<p>Hi all,</p>
<p>I am applying to three programs in journalism at the graduate level and was interested in getting some feedback about my chances. Here is some information on me:</p>
<p>Graduated from the University of California, Irvine with a 3.247 GPA
Double majored in literary journalism/film and media studies
Minor in Asian American studies
Have a combined major GPA of 3.29
Did terrible on the GREs. Got a V-510 score (65 percent), Q-380 score (11 percent), Analytical Writing 5.0 (81 percent)
Have great letters of recommendation including one from the head of the journalism department
Was the editor-in-chief of my college newspaper, which won several major awards
Host two weekly radio shows at the campus radio station
Some work experience both related to my field and outside my field</p>
<p>The programs I am applying to are as follows:</p>
<p>Columbia University-M.S. in Journalism (Does not count GRE thank goodness)</p>
<p>University of Southern California-M.A. in Print Journalism</p>
<p>Syracuse University-M.A. in Magazine, Newspaper and Online Journalism</p>
<p>So what are my chances?</p>
<p>Well I am a bit confused by your application because all your practical experience is really good and you have awesome recs, but then your grades and GREs are not so great. Is there a reason for this you can explain in your personal statement or something? Did you just spend too much time in extracurricular and this affected your grades? I mean… I wouldn’t count you out, but assume you might have some really stiff competition for Columbia and USC. I mean it is really hard to say yes or no… sorry I can’t give a better answer… but I think it would really depend on the other people you apply against</p>
<p>your grades kind of suck. your GRE really sucks. you’re right when you say columbia doesn’t look at the GRE, but they do care about their current events test. did you feel confident after writing it?</p>
<p>a journalism program is a practical/professional program, not an academic one, so you don’t need a 3.8 GPA to get in. i’d say you have a good shot at syracuse.</p>
<p>your experience on the school paper and at the school radio station is decent, but it won’t set you apart. almost everyone that will be applying to columbia has worked at their school paper or radio station. how “major” are the major awards you won? are they national? regional?</p>
<p>your experience off campus will count for a lot with a place like columbia. where did you work? and did you produce content or build your portfolio there?</p>
<p>just as an example…</p>
<p>a friend of mine got into columbia. had a double major from one of the top universities in canada, a 3.7-3.8 GPA, was an editor at his school’s paper, was a contributor and editor for a highly-trafficked news blog.</p>
<p>i got into columbia with an honours degree from a different top canadian university, a 3.7 overall 4.0 major GPA, and a lot of professional work. writing, researching, and assistant editing on a handful of documentaries, one of which was nominated for two emmys (in research and editing, so i was able to include it on my CV). i didn’t end up going to columbia, instead took a gig as an assistant producer for a few docs and a non-fiction book for a year.</p>
<p>while my CV is pretty stacked, i didn’t get the impression that going to columbia would actually help me get any more connections or job offers than i already had. i don’t think i was the typical acceptee. you’re probably looking at CVs more similar to that of my friend’s. still stellar, but not necessarily already a professional journalist type.</p>
<p>Hey ice_sickle007 and StrangeLight,</p>
<p>Thanks for the honest feedback. So that you guys and other posters may be able to give me even more feedback I have answered your questions below.</p>
<p>ice_sickle007,</p>
<p>Yeah I think I did dedicate too much time to extracurricular activity and more significantly work. I had to pay for a lot of my own tuition so that ate up a bunch of my time. I did get a chance to explain this in my Columbia app, but USC and Syracuse don’t really give you any space to comment on your grades.</p>
<p>StrangeLight,</p>
<p>Yes, I felt confident after finishing the Columbia current events test. I finished it with some time left over and got to look over it pretty thoroughly.</p>
<p>The awards that the newspaper won were only on the regional level, though we did get them from some impressive organizations such as the Society of Professional Journalists and the California College Media Association. I should also mention that in the year previous to me becoming editor-in-chief we won far fewer awards and I tried to show as much as possible that I had a very active role in transforming the paper.</p>
<p>The jobs that went towards my field of study were working as a reporter for a website that covered the Riverside County area. I also worked at a media lab at a different university. On the website I got to produce a lot of content, but at the media lab I just helped students with their work. Unfortunately, no big name newspapers. Also, since January I have worked as a freelancer for three different community newspapers, but only got to mention it on my Syracuse app as the deadlines for Columbia and USC were prior to this. </p>
<p>The ones that do not relate to my field of study were in tutoring, working as a lab assistant and some ones that were just to pay bills (really menial, insignificant jobs).</p>