Another graduate school question

[shotglass]

On the other hand, you may subscribe to theory that the sky is actually NOT falling, and get yourself a good education in what you want to do. Maybe even in ... gasp ... graphic design.

In fact, I can think of a person or two who I'd like to tie into a seat and force them to sit through some lectures on graphic design...

 

[DyePack]

Hey, it's not my money. If the guy wants to spend hundreds of thousands of dollars to learn a lot about a tiny sliver that's getting even smaller -- go to it.

 

[User 4332]

My advice Confusion: Broaden your graduate school search well beyond your "Big Three" and find the program that will be the most comfortable for you as well as fit your budget. The only Columbia master's grad I ever worked with was at a 25k daily. He was hella talented, and making a 25k-paper salary.

Also, do some research into what you'll learn in the programs. I'm in a similar situation Confusion and expect to be enrolling in some sort of program next fall. When I started seriously looking, my thought was, I'll got to a 12- to 18-months long program so I can get it done with ASAP. What I found is the short programs tend to be skills-based. And I don't won't to go to grad school to be bored off my ass because I've got a mountain of practical experience.

Now I'm looking at different kinds of programs that I think will be a better fit, even if they take a bit longer, and might provide some additional skills should I ever decide to get out of this business. I'm also not willing to spend the aforementioned 50k to go to a Columbia if I can get a solid degree for half that elsewhere.

Take a look at this: http://www.washpost.com/news_ed/summer_internships/bios2005a.shtml

Those are the bios for the Washington Post's 2005 summer interns -- of the graduate students only two came from your "Big Three" while four came from UC-Berkeley alone. There are a smattering of other schools in there. So what? It's the intern program, but many of the Post's staff hires are interns or former interns. And it goes to show that you can get there from plenty of other schools.

Go to Columbia or Medill if one of them is the right place for you. But don't go if you expect it to launch you to the New York Times, Wall Street Journal or Washington Post. They're not going to land you there. You'll have to do that yourself and graduate school is not a bad way to get moving in that direction.

 

[audreyld]

My advice Confusion: Broaden your graduate school search well beyond your "Big Three" and find the program that will be the most comfortable for you as well as fit your budget. The only Columbia master's grad I ever worked with was at a 25k daily. He was hella talented, and making a 25k-paper salary.

Also, do some research into what you'll learn in the programs. I'm in a similar situation Confusion and expect to be enrolling in some sort of program next fall. When I started seriously looking, my thought was, I'll got to a 12- to 18-months long program so I can get it done with ASAP. What I found is the short programs tend to be skills-based. And I don't won't to go to grad school to be bored off my ass because I've got a mountain of practical experience.

Now I'm looking at different kinds of programs that I think will be a better fit, even if they take a bit longer, and might provide some additional skills should I ever decide to get out of this business. I'm also not willing to spend the aforementioned 50k to go to a Columbia if I can get a solid degree for half that elsewhere.

Take a look at this: http://www.washpost.com/news_ed/summer_internships/bios2005a.shtml

Those are the bios for the Washington Post's 2005 summer interns -- of the graduate students only two came from your "Big Three" while four came from UC-Berkeley alone. There are a smattering of other schools in there. So what? It's the intern program, but many of the Post's staff hires are interns or former interns. And it goes to show that you can get there from plenty of other schools.

Go to Columbia or Medill if one of them is the right place for you. But don't go if you expect it to launch you to the New York Times, Wall Street Journal or Washington Post. They're not going to land you there. You'll have to do that yourself and graduate school is not a bad way to get moving in that direction.

This may be the best advice here. I see tons of kids who went to a school for name recognition, when their interests would have been much better served by picking a school outside the "Big Three."

Decide what you want. Pick a program that gets you there, don't pick a program and hope you can make it work for you somehow.

 

[Piotr Rasputin]

I ask because, IMO, those are two good beats to go back to grad school for if you have no previous experience with them.

My suggestion is to field requests on this site for good schools. Then look them up, read the professor's bios, and maybe contact them. Do this search the right way. A lot of people get sheepish when it comes to contacting people, taking up their time...etc. Nah. Just do it.

Seconded. I was not a wise undergrad, didn't spend a lot of time making friends with and networking among the professors. Just thought they had better things to do than help some snot-nosed, wet-behind-the-ears wannabe journalist. Dumb, dumb.

Now that I have looked at grad school, I find that the professors are more than willing to give their time to answer any questions you have and give advice. And as someone looking to go back myself, I know I waffle on the question of whether grad school is the right decision. Taking time off from the career can be a hindrance and likely will be in the short term (tough to go for jobs while trying to perform in graduate school, especially at the cream of the crop you seek to attend).

But in the long run, I think the challenge is worth it, to learn about what's next for journalism. Because newspaper management sure isn't on the cutting edge as much as the best schools are. If you go to the best, you'll gain connections if you play your cards right. And the money will be worth it in the end, even if it hasn't been mentioned that most schools have plenty of ways to finance your education that have nothing to do with loans.

Good luck.

 

[Herbert Anchovy]

My advice: PUNT.
Go to grad school and get an MBA.

What he said. You sound like you need a new game.

You're ignoring a hell of a lot of good research universities. Expand your list a bit, don't be so rigid.

 

[Confusion]

My advice: PUNT.
Go to grad school and get an MBA.

What he said. You sound like you need a new game.

You're ignoring a hell of a lot of good research universities. Expand your list a bit, don't be so rigid.

Don't need a new game. I don't know where you get that from - I love journalism. I actually have now come to the full realization that I wouldn't be satisfied doing anything else.

But the points about other schools is definitely taken under advisement - I hadn't realized that there were so many other respected J-schools with advanced degrees and instructors with terrific experience and resumes.

 

[fishwrapper]

If you want to reach for the stars...
Go to the John Kennedy School of Govt. at Harvard and study under John Carroll.
Although, at times highfalutin, he's the best damn ethical journalist this generation has seen.

Other than that, go get an MBA.

 

[Confusion]

I'm not totally sure I even understand the concept of an MBA.

 

[Herbert Anchovy]

I'm not totally sure I even understand the concept of an MBA.

This business most needs imaginative difference makers at top echelon management positions. There's a glut of talent -- more than ever -- distributed at every other level but the top.

 

[Cadet]

I'm not totally sure I even understand the concept of an MBA.

$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$

 

[Pringle]

As someone who has considered the MBA route myself - to get myself either into a sports front office somewhere or a newspaper/media company front office, preferably - is it possible for one of us to get into a decent business school from a sports journalism position? Or a reporting position at all, that doesn't include managerial duties? Obviously we all have a lot of responsibility, but I wonder if a good MBA program would guffaw at that if it doesn't include concrete management experience, even with a good GMAT?

 

[DyePack]

My advice: PUNT.
Go to grad school and get an MBA.

What he said. You sound like you need a new game.

You're ignoring a hell of a lot of good research universities. Expand your list a bit, don't be so rigid.

Don't need a new game. I don't know where you get that from - I love journalism. I actually have now come to the full realization that I wouldn't be satisfied doing anything else.

If you're going to have that attitude, you need to be ready to fight. Fight the ****tards who are wrecking the industry.

Because you'll face a lot of opposition along the way.

 

[Herbert Anchovy]

He's got to go to Missouri, Columbia or Northwestern. Clearly, anything else is charm school.

 

[Confusion]

He's got to go to Missouri, Columbia or Northwestern. Clearly, anything else is charm school.

Whatever. Don't be a prick. All I meant was that this business is so hard to crack into to begin with, I thought those were the only grad schools with a reasonable return on investment. If I was wrong, I apologize.

 

[Herbert Anchovy]

It depends what kind of return you want. Do you want to go into media management or strategic communications? I'm saying there are several other programs -- North Carolina, Indiana, Florida, Ohio, Cal among others -- that you might want to investigate. You might even get more bang for your buck. A better bargain, some folks call it. You're going to invest a **** load of money and time into this, you need to play all the angles.

I know someone who got an MA in journalism from North Carolina. Now working PR, now pulling down twice what she would have made on a top beat at a big daily.