brancan

My background is in journalism and I'm starting my PhD in Communication shortly, so keep the faith. One word that I heard a lot from the schools that accepted me was "potential." I think I did a good job of showing how my past work experiences related to communication - even if it wasn't what I studied - and how my interests have shifted over the years. I also made sure to emphasize my fit with a few faculty members, as well as the general research orientation of the program. I think that there are a lot of ways to connect the work you are doing with the work you want to do. Get creative.

Interesting post. I'll be moving to a small city in the midwest (from Toronto) in a few weeks, right before my 28th birthday. Since the city (Columbia, MO) is about a quarter undergrads, I'm a bit worried about my dating prospects for the next four years. There are grad students and people not affiliated with the university, sure, but I'm scared. I'm also gay and, even though there are two gay bars, I'm not really optimistic about the LGBT scene. I mean, it's hard enough to date in Toronto - where there are tens of thousands of homosexuals and I live in the gay village. Anyway, what I was trying to say is that I've already started to look at my list and attempt to decide which things are deal-breakers and which are negotiable. Age is negotiable for me, but only to a point. I don't think I would date anyone under 25. And that's actually a compromise, because my ideal man would be between 27 and 35. That said, I think I'd reconsider if I met a 24-year-old who blew my socks off. This guy obviously blew your socks off within an hour, so I say go for it. And then tell us how it goes!

Having lived in Syracuse for a year, I'd say move to Boston or Los Angeles. But, that said, I chose a program in Columbia, Missouri, over one in Chicago. For me, I decided I needed to follow my gut instinct, and choose the school that felt like the best fit (both academically and financially). And, from your post, it seems like BU is where you want to go.

Not particularly. My undergrad was actually in poli sci, though political journalism is not something I was interested in pursuing. My best advice would be to network your butt off. Join ED2010 if you haven't already and if you end up moving to NYC, go to their events. They offer helpful information and you will meet a ton of people. They also regularly post jobs on their website and they are sometimes jobs that are not posted elsewhere yet. Beyond that, I'd say to keep involved with campus publications. If you can get paid freelance work, that would be awesome for your resume too. And intern. Ninety percent of the journalism students I know (who actually work in journalism) got their first job because of an internship. They either interned at the publication that hired them, or they made a connection through which they found a job. Plus, internships offer experiences you won't get in school. I did four and my program was only 12 months.

HAHA. I was in the same program as the guy in the photo in the article mrpbn7 posted. Nice dude.

Also, I should not that none of my professors had advanced degrees. And they TAUGHT journalism, both newspaper and magazine. It's all about experience and portfolios. And connections.

Lyndsey, save yourself a lot of time and money and don't go to grad school! I have an MA in journalism (from the Newhouse School at Syracuse University) and it has done nothing for me that a BA could not have. More than half the people in my program don't work in journalism. They are teachers or work in corporate editing jobs or PR. The ones that do work in journalism make the same crappy pay as everyone else. An MA will not change the pay of your first few gigs. If you ever make it to the top, it might come in handy, but even then, it's not something that is important. Hell, half the people working in journalism don't have a formal education in the field. The reason I got my degree was because my undergraduate one was in another field. If you are already studying journalism, you're good to go. All of the undergraduate students I met at Syracuse have been a lot more successful. The key is networking and building your portfolio. I currently work as a blogger/writer, and it's a tough road. I wouldn't suggest investing anymore into it than necessary, financially-speaking. Unlike MBA or law degrees, an MA in journalism does not pay itself off.

From the information I have gathered, that pretty much means you have been rejected. They notified admitted and waitlisted candidates a while ago, and I too have been unable to get a straight answer from them. They said I would hear back by the end of March, but I gave up waiting for the official rejection. The writing was on the wall, you know?

Well, I just heard I have been waitlisted by American. That's awesome. But I have already made a decision, anyway! I was deciding between the University of Missouri and UIC, but I chose Mizzou in the end. I don't think I have seen anyone else on the board mention the program there, but please feel free to message me if you're also moving to the middle of Missouri. I'm kind of freaking out about that.

I'm waiting on American, too. I just e-mailed, though, because they told me I'd hear by the end of the week. Two weeks ago.

Thanks for the update! I already assumed rejection, so now I guess I know. Since they don't answer my e-mails at USC, at least someone is keeping me informed. Congrats on the waitlist. I don't think I could wait until April 15 to decide, but that's just me. I want to make a decision soon, let the school know, get my immigration paperwork started, and start looking for somewhere to live. Another month of indecision might have killed me, so perhaps it's for the best I didn't get this e-mail!

Thanks for this. I think that's a really good way to go about it.

I have to agree with you (and Saviya) on USC. I'm really disappointed by the way the department has handled things. When I applied there for my MA, I don't recall having any issues. But maybe that's because I was admitted. Since people here have confirmed that acceptances have gone out, I e-mailed to confirm that I was indeed rejected. No reply. I e-mailed again. No reply. Is that the kind of service a massive application fee gets you? I understand that it's a busy time of year, but to not reply altogether is (to me) very rude. I'm unimpressed. And it definitely makes me appreciate the departments that have been responsive and kind, and continue to be as I go through this process. Oh, one more question. How do people feel about courtesy deadlines? I was given one by a school that admitted me and I'd really like to honour it for them by responding by the end of next week. Unfortunately, I have a couple of schools that haven't gotten back to me with a decision yet. And three of the four (the fourth being USC) have confirmed that I'm still under consideration. It feels weird to make a decision before hearing back from absolutely everywhere, especially given the fact that I spent $1200 on applications, but I also don't know if I can both honour the courtesy deadline and wait for each school. It seems like 95% of people have heard back by now, so I don't know why/how I find myself still waiting!

Are there others out there who are still waiting on USC? I saw two acceptances on the results survey, but I haven't heard a peep. Also, my Indiana application says something like "thanks for adding your name to the waitlist; we can't admit you." Does that mean waitlist or rejection? I assume rejection but no one has responded to my e-mail. Annoying.

Thank you so much! That's funny about your roommate, because I'm originally from Ottawa (and did my MA in Syracuse) and laugh at people in Toronto who complain about the snow. So I'm sure Missouri winters will be a breeze. I'm definitely not worried about that. A poster above had reservation about The Reserve, so that kind of scares me. I'm also not so into the furnished apartments that seem to be EVERYWHERE in Columbia. I have a lot of stuff, and I also don't like the idea of using someone else's bed. It would make me feel like I was back in residence, and that didn't go too well the first time. I have been looking at Providence Hill (versus Providence Court), which would make it the less nice of the 2 locations. I hope it's still nice. It's on the night shuttle route from campus, which makes it very attractive. And the all-inclusiveness is awesome. I will keep looking around, as it's still very early. Thanks again for the info. I'm sure I will be back with more questions (especially if I decide to go and have to make the move!)