|
Anonymous
Anonymous User
Posts: 1914
Joined: Sep 2001
|
Friday December 06, 2002 2:38 AM
|
|
I am a recent graduate from a highly ranked university with degrees in English and Computer Science. For seven months I have tried extremely hard to break into the journalism industry with very little succes. I have travelled to almost every major city in the Northeast and Mid-Atlantic searching for jobs. The most common reasons for my rejections have been: too little experience, and too little education. These types of responses have prompted me to apply to graduate schools for journalism next year. I am bypassing some of the highly ranked schools in favor of schools with reasonable tuition and proximity to major urban centers. Schools on my list include Maryland, Boston, Temple, American, Syracuse, and a few others in major urban metropolitan areas. I figure that, the school is less important than the location and the opportunities present in the area. Is this a good stategy? Should I be more concerned with the reputation of the school? Considering that I know almost nothing about how journalsim functions from the inside, have little experience (except for college newspaper clippings), and no connections, is j-school worth it, or should I just keep trying to get a job?
|
|
|
|
Anonymous
Anonymous User
Posts: 1914
Joined: Sep 2001
|
|
Friday April 18, 2003 12:10 AM
|
|
I'm affluent, and I can afford to get a degree from the Medill School of Journalism. There is NOTHING wrong with this. Just because you are jealous of people such as me, who have had wonderful opportunities in life, it DOES NOT give you the license to criticize those who proactively puruse their dreams. I graduated at the top of my high school class, was accepted to the College at Brown Universityno small feat considering Brown is an Ivy League institution that denies more than 85% of those who apply. I was also admitted to the University of Chicago, undoubtedly one of the most prestigious universities in the world. After being admitted to Northwestern's Medill, which is equally prestigious, I have continually discovered that people are always trying to bring me down. You can NEVER take my Medill degree away from me, and I will ALWAYS possess my acceptance letter signed by Michael Goldberger, Director of Brown admissions.
So you say, a journalism degree is crap. Is it? Or is it simplyout of jealouslyyour willingness to try and cripple people's aspirations, hopes, and dreams? I personally enjoy studying journalism, and this is why I am pursuing the degree, but NOT because it will necessarily open doors for me. However, a Medill degree will do more for a person interested in journalism than an English degree from "Third Tier Toilet USA" can ever hope to. Medill's oportunities are unprecedented.
On an unrelated note, one of the first rules in journalism is to KNOW before you SPEAK and WRITE. Clearly, many of you have failed to learn this SIMPLE rule and it scares me greatly. One of you one here has posted that journalism degrees are pointless, a blanket and detrimental statement that is clearly WRONG! If you knew ANYTHING about MEDILL's curriculum, you would know of what I am speaking. Medill requires a LIBERAL ARTS curriculum IN CONJUNCTION with the journalism major which accounts for LESS THAN 25% of the undergraduate component. I have pursued a double major at the Medill School, making me more MARKETABLE than someone from a shitty third tier school who pursues only one major. Please, save me the melodrama. Do NOT try to tell me that someone with only an English degree is as marketable as someone who has both a major in journalism and English. You people need to check your facts! At Medill, mistakes such as these are automatics 'F's in editorial classes.
|
|
|
|
Anonymous
Anonymous User
Posts: 1914
Joined: Sep 2001
|
|
Sunday April 20, 2003 10:54 PM
|
|
Oh, I'm here.  And no...silence DOES NOT speak volumes.
Some people actually have jobs and have other responsiblities in life and can't sit on a message board all day typing vitriolic responses back and forth.
In answer to your question, no, I have not gotten a job yet, despite my Medill degree. Why? Because, currently, I am a junior at the Medill School, and therefore, I have not graduated and am still IN SCHOOL. I don't believe I ever said I graduated in that that previous post...it worries me when people read something and then extrapolate to completely false conclusions.
At any rate, I have full confidence that I will get a job right out of Medill. Medill's placement rate is something like 80-90% if I recall, which is truly excellent, so I'm very confident I'll be getting a job right out of college. The placement office is really great with connecting alumni and creating excellent contacts for students who need jobs. I have done an internship which is a great thing to put on my resume. All students at the Medill school are required to do a for-credit internship, so, no, it's not all classroom work. As I say, maybe you people should educate yourself on Medill before blanketly bringing it down.
|
|
|
|
Anonymous
Anonymous User
Posts: 1914
Joined: Sep 2001
|
|
Sunday April 20, 2003 10:58 PM
|
|
Oh, and one more thing I forgot to add in that previous post.
In response to whomever was saying that my degree is nothing more than a piece of paper signed by a hot shot: you are completely wrong!
My degree, while prestigious, is something I will pride myself on, because of the work it has taken me to get there. The degree DOES NOT drop into your lap, and as such, you have to work your ass off to graduate and do okay. In addition, you have to work your hardest even to gain admittance to the school. So for me, it's about work ethic. It's taught me to work hard, and this has been great. Finally, I think that the knowledge I will take away from Northwestern as a whole will be truly excellentnot just in journalism. Journalism, in fact, was a small part of my degree. The rest of my coursework was in other areas, and this is what really attracted me to the Medill school in the first place.
|
|
|
|
Anonymous
Anonymous User
Posts: 1914
Joined: Sep 2001
|
|
Monday April 21, 2003 3:26 PM
|
|
"I wondered why the Medill person was so insecure and defensive. His or her being a student explains it. If I were a student and saw posts saying that J-school was a waste of time, that would worry me greatly. I'd think, "Am I wasting my time? Are these posters right?!"
Oh, the horror."
Um...talk about insecure. From the aforementioned quote, it seems you are the one who is insecure NOT me. You obviously can't find anything better to do than bring down those people of whom you are jealous, and so you become critical of other people's achievements. I'm sorry you didn't go to college or didn't go to Medill, but that doesn't mean you can't get a good job, and that doesn't mean you should feel insecure about your own credentials.
The fact that you discount going to college, though, is highly disturbing, and that statement really undermines everything you have said.
|
|
|
|
|
