KUCR? Or should I maybe think of going to a community college and transferring out to a school with a journalism program?
How serious are you about journalism?
What majors are available at UC Riverside that offer courses similar to what you would take for a communications/journalism major?
Do you know any working journalists who could help you with this decision?
How easy would it be for you to commute to the CCC? What could you do there to get more experience (newspaper/radio/TV)?
Do you know what type of journalism you may want to do? What many people do is major in a field related to the type of journalism they want to focus on, while also gaining journalism experience via on campus publication, local pubs, and internships. So for example, if you’re interested in politics, you could major in poli sci or in public policy. If you are into science, you’d major in a lab science. Etc. Maybe add a minor in English or similar.
Regardless, UC Riverside does offer journalism under their Media and Cultural Studies major: https://mcs.ucr.edu/major/
So you can major in that.
having a journalism degree is not as important as having journalism experience. Maybe you get into a journalism program after 2 years at a CC, but maybe not. Consider what its like to be a student at the same school for 4 years vs 2+2 (and the chance you don’t get your choice of major), estimate the odds, then choose.
And it should be no surprise to you that employment in journalism has been in a steep decline, so you might want to broaden your interests be not just traditional journalism but others who write for a living (public relations, in-house publications, lobbyist, advertising, etc).
College is a great time to explore career fields, you should be a regular at the career center from your first year.