Master's tour, final leg: Columbia University

At first glance Columbia seems quite similar to Northwestern -- amazing program, untenable price tag. But there are a few things that make Columbia more enticing.

I was admitted to the Master's of Arts in Journalism: Health and Science reporting concentration. That is a very small program that will ensure I get plenty of individual attention from professors who, for the most part, are also award-winning authors. My classes will all be small and they'll generally be full of people who have as much or more (usually more) professional experience than me. I will also have the opportunity to take graduate-level classes at Columbia outside the J-school, in subjects like psychology, public health, or pretty much anything else related to my concentration that I can fit in. There's no doubt I'd have to work my butt off just to stay afloat in this program. On one hand, that's kind of scary. On the other hand, maybe that's just what I need — to be challenged, pushed, forced out of my comfort zone. Could be a great thing.

Columbia is also in New York City, which, aside from the astronomical cost of living, is the perfect place for a journalist (or student who is an aspiring journalist). It's a huge place full of people from every corner of the globe, so there's a million stories. Its the media capital of the world, so there's lots of places to work and people to network with. NYC also happens to be probably the only city in the USA where knowing a little Italian might come in handy. In fact, it helped me speak to a bunch of old ladies when I visited Ground Zero last weekend. (Side note: Old ladies really take to me. I'm not sure why this is, and it doesn't seem to translate to their granddaughters, but the NYC trip only reinforced it).





That said Columbia's not cheap. It's not as expensive as Northwestern, though, in large part because it's only a nine-month program versus 12 months at Northwestern. The nine month duration is also attractive. For some reason it seems like a plus to be able to get done with school before I turn 30. I know age ain't nothin' but a number (RIP Aaliyah), but I'm still not crazy about being a 30-year-old college student. The downside of a Master's program condensed into nine months is that, like Northwestern, no graduate assistantships allowed.

It's hard to pass up Columbia. In a lot of ways Columbia IS journalism — they have pictures of Pulitzer up all over that place, for Pete's sake. I was fairly surprised I got in; that was a nice e-mail to get. But it just doesn't seem wise to incur a massive amount of debt getting a journalism right now, no matter where that degree comes from. I've put in an appeal for more financial aid. If I get good results from that, and a guaranteed spot in on-campus housing (rent is a tad steep in NYC, as you might have heard), then I'd have to take a good, hard look at Columbia.

Otherwise, I think I'm a Maryland man.