Shannon McEnerney | Jan. 20, 2010
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Patishnock, along with graduate student Emily Hampton, recent graduate Jayne Jeffries and Associate Dean for Research and Graduate Studies Shannon Martin, offered their advice and provided information about the School of Journalism’s advanced degrees.
First, pay attention to deadlines. Martin explained that no matter where they apply, prospective students should look into the application deadline that school has because every deadline is set for a specific reason. The IU School of Journalism has a Jan.15 deadline, but applications are accepted year round and students can apply for admission at any time. But ignoring the deadline may mean accepted students may not begin their studies when they wish or they may miss out on available funding.
Most of the graduate application process is done online, Martin said. Besides the personal statement and the GRE scores, the committee reviews a student’s letters of recommendation to see if the student would be likely to succeed in graduate school and whether or not the recommender believes that particular student is likely to finish the degree and program.
As a result, Martin said students should think carefully about whom they ask to write their recommendations, making sure they know and have worked with the person well in an academic setting.
For the personal statement, Martin said that it’s important to be thoughtful of whom you are writing to. For example, the committee assumes applicants are good writers who enjoy the process. Martin said the committee wants to see how the student feels he or she could best further their education at IU in gaining valuable and real-world experience.
Hampton attended IU for her undergraduate degree and focused on broadcast journalism. As a graduate student, she said she has been able to gain experience in other areas of journalism, such as public relations.
Similarly, December graduate Jeffries said the master’s program allowed her to focus on other areas besides the public relations and advertising concentration she worked on as an undergraduate. As a grad student, Jeffries learned photojournalism, and now she can work with Web tools and take pictures and write, among other skills.
“There are so many in-depth classes,” Jeffries said of the graduate program’s small group settings. In addition, she said, she appreciates the diversity of ages and experiences of the grad student population, which includes international students.
“You don’t get to sit in class and hide,” Jeffries said. “Instead you get to say what you want and people get to comment.”
She could have gone anywhere for her graduate degree, but Jeffries said she stayed at IU for the master’s program because of the faculty.
“They really do want you to learn and succeed,” she said.
Patishnock came from Pennsylvania for his master’s degree work. He’s enjoying the small classes and getting to know peers.
“It’s so rewarding,” Patishnock said. “The network just comes together so quickly in graduate school.”
But deciding to attend graduate school is a choice, and “you have to want to do it,” Patishnock said.
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