Journalism major: screwed?

happatk
Sat, 04 Oct 2008 01:52:03 +0000

Let me be upfront and tell you that I’m a college freshman and I go to a generic state uni because I didn’t work hard in high school or study for my SATs. Granted, I did well enough to get into my uni’s honors college and get a dean’s scholarship, but I’m still afraid that this uni’s lack of reputation is going to hurt me later on.

I guess you could say I’ve been overcompensating for this fear by grabbing every internship I could in order to prove myself: I worked for a magazine this summer, I’m about to start a broadcasting internship this fall/winter, and in the spring I’ll work with my uni’s Capital News Service (which is usually a senior capstone course, but because I asked, I get the privilege to). Do you think my hard work and perfect grades will be enough to convince potential employers that the name of my school shouldn’t be a factor in their decision? And am I possibly on my way to achieving my goal of interning at CNN by my Junior year?

I can’t afford to transfer out of state to a more hailed j-school (and truth be told, I really like it here, so I wouldn’t mind toughing it out). I also know that getting into/graduating from a prestigious grad school is always an option, too (though how I’ll pay for it, I’ve no idea). Any advice?