Hi all,
I am a new member on CC and I will be attending one of thee five universities above in the fall. I have done lots of research and calculated financial stuff, but I am a bit of an indecisive person and am really struggling to narrow things down for myself! Some context:
I am planning on double majoring in some variation of political science and journalism /communications and I know that all of the schools above have amazing or at least pretty good programs for these fields. I haven’t visited UNC or Northwestern yet, but I will be soon, and based on my visits of the other three and virtual campus tours of those two I feel like I like the social / physical environment of all five!
In terms of finances, i am instate at University of Maryland and got a partial scholarship so it would be very cheap, but Fordham and Tulane both gave me decent sized merit scholarship so those would be pretty accessible. UNC and Northwestern (Northwestern more so than UNC) are a bit of a financial stretch, but my family might be able to make it work without taking out too many loans and my parents are potentially willing to do this. Essentially my only question is: to those of you who have attended / have children or friends who have attended or have any other means of forming a personal perception about these schools what are your thoughts about which one I should potentially attend? I understand that ultimately I will have to make a decision for myself, but as part of that process I'd like to hear what other people with more direct experience with these schools have to say! I will be posting this in the thread for each school!
Thank you so much :)) !!
Don’t got to a school that is a financial stretch when you have several outstanding options that are more “accessible” financially.
I have several cousins that went to Tulane and loved it. Can’t speak to Fordham. I can, of course, speak to Maryland. I think if you lived OOS, you would see Maryland as a no-brainer (especially for proximity to DC as a political science major!!!) However, it is a natural response of students to discount their own state flagship, if for no other reason than to get out of Dodge.
I am OOS and went to Maryland as did my son, and both of us loved our time at Maryland. Absolutely no regrets.
If you need specific things for a comparative checklist, check out this thread http://talk.qa.collegeconfidential.com/university-maryland-college-park/1743639-things-to-love-about-maryland-p1.html
Do you have an idea of what kind of journalism you would like to pursue? I ask bc my D’s roommate at Northwestern was in Medill but then switched to poli sci major bc she was not as interested in the more investigative focus of the journalism program (her words). I understand that Medill students have tremendous internships. That’s all I know!
Thank you so much for responding. At this point I am HIGHLY considering UMD having actually visited today & I am not too worried about staying in state. However, I’m also highly considering Tulane because I absolutely loved it when I visited. Having had cousins who went, would you mind elaborating on what they liked about their experience there?
I’m pretty interested in investigative stuff (I first became interested in journalism because of Ida Tarbell & Woodward & Bernstein!!). I’d like to double major in poli sci & journalism and I think that should be doable. How do you think UMD’s journalism school would compare to UMD’s in terms of postgrad placement? I know both are phenomenal, I’m just not quite sure how they stack up next to each other! Thank you so much for responding!
Honestly, I’d have to ask…they are from the South - one was pre-med, and I’m not sure what the other majored in but he’s in business now, so neither are in your field.
So, I really can’t fairly comment on a comparison of schools for your intended major, but… I will repeat that the proximity to DC for a poli sci or journalism major is just incomparable…think of the internship opportunities! Remember that you can always visit New Orleans if you like the area…