Northwestern vs. NYU for journalism major

TooComplicated · 04-28-2008, 10:16 AM

Im deciding between Northwestern and NYU, and although I have heard that Northwestern has a better reputation for journalism, I am thinking that NYU might be better since its right in New York, therefore will a lot of work experience available.
Any thoughts on the matter?

CerebralAssassin · 04-28-2008, 04:52 PM

Northwestern's Medill School of Journalism is the best journalism program in the country. In terms of quality of journalistic education, there really is no peer. Plus if you want to double major (with say poli sci, econ, english, or int'l studies) NU as a university is far more prestigious than NYU in nearly all areas of consequence.

In terms of jobs and internships, all Medill kids go abroad for a quarter to work with a magazine, tv station, or newspaper. It's a great opportunity as an undergrad to get real-life on-the-job experience. Northwestern also has the "Purple Mafia", which is one of the strongest alumni networks in the areas of journalism and film.

Unless you have a compelling reason (finances, an insatiable need to be in NYC, need to be closer to home etc.), NU is clearly the slam-dunk choice.

TooComplicated · 04-28-2008, 04:58 PM

Thanks for the feedback, helps a lot.
I guess I did initially go for NYU since my family would be staying in Europe, this compelling me to be as close to the east coast as possible, however, I understand I shouldnt base my decision on that.
Northwestern clearly is a great school, and I guess I prefer it much more to NYU now that I have made some research and listened to opinions of individuals.

Would anyone be able to tell me exactly how hard it is to get accepted? I understand its very competitive, but how much do they expect from you?
And does the knowledge of several languages (mine being fluent english, spanish and russian, and intermediate level in french) help?
Would be very grateful for any feedback! Thanks

APOL · 04-28-2008, 07:47 PM

It sounds like you are fact gathering, and may be doing yourself a diservice by narrowing your choices too much. If your interests lie in journalism, and you feel BOTH schools would be a good match for you in the programs offered, location, rigor of academics, then why not apply to both. That way if only one accepts you, then you at least have a school you can attend. As a reader of your initial post, I had thought you had been accepted to both programs, and were trying to choose one. The best of luck to you-you sound like an interesting person and would be an asset to the world of journalism.

TooComplicated · 04-29-2008, 01:56 AM

Thank you for the post APOL. No, I havent applied yet... The reason for me trying to figure out my first choice now is actually because I am thinking about applying ED to the school of my first choice.

k&s · 04-29-2008, 03:08 PM

Medill students do internships all-over - and it's not like there aren't many opportunities in Chicago, itself.

WCASParent · 04-29-2008, 05:42 PM

New York is great, but Chicago is not far behind (and frankly, much nicer in many respects). I could not imagine picking NYU over NU. One is a very good school, the other is one of the finest universities in the U.S. They are not equal, and the journalism focus only makes Medill an even more obvious choice.

Relampago · 04-30-2008, 02:52 AM

Medill is incredible. As for family, hey that is important, but Chicago is only a couple hours extra time on the plane. NU is the OBVIOUS choice in this case for future employment prospects.

Bustles · 04-30-2008, 08:06 PM

I won't be shy about the fact that I'm "fact-gathering" because I have the same ambition to apply ED to the school I determine to be my first-choice--

Do Medill students tend to have special applications? Is Medill harder to get into than NU general? What's the deal, in general? :P

Sam Lee · 05-01-2008, 11:34 AM

I don't even know NYU has journalism major; does it really? Medill is known to be one of the premier J-schools in the country.

northwestern10 · 05-01-2008, 12:06 PM

I'm a Medill junior right now, so feel free to hit me with any questions.

Medill is the hardest school at Northwestern to get into. (Maybe 10-15% admit rate or so?) It's also very hard to transfer into.

Overall it's a great school -- the upper-level professors are the best you'll find anywhere teaching investigative journalism, magazine writing and editing, etc. The students are also incredibly talented and passionate, regularly win all the top national awards, etc., even if they're a bit tool-ish at times. The intro classes, say the first year or so, are recognized as pretty mediocre and uneven, and really depend on your instructor. Medill's been really aggressive about teaching technology, but as with anywhere, the young people have a better intuitive sense of technology than the older ones responsible for teaching it.

But schools are really about the people, and the best (for whatever reason) are attracted to Medill.

Medill also has exceptional connections -- they know people at pretty much every media outlet in the country, and has a fantastic reputation for outstanding students. Often just the word "Medill" on your resume gets you an internship, or at least very serious consideration. It's up to students to take advantage of those connections, though.

In terms of getting in, as a student I obviously haven't been in the admissions committee rooms, so I don't know for sure. But judging from my peers, dedication to the field and experience in journalism are what matter most. Very few students transfer out, the vast majority do want to go into journalism as a career, and the cliche of half the class having been the editor of their high school paper or yearbook is surprisingly true. I'm not sure language is that important; they make you take one at Northwestern anyway.

atardecer0 · 05-01-2008, 05:40 PM

I tried biting my tongue but it didn't work...

I don't want to say that Medill is a horrible school because it isn't, and I don't want to come off as a bitter ex-Medillian that couldn't "hack it" or anything like that. Medill does a lot of really great things and is ahead of the curve in many ways. At the same time, however, I think it plays up its name prestige a little too much. Although it is a top J-School in the country, it is by no means THE top j-school.

In terms of deciding between NU and NYU for journalism, there is no way to ignore prestige. And while a more prestigious journalism school will invariably attract better professors and resources, a lot of what makes a good journalist comes from you as the student. There can be professors and instructors that inspire you to be a better journalist, but only to a certain degree. I think it would be better to choose the school that has that je ne sais quoi FOR YOU, the school that will inspire you and spur you on both in school and in your career. NU very well might be that school for you, and ultimately it is you that will be deciding.

xnormajeanx · 05-06-2008, 05:58 PM

I get the impression that NYU is only for rich b*tches who don't actually have any real aspirations.

atardecer0 · 05-07-2008, 01:07 PM

I think it is grossly unfair to NYU's many students to make such a generalization. Being from NJ, many of best friends go to NYU and none of them are that way.

researchmaven · 05-08-2008, 06:46 AM

TooComplicated-I hope you realize that you are not actually "fact-gathering" when you come to this forum. You are often "opinion-gathering" and that is not the same thing. After being on this board for several years since I have several children , I have learned to carefully sift through the posts. Many people here have agendas or partial information and I would never base a decision on what I read here alone. As a future journalist, that's an especially important thing to learn. I would visit both schools, meet with members of the journalism departments, etc.