I think this is the right area for this thread but I'm not to sure. Anyways, I'm getting read for my last year of highschool and plan on going to college for writing/english. Does anyone know of any good schools for this major, or does it just not matter where I go?
Heres my opinion: Many people go to college for writing/english type majors. Many of these people end up being teachers, local news-paper writers, etc. For these type of people having a degree from a expensive school isn't neccessary. When it comes down to it in the writing field, and expensive plaque on the wall is great, but your writing is whats going to book you jobs. So, yes and no.
I agree...honestly, I majored in English and a bachelor's degree in English doesn't pull much weight, aside from the fact that it is a degree. No one looks at it and goes "wow, she got a degree in English Literature? That's amazing! And she went to this school? Even better!" That being said...I went to Arizona State University, and I have a lot of great professors. But there are probably lots of schools out there that equal ASU in the English department. And their writing program is still really new, so it's hard to say whether that's any good or not...
I would look for a school that fits your budget and geographic needs that has a decent school of journalism.
Well, if you can afford or manage to get a scholarship, there's no reason not to go to a school famed for their English programs. Otherwise, yeah, stick with an instate school because unless you plan on earning a master's an English degree isnt really prestigious or a money-maker. That said, I'm doing the same thing you are. Check out schools like Kenyon College in Ohio (often considered to have the best English program in the country), which is where I'll be applying, and Knox College in Illinois. If you dont get in or have enough to afford, dont worry --an instate school is still a good option. Also, as a rule of thumb, I've been told the better the liberal arts school, the better the English program. So schools like Middlebury, Amherst, and Swarthmore.
And then there are us poor punks, who have to live at home and attend a local liberal arts college with a crap journalism program. Yay for St John Fisher!
I'm not 100% sure of schools with really good English programs (my mom refused to send me to college to be an English major), but I know Emerson College in Boston has a good writing, literature and publishing major. Middlebury also has a fantastic English program. If you want to look into journalism, Syracuse University's S.I. Newhouse School of Public Communications is one of the best for communications (yeah, I know the most about this school 'cause I currently go there). Also up there is Northwestern and University of Maryland. Boston University has a pretty decent journalism program. And if you don't think you can afford a school, still apply because they might give you money, which is always a nice surprise. I mean, just because you apply doesn't mean you have to go.
That's why I got a scholarship-so my parents couldn't play the "we're paying for your school, so you're going to do things our way" card like so many parents do.
Yeah, I got a decent amount of money in scholarship, but still. That's why I'm a magazine journalism major. =P And I'm going to add an English major next year probably.
Great advice. A four-year degree from an average college is worth much more than "I completed two years at Yale before I ran out of money and took this job in fast food!"
you make the school not the other way round, you could go to the worst collage in the country, but if you pay attention, put your head down and do the work you will get the grades you want. i know from experience this is true as i whent to one of the worst schools in essex an still got realy good grades until i moved up to leeds. the school i am at now isn't great either and i am doing my GCSE's two years early.
The problem that comes in with that, though, is that people looking at two different resumes don't see that one person went to Yale and skated through while the other went to University of Phoenix and busted their butt. They see Bachelor of Arts from Yale vs. Bachelor of Arts from UoP. At first glance, which would be more impressive?
I agree, hiddennovelist, that it the name means a lot --at first, but in the end it's all about how you present yourself. If I busted my butt for the rest of this year and my senior year, I could very likely get into an Ivy, but I'm not interested. Why? All an Ivy says to me is that you worked hard in high school. There are four (or, as more recent statistics show, 4+ ) years between high school and major job interviews. You could do terribly at Yale and be underqualified and excellent at UoP and be more than qualified. Besides, I have a lot of friends who are at Ivies and / or Ivy equivalents. Two good friends are at Duke --they hate it. One's at Dartmouth, another is at Harvard, two are at Northwestern and one is indeed at Yale. Dartmouth boy reports good experiences and so do my Northwestern friends, but my Harvard and Yale friends really dislike the school, but they're staying because of the prestigious name. At first glance, yes, still Yale vs UoP is better, but hopefully no boss in any halfway respectable corporation would judge on first impressions. All in all, go for the school that offers the best mix of the quality of program and the quality of location and price. If that's instate, awesome. Ball State U, for example, is an Indiana instate and has one of the best journalism programs in the country, but they accept people who have anything above a 2.5 these days; not exactly Ivy League. But people who know about the journalism field would understand that a degree in journalism from BSU or Mizzou U can often mean more than a journalism degree from Yale. That said, if you're looking for a journalism degree, I would recommend a larger university, not a tiny college. A high-powered daily from a public university is closer to 'real life' than a small weekly from a small private college. Best of luck!
