Does a Perfect College Exist?

College Search & Lists
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For whatever reason the edit feature is no longer appearing. I would like to clarify to everybody, me saying the journalism program is too rigorous is NOT ME SAYING IT IS TOO DIFFICULT.

The classes at this school are abysmally simple.

The issue is that there are over 14 required classes just for journalism within the journalism degree, excluding any other journalism-specific classes such as our two econ classes, poli-sci class, and our 12 credits of a foreign language. This leaves literally no room in your class schedule to take other things that interest you.

No other top journalism school has such insane class requirements.

The journalism program is not difficult. I am a top student here. I currently will have a 4.0 GPA by the end of this semester. It is that I want to have the freedom to explore literally anything besides just journalism all the time.

I would also like to clarify that I DO NOT HAVE STRONG FINANCIAL NEED. A staff member at my school filled out the option for a “community member fee waiver” on the Common App for extenuating circumstances that I discussed with her that are private and personal. This, however, should not affect acceptance since my family’s EFC is 40k.

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14 journalism courses + 2 economics courses + 1 political science course + 3 foreign language courses = 20 courses. If you college is on a semester system with typically 4 courses per semester (i.e. 32 courses in 8 semesters), that leaves space for 12 other courses.

Of course, if the courses are “abysmally simple”, you can take 5 or 6 per semester, which would give you a total 40 to 48 courses in 8 semesters. Then after 20 courses of major requirements, you would have 20 to 28 courses of other things that interest you.

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Interesting you say that. Many journalism programs require a 2nd major or at least minor because it’s considered a ‘soft’ major with minimal job prospects and low pay for most. In other words, you need a back up and some leading journalism programs require this. It’s why I had a double major - required with my journalism degree.

Both my kids are in programs where elective possibilities are minimal. That’s dependent on the major you choose. In your case environmental policy is interdisciplinary so that may give you the diverse coursework you seek. As for gen Ed requirements - maybe look to a Rochester, Brown, Grinnell or one of the schools that have that open curriculum.

I think your expectations aren’t realistic given the major / curriculum you chose. You could have read the required coursework before signing up for the major.

I think it’s going to be hard to make you happy. But I do hope you find that happy place.

Good luck

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Deleted.

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Why are you looking to change majors? It’s ok of course but what in your background supports that major, if anything?

Same as an earlier thread of yours, it does seem you haven’t given your school enough of a chance, at least partially due to a perceived lack of prestige. Regarding NU and Chicago, these schools aren’t similar in vibe (which suggests a prestige rather than fit focus), and it sounds like NU fits your new wish list better.

Not getting accepted to NU initially isn’t a huge barrier, especially as you wouldn’t be reapplying to Medill, so apply and see. I know more than a handful of students who NU denied for first year but were accepted as transfers.

What other schools accepted you last year?

Would you stay at your current school if a more prestigious school doesn’t accept you as a transfer (and of course is affordable)? You do need a backup plan.

You are going to have to give more details here, and it sounds like you have other financial
Issues happening, based on a prof helping with fee waivers (fee waivers for what, have you submitted transfer apps?).

A $40k EFC suggests you would need at least 50% discount (aid) at schools like NU and Chicago, which is not insignificant.

What can your family pay per year?

Until you give us more clarity, I don’t think schools like American or George Washington (good suggestions) will be affordable.

Regarding outside scholarships they are difficult to get and typically time consuming to apply for, relatively smallish amounts, and non-renewable. Many meet full need schools like NU and Chicago will reduce your financial aid packages for outside scholarships. They will start by eliminating self help $ in the FA package, but if the outside scholarship is large enough, they will reduce institutional grants.

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OP- you do not need to major in journalism to become a journalist, and if the major is too restrictive/too many required courses/professors don’t teach what you are trying to learn, the easiest next step for you is to switch majors.

Look at the bio’s of writers you admire- history majors, poli sci majors, area studies majors (particularly helpful if you want to focus/cover a particular region
 being fluent in Spanish is going to make you a better reporter if you are covering “what’s happening in Caracas right now”), etc. The craft of writing can be picked up/honed on your college newspaper/digital news organization, plus a few internships so you have clips and something to show when you interview for a full time job.

Your professors btw can be HUGELY helpful to you in networking in the industry.

But you are in a pre-professional major right now- you can’t complain that it’s too pre-professional, that is literally what you signed on for.

If you want a lot of theory, intellectual engagement, life of the mind- you’ll find it majoring in something that is
 theoretical! Not the praxis of “how to become a journalist”. You can figure out what you need right where you are, even as you are contemplating a transfer.

Econ is hugely helpful for journalists. Taking a statistics sequence is hugely helpful for journalists (believe me, the reporting in early Covid would have been MUCH more accurate if the “health care reporters” understood what a regression was and how to interpret it).

Good luck.

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There is no such thing as a ‘perfect’ school (or anything else): perfect for whom? for what? but there is indeed such a thing as students who are very happy at their imperfect schools.They are happy partly b/c their schools are a good fit for them, and partly b/c they have realistic expectations of any human institution.

To that point, it is NOT advertised that college is the “best” time of your life, and over the years I have noticed that the unhappiest students are the ones who fling out that charge. College is indeed an important, formative stage of life. It can be a great adventure. But who would want the years from ~18-22 to be as good as life gets, and to have all the years from 22-death be downhill from there??!

So, go back to basics. You had some say in the choice of this school (by virtue of applying to it), and unless it was the only acceptance you had, you actively chose to attend. Why? What were the variables that were decisive in that decision? Do any of them still hold true- that is, do you still want those elements, but have discovered that they are not as present at your current school as you expected? These are the kinds of questions that will help you refine your shortlist for transfer applications. You want the next landing to be successful.

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A few things:

Most students are happier at college than you seem. Freshman, as a whole, may not be and go through a big adjustment all year. Most acclimate by sophomore year and are happier than you describe. You said you have a 3.86 so you must be in at least your 3rd semester.

On the other hand, I am always skeptical when students go to a big state school, but claim everyone parties, no one cares, etc. It is very unlikely that’s the case. At any huge, sports-focused, party school with high acceptance rates, there are also brilliant, motivated, quieter kids who usually find each other. I don’t mean that you should necessarily stay at your school or that there isn’t a better fit for you, but your comments along this line lack a degree of introspection and maturity. Your chances of finding a better school for you will improve if you can do some reflection.

Your transfer prospects and EFC may not be a good match. On the upside, you want a major that your current college currently doesn’t provide. Colleges would rather accept a transfer student for that reason vs one who is unhappy for the other reasons you state. I hope, though, that you will have good evidence for the major you choose. An elite school may have an open curriculum, but they will still want to see more focus from a college transfer.

Financed are going to be tough, especially because it sounds very unlikely that you finish in 4 years due to changing majors and possibly colleges.

If journalism remains an interest, you do not have to major in journalism. My daughter goes to a highly selective, but also large, sports-crazy university where there is no such thing as a journalism major but they have a highly regarded school newspaper. Writers range all majors, and some of the best have academic backgrounds from engineering to business to biology.

What is your current intended second major or minor? I understood that you meant rigid when you said rigorous in reference to the journalism program at your school, but as someone else mentioned it would be really unusual for a journalism major — especially in what you describe as a pretty soft program — to not have other majors. Do they relate to the majors that you are currently considering?

Good luck! It’s no fun being miserable, but it sounds like you have a few different pathways to pursue that could get you on a better track. As a journalism major, I am sure you have done your research and realize that transferring to the likes of Northwestern (about 15%) or UChicago (5%) are extremely low. Go ahead and apply to a couple of reaches, but if you are set on transferring you must have some more likely schools, especially ones that are safeties.

Many transfer applicants thrive, but check out this article from the school paper of one of your ideal schools to understand the challenges they face:

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You responded that yes, you were accepted to the honors college where you are now. Usually the honors college is a way to “make the large school feel smaller”. Perhaps you need a conversation with your advisor about accessing the things your honors college offers, with a more flexible major in terms of allowing electives.

Also, if you are a female student, you might want to consider one of the womens colleges. Mt. Holyoke and Smith come to mind when I think about your list.

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OP- there are clubs and activities which are going to attract a more serious student than open parties.

Who is attending the poetry readings? Who is showing up when a professor moderates a political debate between two local candidates? Who is the “business manager” of the choral society, madrigals singers, Morris Dancing performance group? Who runs the coat drive for the homeless in your town? Who is working with the local school board to pushback against the people trying to ban “Maus” or “Diary of Ann Frank” as being too lurid for HS students? Who is working with the food service union and the management of the dining halls to create a food scrap composting program, reduce single use plastics??

These might be your people. You may need to go outside your comfort zone (what the heck is Morris Dancing?) but trust me- the students who participate in these things are likely not at college to party, and have broad interests which may coincide with yours.

Does the town you live in have a muckraking, alternative news website? Many do. And if not- why not meet with a few of your professors to start one? These are the news sources that report on important events and problems which don’t get adequate space in the traditional press.

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People seem to like Elon if you want to check it out. Solid school, smaller, good j-school.

Or you could look at UNC Chapel Hill. Sports is big, but there are plenty of serious students too.

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Not a “perfect college”, but for a school where sports aren’t the major focus AND the price isn’t super-high AND it’s in a major city, consider looking at McGill.

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I will look into that! Thank you!

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Be aware that McGill has different tuitions depending on what they are studying (bachelor of arts is the least expensive) and the rates are of course published in Canadian dollars so make sure to check the exchange rate (it will be less in US dollars).

Also rents and food costs for off-campus living tend to be more affordable than costs in comparable US cities.

Good luck with this!

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Perhaps consider University of Delaware’s Energy and Environmental Policy, with Journalism as a minor (interdisciplinary program); the student population and emphasis on sports are not big and the OOS tuition (before aid) is around 35K.

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After rereading your post, I also want to suggest looking at William and Mary. I’m not sure about financial aid, but I think it has the vibe you’re looking for (nerdy, passionate, non-sports oriented, right size, well ranked policy and environmental science program). It’s known as a public Ivy, so I think there’s some prestige factor there too.

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For an LAC with majors in public policy, environmental studies and data science, look into Hamilton. Also, you might be well suited for its semester in Washington, D.C., which offers exceptional internship opportunities.

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Some of your current dissatisfaction seems to have arisen from a mismatch between you and your school as might be represented by comparative academic profiles. Therefore, if your ACT score, for example, places you, for instance, 3 points above the 75th percentile at the school you attend, you may want to consider this to help you form an idea of where you would want to place at a potential transfer option. This could help you shape your list of colleges as you proceed further.

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Take a look at Washington college in Maryland. It is a huge writing school with very small classes. Professors are very accessible. My daughter just attended a novel writing seminar (about 15 kids went) and one of the non-English professors was in the seminar with the kids because he wants to write a novel. The town is Uber cute and has a cute book store. The school had a 24 hour read-a-thon at their literacy center. They also focus heavily on environmental science. They make it easy for students to double major on very different majors.

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This article seems topical to your situation:

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