advice for graduate degree in journalism

sheelo81
Sun, 26 Oct 2008 22:23:55 +0000

I have had a spotty, if sophomoric experience as a reporter and blogger and I still intend on applying to top tier schools. Most of them explicitly mention that experience in the field is not necessary. Indeed- many people see J-school as an alternative to hands on experience- and you should see a masters in journalism as a jumpstart to help you catch up with already seasoned journalists.

As for your application, I have been told that the SOP and writing samples are the most critical factors in determining your eligibility. If you have attended any conferences related to journalism or the media, those could go a long way towards strengthening your application. There are a plethora of conferences and teach-ins in Boston and I have mentioned them in my SOP. I suggest you do the same as well.

If you are still wary of your prospects, I think that you should still consider applying to some of the reach programs and expand your options to include other, excellent schools-USC Anenberg and UNC Chapel Hill (which is very competitive as well) immediately come to mind! Also, U of MD has an excellent program! Merill gives students the option of continuing towards a PhD in Journalism which most of the programs out there lack.

Your GPA meets the basic cut off for most of the schools you mentioned. Just focus on polishing the other parts of your application- and make sure you have references who could speak to your abilities as a journalist- and not just as a writer/ critical thinker.

Good luck!