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Topic: Anyone regret Columbia?
| Author | Message |
| katiedewi | Posted – 5/30/2006 2:25:16 PM | show profile I just signed away $60,000 with my decision in going to Columbia and I feel a little sick. I feel like that's waaay too much for a master's in journalism. I would appreciate if any Columbia alumni could tell me if they regretted their experience. Cheers! |
| Marie | Posted – 5/31/2006 1:48:26 AM | show profile You've made the decision, which you obviously felt was right for you or you wouldn't have signed up, so why are you second-guessing yourelf now? Also, you can't apply others' expericnce to your own. Plenty of people will tell you Columbia was a tremendous waste. Just as many will tell you just the opposite. People will say you learn on the job, which isn't necessarily true: For that to happen, you actually have to be working for talented, competent, ethical people, and that isn't necessarily going to happen, just because you have some job. The old days of training and apprenticeships are over. It used to be that you could get a job on a paper, any paper, and you'd be taken under someone's wing and coached and trained. Doesn't happen anymore. Staffs have been decimated and no one has time or energy to worry too much about your personal development. So look at Columbia as your training ground. But you must be aggressive there and fight for the courses you want and the teachers you want to study with. Don't ever let that place tell you no . You're paying a fortune and they're working for you, not the reverse. You're a consumer. You're paying a ton of money. Force that place to deliver for you. And I'm a Columbia grad who doesn't regret it for a second. |
| Bleak Spouse | Posted – 5/31/2006 7:36:50 AM | show profile It's absurd to spend 60k on a one-year master's degree. That program should really only be attended by wealthy kids with parents footing the bill, or should be a free ride with scholarships. I have a masters degree and although I have a good job now, I know the masters had nothing to do with it--work experience is everything. And the problem with 60k in loans is that for the next 20 years or so, you'll have to spend about 300 to 500 dollars than you normally would on rent, which means you're standard of living is going way down. I think these programs like the Columbia one should just be closed down because they bring a lot of misery to people who were to young to understand what they were doing at the time. |
| slink | Posted – 5/31/2006 8:42:22 AM | show profile Why's it so fucking expensive? That's a lot of money toward a career that pays so little. |
| FranceJourno | Posted – 5/31/2006 11:45:50 AM | show profile | email poster I just borrowed also to go study at Columbia. I am a little nervous but not sick or anxious. I am just goihg to make sure I make it work the most for me. And I want to get the most out of it. Basically once you have no illusions as to grad school being some kind of pass to an excellent job, you should do fine. What concentration are you in? And relax. It's like having bought a parking space in Manhattan. you will pay it back. |
| harryfred | Posted – 5/31/2006 12:14:09 PM | show profile "I make it work the most for me"---well said. 60K sounds like a lot for one year, but I guess you have to live too. |
| recentgrad28 | Posted – 5/31/2006 7:57:42 PM | show profile | email poster Start prepping Since you've already made the decision, I hope you'll look at the positive aspects of the program. I had a fantastic time at Columbia (just graduated) and found it incredibly valuable. I know 60K is a LOT of $, but networking, improving your writing, and investigating areas of the field you might want to get into but haven't expored is really valuable. HOWEVER, to make the most of it, start prepping now. Read the posting on the dean's blog about what students wished they had done in fall semester. Then re-read it. I wish I had taken more note of internship and fellowship deadlines -- sometimes they're in the fall, although the intern/fellowship itself isn't until late spring or summer. A spring internship, though hellish to arrange, would have been really worthwhile. Best wishes, I hope you will find the program invigorating and worth the expense. |
| zinny | Posted – 5/31/2006 10:30:46 PM | show profile Congratulations! I have heard a lot of non-Columbia alums say it's a waste, but I've never heard that from somebody who did the program. I'm sure you all would *really think my time at Columbia was a waste--I got my non-J master's there and here I am working in journalism instead of the field I studied. However it was the best money I've ever spent, even if it only indirectly helps me today. For starters the resources are incredible; the students and professors were so inspiring that I was really motivated to stretch myself intellectually every day. A decade later, the contacts are still valuable. It is a real gift to spend extended time in a community where curiosity is nurtured. Without doubt, I came out as a much better learner (and writer) after my time there. On the practical side, I know that for sure the Columbia name helped me get job interviews (you still have to do well on the interviews to get the job, but in today's climate you need a way to get in the front door). Working as a freelancer, editors are not that interested in helping you become a better reporter or writer--but your professors are there to help you learn just that. Obviously, there are tons of people who do very well without having the academic training. But investing in yourself pays off every day in ways that investing in real estate or the stock market never will. (off soap box) |
| TVchick | Posted – 5/31/2006 11:06:11 PM | show profile what program did you do? Zinny, just curious--what program were you in? I go to Columbia, trying to get out of Journalism so to speak. Argh, So expensive. |
| Marie | Posted – 5/31/2006 11:14:42 PM | show profile And the school can serve as a resource for the rest of your life. It's a welcoming place for alumni. It's grueling, but it can also be fun. You'll learn and have your work critiqued in a way that just isn't done anymore on the job. And you'll come out of there able to write on a wide range of topics. |
| walzilla2002 | Posted – 6/1/2006 10:28:30 AM | show profile Not a Colum Alum but have student debt Waste or not the connections will get you into your career. Consider the cost the price to pay for access. On the loan pay back remember you can forbear your loans if your monthly payment is more than 20% of your monthly income (on Federal loans). In other words do not consolidate all your loans into one until you are finacially able to make the payments and hold your standard of living. Also, since Journalism pay is relatively low consider continuing on or adding another Masters degree to teach part time after graduation. Just keep in mind as your income increases the only way to forbear a student loan is to have the loan debt increase with it. For example, if you end up starting at $20,000 you can easily forbear on the loan for the year since your monthly payment will be around four hundred a month on a 10 year loan. If you consolidate to push that 20, 30 years, you've just stuck yourself with that payment for that amount of time often with out an option to return to school and defer if need be. If you simply forbear you can still pay the interest for six years or so until you get on your feet. The biggest issue is stay in contact with your loan provider. Don't miss a payment or move without providing them with a new number. Learn about the ins and outs of the loan you play by their rules but do so in a manner that works for you. Good luck! |
| Curious Cat | Posted – 6/1/2006 1:09:00 PM | show profile From an Alum: Wish I hadn't done it. I think there are a lot of valid points here in terms of individual experiences vary. Toward that end, I went to Columbia while I was already in the field and found that the program 1) didn't teach me anything I didn't know 2) didn't enhance what I already knew and 3) the wonderful "networking" ops didn't materialize. This was partly because I was at a senior level already and most of the school's opportunities are for entry level jobs. Having said that, however, I should have gone to the Mid-Career program instead of the traditional MS program. Bad planning on my part but poor advisment on the part of the school too. I do know that many of my classmates with little or no experience found the program amazingly useful in both teaching how to report and write AND in terms of job placement and contacts. I know someone who makes enormous use of school contacts for social purposes too. In the end, it's what you make of it, but I have to be truthful and say I do rue my cost of admission--which was $40K in my day. |
| Curious Cat | Posted – 6/1/2006 1:09:12 PM | show profile From an Alum: Wish I hadn't done it. I think there are a lot of valid points here in terms of individual experiences vary. Toward that end, I went to Columbia while I was already in the field and found that the program 1) didn't teach me anything I didn't know 2) didn't enhance what I already knew and 3) the wonderful "networking" ops didn't materialize. This was partly because I was at a senior level already and most of the school's opportunities are for entry level jobs. Having said that, however, I should have gone to the Mid-Career program instead of the traditional MS program. Bad planning on my part but poor advisment on the part of the school too. I do know that many of my classmates with little or no experience found the program amazingly useful in both teaching how to report and write AND in terms of job placement and contacts. I know someone who makes enormous use of school contacts for social purposes too. In the end, it's what you make of it, but I have to be truthful and say I do rue my cost of admission--which was $40K in my day. |
| hank | Posted – 6/1/2006 1:14:56 PM | show profile TVChick, run, do not walk, to the MBA sign up sheet. That is all, thanks. |
| TVchick | Posted – 6/1/2006 5:05:22 PM | show profile MBA? I don't know...I am doing an MS in Strategic Communications. Its a hybrid program combining marketing, PR, advertising, branding, writing and all that other stuff. Its very intense. I am not sure that I am the right person for an MBA, besides I doubt I can really take it financially. I never wanted to work for a hedge fund or deal with banks or do my own business type thing. But transitioning out of journalism into other communications type profession does make sense. It also is not so much about the debt. Going to grad school helps you acquire a certain amount of knowledge and skill to do you rjob better. This is what many people don't realize. Its just unfortunate that this country is not valuing education as much as it used to...ironically the cost of good education has gone up a lot. I am about to shell out $7000 for two 9 week summer courses. Sure, I feel like shit given that I dn't know when I'll pay it off. But one can hope that I can advance further on in this career, and start earning finally. |
| harryfred | Posted – 6/2/2006 7:13:28 AM | show profile TVChicK: Sounds like you have a smart plan, using the journalism skills you have and I enjoy using to segue into PR / Marketing / Communications, all of which can pay well. |
| amyward | Posted – 6/4/2006 1:44:23 AM | show profile I'm considering this program for the future, although I feel like a bit of an odd duck, having zero previous journalism experience (just taking a few community college journalism courses to start doing a bit of freelancing right now) - my background is in science and research. I've always wondered if having zero journalism background would make me better suited for graduate journalism study (need to learn the basics, want the connections to actually break into the field, have an external area of knowledge to write about) or worse suited (no college newspaper experience, few pubs, etc). But alas, I can't afford it without massive scholarships, and I suspect those are mostly geared to well-published types who hardly need to go to school to add to their already developed knowledge. Am I right about that or not? |
