<p>Coffee Break has presented us with an interesting choice. Cornell or San Jose State. While few people will have these two colleges on their list, it is an interesting thought. Why would anyone choose SJSU over Cornell?</p>
<p>A student who is interested in a computer science major and interested in a high tech future, you might very well choose SJSU over Cornell for undergraduate computer science studies. This student is in the right place for landing some amazing internships with some of the most respected companies in Silicon Valley. Just a thought. </p>
<p>Students apply to colleges that meet their academic needs and interests. Ideally, when compiling a list, a student intending to major in Journalism, for example might look for the schools that had the best success rates with those who received their degrees in journalism. They might investigate how many students in that major write for the campus-run paper, and also the quality of this newspaper. Not every student who is a journalism major will write for it - they may have paid or volunteer internships, elsewhere. Some of this data is impossible to quantify, and a call or email to the department of Journalism at the college, or a to the campus-run newspaper might get results. It is possible that students may be working on the paper as a hobby, not as training for a future vocation. </p>
<p>They might factor in location, size of campus, what types of undergraduate learning opportunities, internships, etc. When applying, they might be applying to a reach, match or safety school. When admissions offers come in, they would factor in Cost of attendance and whether the school matches their big picture needs. </p>
<p>A student might choose a college with a less prestigious ranking for a multitude of reasons - such as family or medical situations, financial aid packages, because a girlfriend/boyfriend goes to a different school, the chance to play a sport, but aren't recruited into athletics for Division I schools, or who knows what else. The human mind is an interesting thing. </p>
<p>So how can a future journalist decide what college is right for them? </p>
<p>The student can research the "student journalists" of the year, and see the range of colleges represented, and then look further to those school-run newspapers to see archived articles by those students. </p>
<p>They might look at the teaching faculty and see what kind of credentials the faculty has. They might also look at the schedule of classes for a college during a particular term, and see who is teaching the undergraduates. Then, the student could click on the credentials of the professor or instructor, and see what they have accomplished in the field of journalism. When I refer to credentials, I would want to see them active in their field at some point in their careers - that is, writing for a periodical. They may have written for Time Magazine or the Washington correspondent for CNN or may be a roving journalist - the key would be to find out if they have real world experience. </p>
<p>Lucky for all of you, Rate My Professors.com can give a good insight into how well professors interact with students at a particular university or college. Look up by professor and see what the students are saying about the professor. You will see the good and the bad, and it might give you an indication of how well the professor teaches. This and other sites like it, also may give superficial data, but it is just one tool that a potential student may use to learn about the quality of the professor.</p>
<p>When the student looks at the rankings of schools, it is harder to judge this program, largely due to the changing nature of journalism in the 21st century. Some of the schools that have consistently gotten top rankings in this field throughout the last decade are Northwestern, University of Missouri at Columbia and Columbia University. </p>
<p>A potential student might look at the different types of curriculum involved, and can get this information at the individual school's website. Is it theory-based? Hands-on? Focused on new media or print? What is the philosophy of the department? </p>
<p>It is sometimes impossible to figure out why a student might choose one college over another. So many factors can go into the decision. Not everyone has the same methodology for choosing a college.</p>