Where to study broadcasting journalism

[Tori_mom]

Our daughter wants to study broadcasting journalism in college. First we didn’t support that idea at all because of job insecurity, low salary, difficulty to find a job and so on. We tried to change her mind to something related to math or science since our degrees in those areas and she is really good in math, but it’s “too boring and not exciting” for her. She gets up at 6 am to be at school studio for her broadcasting class, drives after school to local TV studio for her unpaid internship and stays late evenings at school writing articles for school newspaper, so we gave up; maybe it’s really her fate… She is a junior now, and it’s time to select colleges to which she will apply next year. It’s turned out that none of our UC have such major, only two of them (UCB and Irvine (?)) have Journalism, the rest of them have just “Communication”. There are two private – USC and Chapman with such major, and some others that located outside of CA, so it will be the same cost for us. I’m wondering does it really matter to study BJ major for BA degree or to complete BA in Communication and look for a job in that area. Does it worth to pay $50K for such major?...

[nngmm]

How good of a student is your daughter? If she is sure she wants to go into journalism, she should look into U of Missouri-Columbia. They have an excellent journalism program, and if she has good grades and high scores, she'll probably get into Honors college, and get a merit scholarship that could make it cheaper than UCs.

[crazycalmom]

Your post caught my eye, and based on your description of your daughter, she should take a serious look at Mizzou. The J-School is phenomenal, and is focused on work experience. Someone who is highly motivated to work hard and seek internships can come out with a great degree and an impressive resume. By the time I graduated, I had worked in the pr departments of two international corporations. I got both internships through Mizzou, plus I had an impressive portfolio of published articles from the city paper, which the students produce. Broadcast opportunities are also abundant, and grads go on to some top jobs around the country. There is a solid network of alum who truly value the degree. The campus is massive, but the kids are really down-to-earth, and I guarantee she will be popular as a California transplant. Granted, Columbia, Missouri, might not sound like an exciting place to spend four years, but it is a classic college town - one of those hidden gems. Great greek life, sports scene, pretty town and surrounding countryside, nice laid-back midwestern mentality, low-cost off-campus housing. She could really shine there, as I don't think it is nearly as competitive as some of the CA schools.

[Tori_mom]

She is in very competitive school, where even to get any AP class is not easy because too many students are qualified for them. Her GPA right now about 3.75( Unw) / 4.0 (W) , her SAT score is really weird : 780 – Math, 720 - W and 560 – CR, she will take ACT in a week, maybe will improve her killer – CR. She took SAT Math II last year (770), and will take Spanish SAT in May. She takes 4 AP and Honor out of her 8 classes this year and will take 5 APs next year: Calculus BC, Spanish Literature, English Literature, Economics and Physiology. I’d say she is an average student, at least in our school, so I’ don’t really rely on any merit scholarship.

[Tori_mom]

Thank you crazycalmom, we will definitely add Mizzou to her list of colleges for consideration, even though we’d like her to be closer to us, since she is our only child....

[nngmm]

Mizzou, unlike many other schools, has very straight forward acceptance/honors college/ scholarship rules that are basically based on a formula of GPA/ACT or SAT combo. So you pretty much know what to expect from them ahead of time. They are also a rolling admissions school, so applying early helps in every way.

The Honors College invites applications from students after they have been accepted to the University of Missouri-Columbia.

The honors program is characterized by small classes, a more personalized system of advising and many special events throughout the year that give honors students the opportunity to interact with faculty members and other honors students.

Incoming Freshmen

Eligibility
You are eligible to apply if you have a 29 or above on the ACT or 1280 on the SAT and are in the top 10 percent of your graduating high school class*. You need only to complete an application to be considered by the Honors College.

*If your school does not use class rank and your "core GPA" is at least 3.71, you can use your core GPA for automatic admission to the Honors College in place of class rank criterion. "Core GPA" = all English courses, all math courses Algebra I and higher, all science courses, all social studies courses, and all foreign language courses. You must have at least a 29 ACT or a 1280 SAT score for automatic admission.

This is what your daughter should be shooting for:

Journalism Scholars and Walter Williams Scholars Program

Effective Fall 2004, any incoming freshman journalism major that is admitted to the Honors College will be admitted to the School of Journalism. Admitted students will be designated as Journalism Scholars or Walter Williams Scholars. Journalism Scholars are eligible to take some journalism courses a semester earlier than nonscholars, participate in a Freshman Interest Group designed exclusively for journalism students, and participate in social and academic activities planned exclusively for Journalism Scholars. The highest-achieving Journalism Scholars will win separate designation as Walter Williams Scholars. To win acceptance into this exclusive circle of top scholars, incoming freshmen must earn an ACT composite score of 33 or higher (1470 or higher on the SAT). Walter Williams Scholars enjoy the same benefits as Journalism Scholars, plus they will have the chance to work with individual faculty mentors and receive a $1000.00 scholarship that can be used to study abroad or participate in the School of Journalism programs in New York or Washington. For additional information please contact the School of Journalism.

She is already eligible for the honors college and the J-School acceptance, but she can probably become Walter Williams Scholar as well. She has some time to study for ACT - based on her SAT scores, it might be easier for her to get 33 on ACT than 1470 on SAT (M+CR), but she should try both.

[geezermom]

My S will be a freshman at Mizzou this fall (photojournalism/convergence). I admit that like you, I had to be converted to the j-school idea, but now I'm sold. Though Mizzou provides solid hands-on education, the program is also grounded in liberal arts, with a foundation of courses required for journalism majors. Maybe your daughter can combine science and broadcast journalism--an interesting field. My S will be a Journalism Scholar and is in the Honors College. We're impressed by the opportunities available there. If you have more questions later in the fall, please post again, or send a PM. And be sure to visit the campus, which is impressive. The school attracts a lot of California kids--it's among the biggest "feeder" states.

The Newhouse School at Syracuse also has good broadcast journalism. My S chose Mizzou over Newhouse for a variety of reasons, but he still liked it a lot.

[Laylah]

One of my best friends has just gone to grad school to study broadcast journalism. He was advised, when applying for undergrad, NOT to study journalism, but to focus in another field, write for his college newspaper in his spare time, and spend vacations working with local newspapers. He ended up graduating with a degree in Politics and French, so he's ideally placed now for reporting on European politics.

Basically, my point is, your D does not have to study journalism per se NOW, in order to be a journalist in the future.

[sunshadow]

ONe of the best in the country is Annenberg school of Journalism at USC in Loa Angeles, which offers broadcast journalism. Hard to get into, though. There is also Communications at Boston College and BU, as well as safeties like UCONN and Hofstra. Their communications programs all offer broadcasting. Then of course, there is Emerson in Boston which is well known for communications as well, but does not have a real campus "feel".

[Panhandlegal]

Remember that many of today's television news people never took a single journalism course. Having a solid education in pretty much any field, being able to think on one's feet and strong natural curiosity can segue into a journalism career. One example--NBC's award-winning reporter Robert Bazell does fascinating reports on science and health and his educational background is pure science. (DS did a profile on Bazell back in MS!) Energy, passion, curiosity are really what it takes to make it in journalism rather than specific classes or degrees. There are lots of intern positions available that offer windows into the 'real news world'. Future journalists should certainly pursue a second field of study; perhaps a strong minor would do, maybe a double major. I believe in dreams and goals! If a kid's dream is to be a broadcast journalist, she should follow that dream--with an open mind!

[geezermom]

Laylah and Panhandlegal--This was the parental hurdle I had to get over when I decided that j-school was okay. The bottom line is, there's no one best way to do it. Students with degrees in other fields get jobs; students with journalism degrees (especially from respected programs) get jobs. We met a fairly well-known journalist who did not have a journalism degree and doesn't believe it's necessary. On the other hand, we know that his boss (who is even more well-known) has a degree from Mizzou. As in many fields, it's what's between your ears that counts. My S convinced me that he wanted the structure, focus, peer group, and internship opportunities that came with journalism school. He will also probably have a minor in another field. (You'll see this debate in past CC threads. I don't want to resurrect it because it's one of those questions with no clear answer!)

[mizzou-mom]

I second USC, they are really known for their broadcast journalism and are in the broadcast capital of the world. But if USC is too pricey, Mizzou is a GREAT J-school. MANY of the anchors out there in the world are from Mizzou! In fact, they have their own NBC affiliate that is seen outside the school, throughout the mid-Missouri area. Most schools have a cable news program ONLY seen on the school's cable service.

[zoosermom]

You should definitely look at Syracuse.

[katliamom]

My background is in broadcast journalism. By and large, students who were most successful in getting good jobs right out of college went to Missouri, Northwestern, and Syracuse respectively. Missouri is arguably the nation's top broadcast journalism program, but the other two are highly respected as well.

[OaksMom]

Tori_Mom, look also at Arizona State U for their Walter Cronkite School of Journalism and Mass Communications. It would be a great safety for your daughter and not far from home.