Let's Play the University Game
 

My little legacy is in a conundrum. When she started applying to colleges she was determined to go out of state and major in interior design. Fast forward to this week and she has decided she wants to go into Broadcast Journalism and may not want to venture out of state. Doesn't seem like that big of a stink, right? There are not many schools that have ID majors. There aren't a whole lot that have good journalism programs. The school that was the front runner, Oregon State, doesn't have a broadcast journalism major. Some of the other schools she applied to do have a broadcast journalism (was going to abbreviate that but it didn't look right:eek:) major but they were not her top choices after the school tour. Here is were she has applied and been excepted: Oregon State, Colorado State, Kansas State, University of Alabama and University of Arizona. We are still waiting on TCU and Colorado State.

She is thinking about applying to a couple more schools that have a good broadcast journalism major. Here are her school ideals: traditional in both mortar and brick and in feel. Good Greek System (this old bat can't get through an SEC recruitment or UofI), good football team and a good basketball team. Any one got any ideas?

Mizzou! We are one of the best Journalism schools around, we have good sports teams, and a very active Greek Life.

I was just thinking Mizzou! Their Journalism School is amazing, and the Greek Life is great... and Mizzou is now a part of the SEC! :)

Wait, so she's going to be a freshman in the fall? Can you still apply to schools this late?

I graduated in 2011 with a Russian degree - I'm not using that degree's skill set in my current job and have no plans to do so after I get my masters either. Maybe three of my friends from college are in fields related to their undergraduate major, and none of my current coworkers are. Bottom line: it doesn't really matter what you major in. (Generally speaking, we can all think of some obvious exceptions)

I'm not trying to be a Debbie Downer, but she's applied to a lot of great schools that offer a wide variety of academic programs. I wouldn't waste the money applying anywhere else, and instead would choose the school that felt like the best fit.

Texas! Great Communications College, Great Journalism, wonderful greek system, great sports!

I'll put in a plug for UNC (Chapel Hill) School of Journalism and Mass Communication. It consistently ranks high, and Chapel Hill is hard to beat. And while so far this season the basketball team is . . . still gelling, shall we say . . . for college basketball culture, it's heaven.

You are right. I'm not using my major either. She is just the kind of kid that wants to do stuff they way she thinks is right. Changing majors or transferring schools in her mind wont work.

Totally agree that she has been accepted into some great schools. We have been so impressed with not only the schools but the towns around them.

Understood. I'm a reformed "kid that wants to do stuff they way he thinks is right" - I must have been insufferable, sometimes I can't believe my parents didn't kill me. :p

Good luck to you and your daughter!

UGA fits all of her requirements! Well, except for the basketball thing. But the Grady School of Journalism is great!

Indiana University School of Journalism is awesome and IU has a great AXO chapter as well!! We also have a pretty darn good basketball team! Assembly Hall is one of the best college basketball experiences around. Have her watch College Game Day this Saturday!

We aren't that scary, I promise! All three of my girls had successful rushes this year! The Journalism School's quality may outweigh the dysfunctional Greek system. If not, I recommend Western Kentucky and University of Missouri.

:D


Check. CBS Newsman Bob Schieffer is one of our alums and is VERY involved in the broadcast journalism program which is now named for him.


Yep.


Thriving. Less than 9000 students, 12 NPC sororities (including AXO) with 150-200 members each. Recs (1-2 per chapter) are a must though and rush in the 100 degree Texas heat (way different heat than AZ) is not for the faint of heart!


Been pretty good for about 10 years. Youth movement in 2012 bodes well for 2013.

[crickets chirping]
I guess you can't have it all.;)

Syracuse University

A vote for the Philip Merrill College of Journalism and University of Maryland:

As a Limited Enrollment Program with merely 600 of the university’s 40,000 undergraduate students, the competitive Philip Merrill College of Journalism takes a special interest in its students. This institution boasts a powerhouse faculty that includes seven Pulitzer Prize winners and notable editors and correspondents from media outlets like NBC, ABC, CNN, The Washington Post, The Baltimore Sun and ESPN. Not to mention, over the last few years, the school’s independent publication The Diamondback has been recognized as one of the best college newspapers by The Princeton Review and The Society of Professional Journalists.
Journalism majors can chose from concentrations in either broadcast, news/editorial, or online and benefit from the program’s new home base, which features amenities such as a 24/7 “news bubble” and unrestricted access to its media equipment.
“They really want to see the students succeed,” Alexa Lardieri, a freshman, has said regarding the stellar faculty. “Everyone is very personable, and you're definitely not just a number, like at other larger schools.”
(linky)

Greek life is strong with a great AXO chapter (15 chapters, AXiD colonized this past fall, chapters around 130 after spring formal recruitment, pretty houses), we're not going to talk about football, basketball is...emotional, campus is pretty (though, full disclosure, College Park is not), close to DC. However, it is a very very competitive program and applications are, since Jan 20, being considered on a rolling basis.

LOL because she will change her major at least 5 times. Also, the degree isn't what is important. Internships and experience are everything. What exactly does she want to "broadcast?" News? Sports? Fashion? Economics? Tell her to apply for an internship at a local news station or radio station this summer.

Oh for the love of Mike, I thought it was understood that she was going to be an Arizona Wildcat. We fit every single criteria on that list.

Everyone else can sit down now. It's all settled.

Took the words right out of my mouth. And hey, plenty of people go to basket ball games here! I have no clue how well we do but people seem to really enjoy it regardless.

Second IndianaSigKap with IU! Well, on everything but the footballl...but we make up for it with tailgating skills :)

I seriously wouldn't do anything more than a minor in any major with "journalism" in it (says the girl with a BA in, and this is not a joke, Journalism with an emphasis in French and Film Analysis). Journalism is a dying art and putting too much emphasis on it will diminish the time spent learning stuff that will actually pay her later on. If she majors in English, Communications, Marketing, Political Science, whatever, and minors in Journalism, and then beats doors down to get internships, she may actually have a future. But remind her that a career in broadcast journalism will almost assuredly put her behind the camera in BF North Dakota for 5 years before she can even think about going to a real place.

Mizzou is a good idea, as is Washington in St. Louis, but any good state school (because they offer lots of majors), will probably do. But the one where she's going to have the most connections to TV people is where she should focus. From what I've been able to gather, networking is going to be 90% of what gets her anywhere, being pretty another 9% and actual knowledge/talent, 1%.

My home town (of about 65,000 when I was growing up) had a local TV station, and a couple local girls were able to get good news jobs, although neither ever went network. In both cases they went to Iowa and both ended up working for NBC affiliates in Iowa. One ended up at what could be considered a regional job.

I do hope you mean IU (Indiana), as UofI (Illinois) is nowhere near an SEC-league recruitment.

Do you mean IU(Indiana) or U of I (Illinois)? Because Illinois does not have cut throat recruitments like IU, has one of the best Greek systems on earth, a very highly regarded journalism school, and big time sports (although not always good LOL). Oh, and Alpha Chi has a fantastic chapter with a beautiful house.

Exactly! Our tailgates are way better than the games. But Little 5 does make up for it!

True (from someone else not using his major, professionally at least), but I tend to think that journalism may be one of those areas where if she is serious about it, then it's the thing to study.

I don't know about that -- I think it may depend on what she wants to do with the degree. My wife was a journalism major, and our niece fairly recently finished up a major in broadcast journalism. We were all impressed with how the J School is adjusting to journalism in a modern world.

Our niece got excellent experience and great opportunities in school, and while BF North Dakota is a possibility, it's probably less of a possibility somewhere there are lots of markets to begin with, like the East Coast or West Coast.

But you're absolutely right that networking is a big part of it, and some schools are going to have more opportunity for that than others.

If DeltAlum were around, he would tell you all about Ohio University. Very highly ranked broadcase journalism program, very traditional looking campus, good Greek system.

How about U of Oregon? Not to be self promoting or anything, but we have a great J school. I believe broadcast journalism falls under Journalism: Communications studies, but has a heavy focus on broadcasting.

The campus has a split feel. There is definite tradition, but is constantly getting facelifts. I believe they are currently remodeling one of the j school buildings. Feel is hit or miss. There are definite traditionalists, but there are hippies as well. Our traditions do run deep if you want to take part in them.

12 sororities with total in the 140s. It is growing every year, but recruitment is not nearly as competitive as SEC. We received about 20 recs for 800 PNMs. People rarely get them and still often have full schedules. There is a fabulous AXO chapter with a beautiful house. The chapter has been round since the 20s and the women I knew were definitely high quality.

Do I really have to answer this? We have finished in the top 5 for the last four years. Even with Kelly gone our talent and strategy will remain. Aliotti will take good care of us. Also Autzen is an amazing experience.

We are now ranked in the top ten!

I don't know where you live so Oregon might be a touch too far away.

Just as a reminder, University of Missouri is now in the SEC!! If you are avoiding the intense competition of SEC then cross off UGA and certainly Bama.

Ohio came to my mind as well. Scripps is one of the best journalism schools around, especially for broadcast (Matt Lauer, anyone?). Plus, they have a fantastic greek system and their campus is STUNNING.

Thirding Indiana. I'm an alum of the journalism school and I can tell you that it is amazing. The campus is absolutely gorgeous, there's plenty to do, and Bloomington is a great town. The football team isn't exactly great, but it is fun to go to games - there's nothing like a Big Ten football game. As for IU basketball - it's practically a religion. : )

Penn State and Syracuse
 

As an Alumna of Syracuse (ranked #58), I would like to throw out Syracuse University because S.I. Newhouse School of Public Communications is known nationwide. It is a top notch school and has produced many greats in Hollywood like Aaron Sorkin (Social Network screenwriter) and Dick Clark. The football team may not be top-notch but, the Greek life is amazing considering it is home of the Syracuse Triad (Alpha Phi, Alpha Gamma Delta, and Gamma Phi Beta). They also have houses at Syracuse University for the sororities.

I am also an Alumna of Penn State (ranked #46) and think this could be a great school for your daughter too! We have top-ranked programs and the Greek life is amazing. In fact, Penn State has the largest student-run philanthropy in the world and it was started by the Greeks.

I wish your legacy luck!

We should have just come here in the first place. WOW, I leave to do a recruitment workshop and I come back to a lot of really great information! You all could have saved us a lot of time. Thanks for all the information and AZTheta devils like to pitch fork those wildcats!

AXORushAdvisor-


I agree with Gusteau that if she is going to be a freshman this fall, the application dates for most of these schools has passed and it sounds like she has an extensive list already. Is she planning on applying to other schools for this fall?


On the topic of the major. I'm with MysticCat on this one. Daughter just got her degree in journalism from UofO. If they had focused solely on print and broadcast journalism - her options would certainly be limited and she would be tubed, but that isn't the focus of most j schools in this day and age. They know this - they focus on online media and the graphic and/or technical skills that go with it and well as marketing and pr for every journalism student. It is often one of the potential majors listed for marketing, public relations, event planning, or any job requiring writing and/or communications skills. While it doesn't have the marketability of many other majors, I would put it ahead of communications, political science or English, and I say that as an English major.


I would also agree that it is much less about the major than the internships, job experience, volunteer experience, and connections you make and use that are going to help her find and land a job, and yeah, she probably will change her mind a bit. Mine was determined to be a broadcast journalist as well - some things changed her mind and she's now headed down a different path.


Now back to the school issue - assuming any of these schools are still open for applications - for a journalism major I don't know what could beat Mizzou. I have no idea how traditional the campus is and don't know squat about it's greek life. Their basketball team is usually good (not Kentucky, Kansas or Duke good, but good). Their football team....not so much.


If she wants to stay out west, the best school in the Pac-12 for broadcast journalsim is Washington State. Their communications school which includes broadcast journalism is ranked 4th in the nation (last I checked). Greek life is the major part of their social life - a big deal, but at the same time it isn't SEC competitive by any stretch. They are in the middle of nowhere and it does have a bit of a party school reputation as I've mentioned. I also can't say much for sports there which currently....well, suck, but hopefully things will start to look up for them.


I'm assuming since you mentioned she had once looked at UofO that there were things that made her decide it didn't fit her and that's understandable. As much as I love it - no school is right for everyone. WC stated it's attributes well, and I don't have anything to add to that unless you want to know more about the journalism department there specifically in which case, feel free to ask or pm me - as I said, daughter just got her degree from the j school there and had a great experience, and of course you know she was an AXO there and she loved that as well.

AXORushAdvisor-
I PM'd you with some add'l info, but just to "second" the above posts - Mizzou has a top-tier J-school. The campus is traditional, with robust Greek life, big mansion-like houses. Football is a big deal there, even when they aren't doing well. Fall and spring are spectacular, but the winters would be really tough for an Arizona girl. Maybe take a second look at U of Oregon J-school? Here's a couple of links to look at, re: new Portland-branch journalism director and newly-renovated J-school building:
http://uonews.uoregon.edu/archive/ne...tland-director
http://uonews.uoregon.edu/archive/ne...students-jan-7

Yes, this is absolutely true! Some of the folks I worked with on my college newspaper went there for grad school and they actually have journalism jobs and can support themselves. And that, my friends, is no mean feat! (print journalism has been shrinking since the advent of the Internet :( )