Hello! I have been accepted to all 3 schools. I fell in love with Vanderbilt for its beautiful campus, southern feel and friendliness, and overall vibe. I am looking to pursue journalism however, and this is the only college without a journalism school.
Northwestern is cold! (though I’m from NY)
I appreciate the intellectualism of VU and NU over USC
LMK opinions: does one need an undergraduate journalism school to pursue journalism? Can I just take advantage of VU’s english and comm programs/ school papers? Is weather an unreasonable factor?
Medill is absolutely top notch. But no, you do not need to be a journalism major to be a journalist. Most journalists, did not go to journalism school (and based on today’s over emphasis on video, I wish more had gone to journalism school!) You won’t be disappointed with Medill, despite the cold, and as nice as Nashville is, Chicago is amazing.
@HPTD12 do you believe medill offers opportunities that annenberg/ USC cannot? Perhaps due to NU’s stellar overall reputation and focused students? Which would therefore make the weather worth it
I would argue that Northwestern has a slight lead above the other two, but regardless, Medill’s roots are deeply seeded in journalism. It is not a “school of communication” In fact Northwestern’s School of Speech is more more down that path . Annenberg is a great school, but if you really want to be a hard core journalist/writer, Northwestern is the place to be. Even if you decided not to be a journalist, NU has a wide array of academic opportunities. And the weather really isn’t that much different from New York. I am an NU grad living in the NY metro area. It is much easier to be a journalism major and decide to move to something like liberal arts compared to the other way around…
@collegelook981 : You have three great options. Annenberg has a wealth of opportunities, Vanderbilt is an amazing school & the intellectual quality at NU is superb. No bad option.
For Journalism, NU is a no-brainer at similar costs.
That being said, I would strongly suggest you major in something else. Journalism is/has been slowly dyeing. Being a stringer for some blog doesn’t pay, and certainly has no ROI for your education.
Since I’m also a big Vandy fan, I’d recommend that you go there if only bcos they don’t have a J-school. An English/Comm double could be very attractive to employers who need good writers.
If OP elected to attend Northwestern, it would be very easy to double major & add a minor. Plus, Medill is well aware of the state of the industry & has appropriate course offerings, majors & certificates available for students.
OP is in a great position because all three schools are excellent & all are in different regions of the country. Visit & decide.
My son is in similar position. He is deciding between NU Medill, University of Michigan and USC Annenberg. His interest is sports – in a narrow world, sports journalism/broadcasting but he is also interested in the business side of sports. We are going to visit NU next week for Wildcat Day. While Michigan (like Vanderbilt) does not have true journalism major, he could be Communications major in liberal arts school and take classes in other areas of interest like business, language etc. I am concerned that journalism may be too narrow of a field. I do think that you have to go with your gut on where you think you will be happiest and fit best (that is what I am telling my son) because you will get great education and have plenty of opportunities at each of those schools.
@slb176
The program at Medill requires students to have at least 27 courses outside of Medill. As for Medill courses, the min requirement is only 14. Any Medill student can take as many as 31 course outside of Medill.
@collegelook981 No decision yet!!! What about you? I think he has narrowed it down to Michigan and Northwestern. We went to Wildcat Day last week. Both schools have pros/cons for him. He is interested in a career in the sports industry (journalism, management etc) - a sports culture/vibe is very important to him and always has been so he is leaning to Michigan for that reason. But the prestige of Medill is hard to turn down.
@slb176 no decision here either! can I ask why he’s no longer considering USC annenberg? So funny because I am leaning towards Vandy but the prestige of Medill is difficult to give up!