pretensions

Yeah, I've heard that said quite a bit about Columbia. Anyway, Medill seems to be the one for me! Thank you!

My interest lies primarily in long-form non-fiction narrative writing or magazine writing, although I definitely want to gain skills in video production, interactive journalism, and some data literacy. I find Medill's curriculum to be more varied/balanced and less focused on pure reporting, which is very attractive. At the same time, Columbia has amazing faculty and presumably many opportunities related to being in NYC. However, the cost is... Yeah, after further deliberation, I think the cost of Columbia wouldn't justify any slight edge it may have over Medill (if it even does have an edge over it—I think both programs are about equally strong, or the difference is minuscule). I think I'm just starting to question my own judgement at this point after obsessing about it for so long, haha. Thanks again for your responses, everyone!

Hi everyone! Just wanted to give you an update and thank you all again for your helpful responses. I've officially declined Stanford's offer of admission—god, were those some hard emails to send. I will most likely go with Medill at Northwestern, but visiting Columbia this past weekend has brought up all sorts of feelings in me ahaha. If anyone has any insight regarding Medill vs. Columbia, I'd love to hear them, but otherwise, thank you so much for your input!

Oh wow, congratulations! That's very impressive. I'm an undergrad studying Comparative Lit, but I'm switching to another field after graduation, so I don't have much to offer besides the little that I've looked into or heard from professors. That being said, here's what I've heard: One of my Comp. Lit professors got his PhD at Harvard, but he told me he was very close to changing his mind and choosing Berkeley instead when he went there for a campus visit. According to him, the location and whole atmosphere of the university and town is terrific, so I would probably agree with you that Berkeley > Princeton for location. However, since both of your choices are great (and if there aren't any other factors that might favor one over the other), I think it would come down to funding. How much more will Princeton give you compared to Berkeley? If the difference is negligible, then I wouldn't worry too much, but if Princeton is offering significantly more, then I would definitely choose that. Either way, though, I don't think you can go wrong with such top-tier programs. Once again, congrats!

Yes, definitely for education and to bolster applicable skills and career opportunities, not necessarily to impress random acquaintances and relatives who probably don't really know or care about what I"m studying Thanks for your input, I appreciate it!

Hi smooshie! I'm also planning on pursuing a Master's at a j-school in the fall (either Medill, Stanford, or Columbia), so these are just my thoughts based on what I've researched online: As far as program prestige or rankings, I've found that Medill and USC are almost always among the top 5 j-school rankings, while NYU is usually in the top 10. This doesn't necessarily mean that Medill and USC are much, much better than NYU, but I think they have a more recognizable prestige in the journalism industry. On the other hand, NYU has a huge plus in that it's located in the mecca of media and publishing. But like CFBrown said, both USC and Medill are the dominant journalism programs in their respective areas (although Berkeley is also supposed to be very well-regarded on the West Coast), so there will probably be plenty of opportunities in the local area. Many j-school students also relocate to NYC after they graduate, so if it's really important for you to get a head-start in NYC, then location is also something to think about. Best of luck with your decision!

Yes, great points. My end goal is still to build a good network in the journalism industry and find a job after I graduate, so this definitely applies! Thanks for your input, I really appreciate it! Yep, and it doesn't really help that most of the people who urge me to go with Stanford don't really know the specifics of what I'm interested in, haha. Thanks again! Really great point! I know that quite a few people who graduate from any journalism school end up moving to NYC after graduation, and the Bay Area seems like it might have less career opportunities compared to fast-paced, urban metropolises. Thanks for your input! It's great to hear from someone who was in a similar situation. Thanks for your response, and congrats on your acceptances!

Haha yep, can totally relate! Good point about being passionate about classes. Anyway, thank you so much for your encouraging words! I really appreciate it. Haha, you can bet I'll save my acceptance letters! Thank you so much! Thanks for another perspective! No matter which path I take, I really hope I don't regret it forever, haha. I appreciate your response!

I think it really comes down to what you want to do after you graduate. You say either a job or academia is fine with you, but there must be one you're leaning towards more. If your undergrad degree is in mechanical engineering and you want to stay in that field, I would look for a job in that industry first so you can get some experience before going to grad school, since most engineering students I know can find a job fairly easily after graduating without having to go to grad school. Otherwise, if you do want to go into academia and you don't mind switching to material, then I would choose the funded PhD so you don't have to pay so much out of your own pocket or go into debt. (As an undergrad attending UMich right now, I will agree that our engineering programs are highly regarded, and there are decent career opportunities because of the automotive industry, like you said. However, winters are brutal.)

Ha, yes, I think I'm starting to come to terms with this more. Thanks for your reply, I appreciate it! Looking at the pros/cons list, it really seems clear to me now that I prefer Northwestern, but like you said, I feel some apprehension about turning down a place like Stanford in case I regret it. Not to mention, nearly all of my family/friends/acquaintances think I'm crazy for considering anything but Stanford, haha. You definitely raise some good points! I feel more reassured about my preference for Northwestern now. Columbia is most likely out of the picture without funding. Thanks for your advice, much appreciated!

Great points about Columbia. Ahh, if only I had any funding offers from them to help defray the costs, then I would almost definitely choose their program. As it is, I think I'm leaning more towards Medill now! Thanks for your reply, much appreciated!

I definitely agree that I seem to have a better fit with Medill, from what I've seen so far. I suppose I'm just a little worried that the Stanford name may open a lot of doors, in which case I might be willing to buckle down and bear the program for a year. Congrats on getting accepted into the IMC program, as well as your other choices! Best of luck to you, and thank you for replying!

I'm probably a little biased as an undergrad at UM right now, but I think UM has a better academic reputation overall (although I don't know about the individual PhD program). That, plus the more generous funding, would make me probably go for UM. Good luck!

Hi everyone! I'll be pursuing a Master's in Journalism/Communication starting in the fall, but first I have to make a decision. I feel very fortunate that I was admitted to all of the programs I applied to, but that also leaves me extremely conflicted. I'm primarily considering Stanford and Northwestern Medill, but I was also admitted to Columbia Journalism School, so that's in the back of my mind, as well. Here's a breakdown of what each has to offer: STANFORD pros overall university prestige and "brand recognition" $25,000 fellowship tuition offer beautiful campus, great weather, close to SF curriculum focuses more on data journalism or public affairs, while I'm interested in magazine writing and multimedia journalism, so I'm not thrilled about all of the course choices I didn't click with the few faculty members I met during open house, and I don't think any of them specialize in my main areas of interest Rebele Internship program provides up to $5,000 stipend for students who do paid/unpaid internship after graduating—cushion in case I have no full-time offers STANFORD. god, just saying that name is... cons not recognized as a top journalism program like Medill or Columbia a part of the Communication department instead of a separate journalism school, so less resources? (I know they don't have a newsroom, for instance) I'm not a big fan of Palo Alto (boring and super high cost of living) doesn't have access to the same fast-paced, urban world of reporting as schools near Chicago or NYC far from my home in MI ??? small cohort (~15 students)—can grow closer as a group, individualized attention from faculty/recruiters, maybe less competition?—but a smaller alumni network (at least in terms of program alums) newer program—does not have the long history of established programs like Columbia—but maybe it's more innovative and less stuck in the past a lot of access to tech in the area, although that's not something I'm particularly interested in NORTHWESTERN MEDILL pros recognized as one of the top journalism schools in the US by anyone in the journalism industry $20,000 scholarship closer to my home in MI students split time between Evanston campus and Chicago newsroom, so exposure to fast-paced, urban world of reporting alumni network is supposed to be very strong I like their curriculum more (good blend of writing + digital/new media), and their magazine writing program is supposed to be good I really like one of the faculty members I spoke with; I feel like she could be a good mentor cons Northwestern just doesn't have the same prestige as Stanford/Columbia to the general public and people who aren't in journalism campus is just okay, weather is bleh (but I'm used to it, being from MI) ??? large cohort (~100 students? I think)—more school resources and bigger alumni network—but harder to stand out from competition And then there's Columbia, which I'm not considering as much because I didn't get any funding offers from them (but I'll be visiting there next week): pros overall university prestige and "brand recognition" as an Ivy recognized as one of the top journalism schools in the US by anyone in the journalism industry in NYC, the center of publishing and media (especially magazine) top-notch faculty cons insanely expensive, especially since I have no funding offers I've heard criticism that the school is a little too traditional, old-fashioned, stuck in the past, etc. (focuses more on writing skills than adapting to new media) I'm a little intimidated by NYC tbh ??? large cohort (over 200 students? I think)—more school resources and bigger alumni network—but harder to stand out from competition Wow, this is really long. Sorry, everyone! Anyway, TL;DR: Is it better to choose the program that has the backing of overall university prestige and "brand recognition" (may be helpful in getting jobs outside of journalism), or to choose the program that is recognized in the industry as a top journalism school (could open more doors in journalism)? And also, just any thoughts at all on Stanford, Northwestern Medill, or Columbia. Thank you so much!

Hi grindian! I was offered a $25,000 tuition fellowship. Do you mind if I ask if you're considering other programs, and if so, what factors you're considering? Are you leaning towards Stanford at the moment? I'm still very undecided, myself, haha.