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Topic: Applying to J-School, Anyone?
| Author | Message |
| cutepug | Posted – 2/2/2006 5:20:16 PM | show profile | email poster Hi all, Well, I have all my apps in and I await the verdicts. Has anyone heard anything from graduate schools? |
| Fledgling Journo | Posted – 2/2/2006 6:10:50 PM | show profile it will be months FAFSA isn't even due until the end of February... no one will here anything until April, March at the earliest. |
| charlotte_sometimes | Posted – 2/2/2006 7:24:28 PM | show profile Where'd you apply? I've been thinking about applying to J-school myself, so I'm curious about your choices. ------ "I still believe that if your aim is to change the world, journalism is a more immediate short-term weapon." - Tom Stoppard "I am a galley slave to pen and ink." - Honore de Balzac |
| JeanMarie | Posted – 2/2/2006 8:11:34 PM | show profile Some grad schools... will start calling as early as next week. Good luck! |
| cutepug | Posted – 2/2/2006 10:18:05 PM | show profile | email poster Places of Application Berkeley, Stanford, USC, Medill, Columbia, NYU. Curiously, I read in another post on this site that missing more than a few of the ID's on the Columbia test was fatal. In contrast, my tester stressed that most people he met there missed a fair number of them; in fact, a 60% on the test is the cut-off. Further, I learned that it is the whole package that matters - with heavy weight given to the essays, followed by the quality of the clips. I was told that the essays must be brilliant, flawless and captivating. Go figure. |
| Fledgling Journo | Posted – 2/2/2006 11:18:00 PM | show profile same schools here... columbia, NYU, Berkeley and USC next week? Most schools were very explicit that you wouldn't hear anything until April, so I'm biding my time until then. As for the Columbia test, judging from the examples of past tests I've seen, I honestly thought this year was much more difficult. In the past, I never saw them ask: Who is the President of ____? instead they would list the name. On my test, I was clearly asked to fill in the blank as opposed to identifying a name given. Much more difficult. I don't think anyone, no matter how well read, would have known all of the IDs on my exam. Or even all but 2. |
| Really catchy screen name | Posted – 2/3/2006 9:11:09 AM | show profile International applicant to Columbia chiming in. Since the deadline has passed, it's probably all right to blab about this. I missed five IDs (three individuals, the sporting event and the purchasing company), forgot the last element of the amendment, missed one of the names on the rather long list question and screwed up one of the labels on the map. There was also a typo in the opinion piece ('abuses' was typed as 'abused', and I didn't spot it because I was out of time and scanning for spelling errors). The grammar section was easy, although I was absent minded for a few seconds and picked 'stationary'. Duh. |
| cutepug | Posted – 2/3/2006 9:25:10 AM | show profile | email poster Test for Columbia Newbie, I am inclined to agree with your comments about the written exam. It seems that they will differentiate between those who are comatose and those who are not. The legal eagles and the history buffs will certainly have identified the first amendment elements correctly. I got two out of four -- partial credit is better than none at all, I say. August Wilson - well, I had a thought that he was a playwright - but I was reluctant to put it down. (Duh) On the other hand, I did guess correctly about Mr. Murta. :-) |
| Fledgling Journo | Posted – 2/3/2006 12:07:04 PM | show profile i guess all we can do is wait... I'm pretty much in the same boat, I know I missed 2-3 IDs, flip-flopped 2 labels on the map (was yours a terribly hand-drawn close-up? I honestly memorized the entire world and had trouble b/c the map seemed to be drawn with a fat black marker) and didn't know the 5th component of the amendment question. Has anyone at all heard a date from USC? That's the only school that didn't give a date when they'd send out acceptances and coincidentally, I think it's my first choice. |
| cutepug | Posted – 2/3/2006 12:54:11 PM | show profile | email poster Why USC as first choice? Newbie, Can you explain to us why USC is your first choice? Is there a personal factor at play here? |
| mkelly | Posted – 2/3/2006 12:59:25 PM | show profile For the love of God... ... don't go. |
| Fledgling Journo | Posted – 2/3/2006 1:02:37 PM | show profile location Alot has to do with location. I know that columbia is the ''best'' per se... but I've been in NYC for almost 4 years and I'm ready to try something new. I have thought a ton about where I'd like to work after graduation, and I would like to start out at a newspaper. California has more smaller newspapers that I could theoretically get a job at. I know that the Columbia degree ''travels'' but at USC I'd have a chance to do internships, etc. at those papers. While I have heard wonderful things about Columbia, I have also heard negatives. I'm still not convinced that 9 months is enough time to make me a more effective journalist than a combination of my undergraduate experience and the skills I could gain ''on the job.'' But, I know Columbia is a wonderful school and that going there would put me in contact of the future leaders of the field. So it's a toss up. I'm at the point where I'd like to live alone (no roommates!) and the lower cost of living in So. Ca. would allow me to do that. Who knows, maybe I won't get in USC. Or Columbia. I'm kind of hoping the ''decision'' will be made for me.... as long as I get in somewhere! |
| cutepug | Posted – 2/3/2006 1:38:19 PM | show profile | email poster 2 years at Columbia instead of 1? Hey Newbie, The issue about the program length at Columbia has been ameliorated to a degree (unintended pun!). There is the option of applying to their new MA program whilst you are an MSJ student. While this is not exactly the same as the two-year gig at, say, Berkeley - in part because you have to re-endure the apply-and-wait game - it certainly is attractive to those who want to specialize. I am surprised that they didn't just make the M.A. program a two-year specialization program and call it a day. |
| Really catchy screen name | Posted – 2/3/2006 2:55:36 PM | show profile Questions about the IDs: I didn't get someone with the first name of Richard, but I can't recall the surname. Who was he? Also, can anyone recall how many questions were in the ID section in total? Furthermore, how are marks given out for the list questions? I got 10 of the 11 names on the Supreme Court question (damn you, Breyer). It would suck to get only half or even no marks for missing a single part of the answer. The same goes for the Pope question - I couldn't spell John Paul's family name to save my life but got the rest of it. |
| cutepug | Posted – 2/6/2006 10:28:50 AM | show profile | email poster Written Exam Well, gee, I hope they give partial credit. If they don't, the curve will drop like a lead balloon. That won't do anyone any good save for the geniuses at the very top who are also speed-readers and have an excellent memory. This is Columbia after all, so some of the most brilliant aspiring journalists will be in their applicant pool. Yikes! As my tester told me, while he had classmates that missed a fair number of the ID's, there were some who got a perfect score too. I can only imagine that over time, as the population grows, there will be more of them - and the competition will intensify. |
| mkelly | Posted – 2/6/2006 11:21:36 AM | show profile I'm too late, aren't I? Oh great, another student I'll have to un-teach down the road when I hire you... |
| Fledgling Journo | Posted – 2/6/2006 12:05:40 PM | show profile for the love of god mkelly, i see you leave snide comments all over the board. if you are *so* anti j-school how about offering some constructive advice instead of sarcastic snippets. yes, j-school isn't necessary. however, if you're aiming for a job at a good paper it sure makes that first internship/job a helluva lot easier. if you're going to post, how about posting something worthwhile. |
| mkelly | Posted – 2/6/2006 1:39:19 PM | show profile Now I know never to hire you, Newbie, but anyway... 1) Don't work in New York before you're 30. Work in flyover country somewhere, where opportunities come more quickly and you stand to earn more money once you consider taxes, rent and living costs. 2) Work a year on the copy desk. It will improve your writing dramatically and teach you (well, maybe not you, Newbie, but others...) how to think like an editor. Writers who can think like editors are rare, well-compensated and often promoted. 3) Do not work as a city editor before you're 35. You'll probably be at a smaller paper, and risk getting pigeonholed as a good editor for small markets. Unless that's your thing, pull the occasional shift but no more. 4) Now, Newbie, for the third f--king time: don't go to grad school. You're pouring huge amounts of money and time into an education that will get you your first job, and no further. Spend that time cutting your teeth at real newspapers. I don't want to look at a degree, I want to look at clips. I can't count the number of reporters I worked with who majored in history, english, math, biology, political science-- and who simply could string together a good sentence and had an innate curiousity about all things big and small. The best reporter I know (who wisely did not go to New York til he was 28) didn't even finish college. For that I don't give him grief even though he hit the Big Apple two years ahead of schedule. The kookiest I know went to BU's grad school because she wanted to write, but never read the newspaper. I am endlessly amazed by how many people just like her try to enter this profession. 5) If you want employment, learn to be excited about the sewer commission and police beats. If you want fame and glory with regular layoffs, go into television production. 6) Please remember that, yes, Kurt Vonnegut and David Remick and Thomas Wolfe all did start at crappy little daily papers covering the sewer commission and police beats. The wanna-be magazine reporters with dreams of Vanity Fair typically feel disrespected, underpaid, and then leave the profession. 7) Editors who do value master's degrees are degree snobs who you will quickly call assholes. You're just as well off telling these people you're a member of some minority group, and they'll give you the same preferential treatment without your giving $70,000 or more to Columbia or Berkeley. I could go on, but I do have a job. Try some respect for your elders, Newbie-- b/c not only do I share plenty of wisdom on this board, but it's really annoying to us pros when you amateurs treat us rudely and then expect us to sign your paycheck in another 18 months. |
| Fledgling Journo | Posted – 2/6/2006 1:52:53 PM | show profile this is the last thing I will say about this... 1) It's not disrespectful to ask you to post real information instead of snide comments. 2) there is more than one ''right'' way to do anything. If you haven't learned that at your self-declared wise, old age then I'm not sure what else I can say. 3) I have already learned all of that information from other sources. 4) I have, and do, write for small publications on unglamorous subjects such as city planning meetings, etc. I will continue to do so for however long it takes to move onto something that interests me. 5) Many, many journalists have gone to journalism school. I know a well respected journalist on the investigative desk at the Washington Post, and while they did not go to journalism graduate school, know *many* people at the WaPo who did. Truth be told, whether you like it or not, journalism school is an excellent stepping stone for many people entering the profession. Particularly if they would like to teach someday, which you didn't address. 6) From many of your posts, you appear to be a magazine writer. And mention pitching to trades. While I do not know the specifics of your experience, I do know that different people have different goals and a great path for one person might not be the best for the other. I don't expect you to ever hire me. And I wouldn't want to work for you. Anyone with a chip on their shoulder and such defensive attitude would surely give as uninformative editorial guidance as the ''advice'' you have on this thread. If you're anti j-school, state as such and move on. |
| cutepug | Posted – 2/7/2006 12:32:47 PM | show profile | email poster On going to J-school! Well! Nothing like a frank exchange of views between journalists! One of benefits of forums/threads is their therapeutic value - not to mention their pedagogical one. I am happy to read it, for better or worse, as I come to the profession via a most circuitous route. Having said that, I am always interested in points of view, if not the new sewage system in Canton, Ohio. And now, for a few comments: To: Really catchy - that you had some typos in the news story that you had some 15 minutes to put together under the pressure of the test is nothing to worry about. Also, I recall counting something like 50 questions in the ID section (counting the map). If 60% is the passing grade, all you need is 30 correct responses before they read your superb (i.e., do you hear Bach or Mozart when you read them?) essays. To: Fledgling - yes the map was poorly drawn - I thought. But then I was doing some cartography surfing and came across the very one we had on that bloody test! They lifted it right off the site. I forget how to get there, but something like ''middle east map'' will prolly get you there. And regarding USC - I don't expect a peep out of them for several weeks....(sigh) Moving to LA will be quite a challenge if that is the result.... Also, you seem to have already lost hope of getting in to school. Don't do that - unless you know that you gave it less than one of your best efforts. Otherwise, it's a topsy turvy 7 weeks for all of us... I am excited about the possibility of journalism school. It will represent a special bridge in my challenging (for me) life. A victory of many sorts -finally getting in touch with the little person in me who wonders about a lot of things and takes little for granted. With a bit of luck, if I am accepted and awarded some $$$ to attend, that will be all the better. (sigh) Toes crossed today..... Good luck and good day! :-) |
| Fledgling Journo | Posted – 2/7/2006 12:44:15 PM | show profile i cant believe That map was from a site! I was convinced some grad student sat down and scrawled it with a fat marker. Go figure. I haven't lost hope... just antsy. I know I'll get in somewhere, I just want to know where. NOW. Ha. I'm a planner, and not knowing what coast I'll be living on next year, and knowing I probably won't know for a couple more months, is really getting to me! I will just keep concentrating on my freelancing and try to wait it out! |
| cutepug | Posted – 2/7/2006 1:22:04 PM | show profile | email poster Freelancing or more? While I am not affiliated with a paper at the moment, I am thinking that it will be of benefit to secure an internship with one of the local papers before starting J-school. A last minute icing job lasting a few months or more that will look good once I get down to the serious business of looking for work post J-school - which I imagine will start as soon as I have unpacked - if I end up moving, that is (one of the schools is right up the road from me). I figure that if I tell them I will do whatever they like, even if it's grunt work they'll appreciate it and I will learn something - not to mention having something of a resume booster to fold in. |
| Really catchy screen name | Posted – 2/7/2006 9:19:10 PM | show profile cutepug - Thanks for the reply. I missed 5 IDs, so the more questions that were on the test, the merrier (I'd guess that I got about 75% to 85% in the IDs). I hope my essays are up to scratch, considering that I haven't written anything remotely personal in over five years. Does anyone know the School's policy on accepting additional material? I'm into the final round of a major legal essay competition in the UK, and, even if they don't take the essay itself, it would be nice if they made a note of it. |
| cutepug | Posted – 2/8/2006 5:48:31 PM | show profile | email poster Submitting additional materials! Ack! Hey Catchy- Well, I inadvertently overlooked the 15 page limit for clips and included a technical political economics paper that got me noticed in school years ago. It is about 30 pages long (in 10 point font, 0.7'' margins on all four sides and 1.5 spacing) - with about 50 footnotes and 4 diagrams. I thought that it would give the admissions committee a good idea about my potential as a science journalist. Suffice it to say that I was roundly informed by Ms. Palagonia that such was unacceptable: it was either half of the paper OR the five articles (totaling 15 pages) that accompanied it. Naturally, I opted for the latter (and sheepishly at that). I imagine that a short note to the dean about your latest accomplishment couldn't hurt, however. |
| Fledgling Journo | Posted – 2/8/2006 10:02:52 PM | show profile clip limit I thought it was a 3 clip limit? Err on side of caution. A note mentioning would be fine, but for instance USC only let us submit ONE clip, and even though I had several I wanted to send i only sent my best for fear of ''disqualification''... I would assume the people that read these things get sick of it and might toss aside someone who didn't follow directions. |
