Hello all. I am a senior in high school from Texas who is having a considerable amount of trouble choosing between three great schools that have admitted me. I have chosen these schools based off of their stellar journalism programs as I am an aspiring journalist, though I plan to pair a journalism major with, perhaps, an IT management major. I have worries about each of the three schools for different reasons, and was hoping some of you all could provide insight or opinions that could possibly assist me in this decision making process. The three schools are: the University of Missouri at Columbia, Northwestern University, and the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.
Thank you for taking the time to read this; any help would be much appreciated!
Those schools all have really different atmospheres! Have you done a campus visit? I don’t know anything about Mizzou, but I know of the three, Northwestern is the most “prestigious,” and, being from Charlotte, I only have great things to say about UNC.
Medill has a program that is associated with the school of engineering called the “Knight Lab.” You will definitely get tech, coding, and IT experience with that program, all while improving your skills as a journalist.
I can’t claim to know a ton about IT, but I do know that Mizzou has a good data journalism program that involves coding and computer assisted reporting (CAR) classes. I can answer any questions you have about Mizzou.
I’m fortunate enough that budget isn’t a big issue. I know that Northwestern is significantly more costly than the other two, but my parents are willing to pay for any of the three in exchange for a great education. My primary concern is which of the three would be the best fit.
Nombred - I have done a campus visit for UNC and Mizzou. I loved both campuses. I haven’t seen Northwestern yet, but will be visiting in two weeks to get a better feel for it!
CaliCash - That is definitely extremely valuable to know, thank you!
CE5 - Though I don’t doubt I could gain great experience in the journalistic world by attending Mizzou, my main concern with it is the quality of education outside of journalism classes…especially since I’m interested in double majoring with both a journalism and business/IT degree. I’ve been accepted to the honors college there, but the other two schools have arguably just as renown journalism programs while also having extremely strong academics outside of journalism.
Do you want to go into journalism? If so, both Northwestern and Mizzou are fabulous. As a former TV producer/newswriter, I’ve met many grads from both schools (and worked at a Mizzou-Mafia station, lol.) They were all smart, accomplished and did very well in the job market. J-school can be hard to do a double major just because it’s a time-consuming program – but a colleague of mine did a double major journalism/economics at Mizzou, so in theory it can be done.
If you’re still uncertain that you want to major in/work in journalism, Northwestern might be the “safer” choice since as a whole it does have the reputation of being more selective. If you end up with another major, outside of journalism, the Northwestern name will carry more weight.
My S graduated from Medill and felt he received an excellent education. His professors were fantastic, and he enjoyed his JR (journalism residency). He also double majored in history and thought those profs were outstanding. He also was able to devote time to being editor of a campus magazine. All of your choices are good. If you share your specific concerns, we may be of more help. Good luck!
Thank you both for great insight! I’ll be more specific about my concerns.
I outline in a comment above my main concern about Mizzou. For Northwestern, my main worry stems from multiple comments/reviews I’ve read online that accredit NU with a hyper-intense workload to a point where students have little social life and end up having a negative college experience due to the “large amount of stress and competitiveness plaguing the university.” I don’t mind working hard and am definitely looking for an institution in which I’ll be challenged, but I also want to have an enjoyable experience amongst others who have pride for their school and aren’t only focused on not failing their classes.
northwestern and mizzou are at the top tier. unc is good, but does not compare to the others. sort of like cornell versus stanford. the former is very good, but it aint stanford
Honestly, I’m not sure that Northwestern is any more competitive than most very selective universities. Pre-meds, those trying to get into selective undergrad business and/or MBA schools, will be competitive at all the more elite schools.
That is very true. I suppose that comes with being a top-tier academic school, and that the degree of competitiveness largely depends upon which major the student is going into. Thank you again!
I work in journalism and we have summer interns. The best intern we ever had was a recent Northwestern grad. She was able to do whatever job we gave her, and we cover every kind of story where I work. If she’s typical of the students that come out of that program I’d pick Northwestern for sure.
Comparing Mizzou and Northwestern, NW is the better ranked and in Chicago so I’m sure access to many more journalism opportunities. If money really isn’t an issue, I’d go there in a heartbeat. Stunning campus on the shores of Lake Michigan too. But you’ll see all of that in 2 weeks. You need to find best fit as well.
@delurk1 Very nice to know! Thanks! @rkelly5182 The lake (and campus, really) looks absolutely beautiful. You’ve made a great point about having even more journalistic opportunities with Chicago so close to campus…thank you!
Because you could do a business certificate and if journalism doesn’t pan out, you have way out. Same principle for journalism /it . Northwestern 's certificates are useful for post grad professional outcomes.
Hiver are you sure finances are no issue ? In most families they’d be. You don’t want your family’s go into debt for you.
