<p>I am currently a high school junior interested in studying journalism. I plan to apply to a variety of different types of schools so I can leave my options somewhat open. Schools that I plan on applying to apply to include Northwestern Medill (Big Reach), USC (Reach), BU (Match), Fordham (Match), Maryland (Match), Wisconsin (Match) and Colorado (In-State Safety). Others I am considering are Texas, Missouri, Indiana, Georgia, Santa Clara, Northeastern and Brandeis. I know quite a variety...
Anyways a school that has recently caught my attention is the University of Iowa. The University of Iowa is very well known for it's english and creative writing programs and this is something that very much appeals me as my interest is primarily in written print and online journalism and I think it might be a really good idea to combine a journalism major with a major in one of these well-known programs.
However while the school offers a journalism major I am unsure about how it compares to the major at the other schools I am considering. Does anyone know the reputation of the program? What the major is like? If it is geared more toward print, online and editorial media or broadcast? How big is the major and what are the caliber of the journalism students? Are internships and experience avaliable? I am particuarly worried about this since the school is very isolated from major cities? How is job placement? Does the school emphasize the liberal arts within journalism education?
Beyond the journalism program I also have some other questions about the school. The University of Iowa is attractive to me because it appears to offer a traditional and well-rounded college experience. The University also appears to attract a fairly large out-of-state population. Although the school is in Iowa, I have heard that Iowa City is very progressive, artsy, liberal and cosmopolitan. Is this correct? How does it compare to other midwestern college towns such as Madison, Bloomington, Columbia and Ann Arbor? Also do students take advantage of these opportunities or is more of a straight drinking and party culture? Does life get boring here? Are the students worldly or is more of a small town population as you would expect in Iowa? Would someone interested in artsy, cosmopolitan life feel out of place? Also do students go to Chicago often?</p>
<p>Don’t know anything about University of Iowa, but as a Brandeis and Columbia J-School alum, I definitely recommend you take a closer look at Brandeis 
[Journalism</a> Program | Brandeis University](<a href=“http://www.brandeis.edu/programs/journalism/]Journalism”>Journalism Program | Brandeis University)</p>
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First I would say remove BU, it does not have a good journalism program as I know this myself from previous research. If your really set on journalism I would place Iowa and Missouri at the top of your list along with the other schools you plan to apply to.
I am a student at Iowa and have taken creative writing classes. The creative writing courses offered are regarded as the best in the country, and also among the best abroad. I know several journalism majors, many who have not taken creative writing classes but still view their future degree in journalism from Iowa as prestigous. I am not a journalism major but think the program here is great, as there are creative writing classes offered for whether your major is journalism, english, and even business.
There are many internships offered for all majors, including study abroad. There are also many organizatinos to help gain internship in your specific field. The Daily Iowan is the school newspaper which is active and also offer broadcasting. As for jobplacement, I wouldn’t worry about not finding a career out of state. About half of the schools job placement is in Iowa, part of the reason could be by graduates choice. Second largest placement is in Illinois, specifically Chicago. The furtherst city that I saw with high placement was Denver, but many have chosen to work in coastal states ( just fewer than say Iowa or Illinois).
Iowa City is the best college town witin the Big Ten and is very progressive. A lot of students weekends do not consist of always being at a bar or party, and the city is also very artsy.
If you have a car I would suggest to bring it despite limited parking. Also many students visit chicago, as a lot of the out of state population consist of students from the Chicago metro. Although I am not from Chicago I visit the city about once or twice a month.</p>
<p>Well written response, Coolbreeze. It looks as if a year at Iowa has done you some good.</p>
<p>Alburgs, if you have a chance you may want to visit Iowa, Northwestern, Wisconsin, Indiana and Mizzou and compare them. Mizzou is better known for broadcast journalism. If Wisconsin is a match I would give that a good look (perhaps Barrons can join in). Michigan doesn’t have a journalism school but has a first class student newspaper and has produced some top jounalists over time.</p>
<p>I had a professor tell me Iowa is very good for journalism. He is alumnus of the university.</p>
<p>One program that will eventually be well known is the journalism prgram at Cleveland State. They have an outstanding overall Communications faculty and they are starting to become more involved in the digital age of journalism. They are not elite yet because the program has been around since 2000, but CSU is well on its way. The Obama/Clinton debate really helped CSU gain exposure too.</p>
<p>Also, check out Michigan State, Central Michigan, Florida, and Arizona State. These are really good programs to look at. I am not sure about U.C. Berkeley, if they have an undergraduate program they are worth a look.</p>
<p>North Carolina and Miami are the other heavy hitters you really should check out. </p>
<p>Texas is outstanding, but not at the same level as Columbia, Missouri, USC, Northwestern, Stanford,etc. Texas may become a top ranked program in the next 5-10 years though. Definately worth checking out.</p>
<p>If I were you, I would choose a top university in an urban setting. You need connections. Cities can provide that. With that being said, Columbia, Northwestern, USC, Arizona State and Miami are great options. Think big and you will get results. Making connections in cities like New York, Los Angeles, Phoenix, Chicago, and Miami will have a huge impact later on.</p>
<p>If you are into sports journalism, I would think long and hard about Columbia and USC. They can both get you into ESPN very easily due to location. Miami can get you into the Miami Herald and CBS Sports without a problem.</p>
<p>Wisconsin has a very good and competitive Journalism program. You have to apply as a rising Junior (I believe–check website) and the program is kept somewhat small so that individual attention is possible. UW has two student run dailies and has produced many Pulitzer prize-winners (over 30 at last count). They have alumni at papers like the NYT and Washington Post.</p>
<p>Here’s an interesting story on a 2010 grad.</p>
<p>[Uprisings</a> in Egypt launched journalism career of recent UW-Madison grad](<a href=“http://host.madison.com/ct/news/local/education/campus_connection/article_741349d0-88a8-11e0-afbf-001cc4c002e0.html?sourcetrack=moreArticle]Uprisings”>http://host.madison.com/ct/news/local/education/campus_connection/article_741349d0-88a8-11e0-afbf-001cc4c002e0.html?sourcetrack=moreArticle)</p>
<p>You should obviously visit the schools that you’re interested in before you make your decision as it seems from your question that you’re conflicted between an urban university – where you can take advantage of the city’s opportunities for real internships – and a small-town campus where you’ll likely not have much to do off campus. And contrary to what an earlier poster said, Boston University’s journalism program is among the best of those you’ll find in an urban setting. As an example, BU has 23 Pulitzer Prize winners among its grads and three on its faculty. (But in full disclosure, I’m an alum and love Boston).</p>