how much does college choice matter?

[WSKY]

fight, fight

 

[audreyld]

I'm going to upset the balance by posting this, but WSKY and I each had 100 posts when we posted these messages.

Ok, back to college choices....

(sorry for the minor threadjack)

 

[Batman]

I always thought most undergrad programs were the same? Get 'em in, teach 'em the inverted pyramid and not to libel anybody, and send them off into the real world. Clips, internships, experience and working on your people skills are way more important than the name on the degree (unless it's one of the elite schools and you're gunning for a big-time job right out of the gate). If I hadn't worked at my student paper I probably wouldn't have lasted two weeks at my first job.

 

[2muchcoffeeman]

for example, I am entering Western Connecticut State University, which I picked over UConn for a few reasons, mainly because of size and location. is that going to come back to haunt me in the future or do newspaper bigwigs realize that the individual and their ability matter way more than pedigree?

thanks

heard the chicks were much hotter at uconn ... you should probably reconsider.

I have promised myself I would not mention Steve Rushin again, so I won't.

But Sue Bird is a UConn girl. 8)

 

[floridanewbie31]

Bostonceltz,
I too went to westconn, and I think that I can give you some good advice here, as I've tried to put together a career from a non-traditional journalism school.
The student newspaper is the Echo. When I was there, it wasn't that good a product. There wasn't any communication between editors and writers, and the experience didn't help me in the least. Maybe it's changed since I've left, but I wouldn't count on it.
The weakness with Western is that they don't have a "Journalism" major. I majored in CTA with a minor in english.
However, what I did was get involved with the local paper. First, I interned for the Danbury News-Times, and then they kept me on as a part-timer after I left school.
You can recieve some credit with an internship. I believe the person I went through at the time, 98-99, was Darryl Dennis.
The News-Times, when it came to my development, was invaluable to me. If it hadn't been for them, I wouldn't be where I am today. The sports editor there is Jason Sonski. He's a good guy. Really young for a sports editor and he knows his stuff. If you have talent, he'll give you work to do and you'll be able to get some good clips.
I did more than my share of road races, horeshoe events, and agate. But, as I got better and I developed, I was given better assignments. There are plenty of high school sports to cover there. They cover Western football and basketball as well.
It's a good place to cut your teeth, but you have to work hard at it. By the time I was ready to start looking for another spot higher on the food chain, I had enough clips in a traditional newspaper setting that the school I went to meant didly.
In this business, it's about actual experience, not the glitzy school.
Hope that helped.

 

[HejiraHenry]

I wish I had gone to Rhode Island School of Design. I might have wound up in Talking Heads.

If you dis my alma mater again, I'll have to knock you around.

Damn, I wasn't joking. About that or the part about never hiring a Missouri graduate.

 

[Tom Petty]

for example, I am entering Western Connecticut State University, which I picked over UConn for a few reasons, mainly because of size and location. is that going to come back to haunt me in the future or do newspaper bigwigs realize that the individual and their ability matter way more than pedigree?

thanks

heard the chicks were much hotter at uconn ... you should probably reconsider.

I have promised myself I would not mention Steve Rushin again, so I won't.

But Sue Bird is a UConn girl. 8)

bird is the word.

 

[Tom Petty]

Do you know a lot of people on this site? What's with saying we? Do you say we when referring to the Broncos? In my first foray into this site, it seems you think you have a lot of advice and knowledge for four years of experience. It just seems you think you know a lot for such little time on the job. I assume in four years you've been a lower end reporter for that entire time.

can anyone here believe the nerve of this assclown?

 

[lono]

Do you know a lot of people on this site? What's with saying we? Do you say we when referring to the Broncos? In my first foray into this site, it seems you think you have a lot of advice and knowledge for four years of experience. It just seems you think you know a lot for such little time on the job. I assume in four years you've been a lower end reporter for that entire time.

can anyone here believe the nerve of this assclown?

Just the latest in a long line of assclowns, douchenozzles and dicksnorts ... thanks for playing, sellmate. You can pick up your t-shirt on the way out. ::)

 

[Jeffrey_Martin]

for example, I am entering Western Connecticut State University, which I picked over UConn for a few reasons, mainly because of size and location. is that going to come back to haunt me in the future or do newspaper bigwigs realize that the individual and their ability matter way more than pedigree?

thanks

heard the chicks were much hotter at uconn ... you should probably reconsider.

I have promised myself I would not mention Steve Rushin again, so I won't.

But Sue Bird is a UConn girl. 8)

bird is the word.

Swin Cash is a UConn girl, too, and she's much hotter.