The Daily Plan-it / Dean of Students Blog, Columbia J-school

All students are invited to our group online chats, though some are for specific topics/cohorts. At the right time, go to the J-school Frappr page (link sent via e-mail) . You will see the chat room on the right side of that page. Just join us there. We have had 16 so far, with more to come throughout the year - let us know about topics you want: dos@jrn.columbia.edu

Here’s the chat sessions calendar below. And see our transcripts on this link - and linked directly below.

Friday, Aug. 4, 2-3 pm Columbia time
J-SCHOOL TECHNOLOGY CHAT: Hosted by Larry Fried, Asst. Dean for Technology, and others on his team. Meet the technology staff; learn about technology resources available to students; ask questions about laptops, video and audio editing, printing - anything you like.
SEE LOCAL TIME: http://snipurl.com/u5e5

Thursday, Aug. 3, 1-2 pm Columbia time
THE SMALL PICTURE (SKYPECAST VOICE) CHAT: Hosted by Deans Sreenivasan and Huff. We will answer your questions about the August calendar, Fall courses, etc.
SEE LOCAL TIME: http://snipurl.com/uba3
At the appropriate time, go to:
https://skypecasts.skype.com/skypecasts/skypecast/detailed.html?id_talk=23020

Thursday, Aug. 3, 10:30-11:30 am Columbia time
J-SCHOOL & THE BIG PICTURE CHAT: Hosted by Dean Nicholas Lemann - ask questions about the big picture: J-school, the industry, the Dean’s career and much more. You might also want to discuss his big new “Wayward Press” column on citizen journalism: http://www.newyorker.com/fact/content/articles/060807fa_fact1
SEE LOCAL TIME: http://snipurl.com/u5e8

[Special Skypecast Voice Chat at https://skypecasts.skype.com/skypecasts/skypecast/detailed.html?id_talk=20763]
Wednesday, Aug. 2, 1-2 pm Columbia time
DOS VOICE CHAT via Skypecast: Hosted by Dean Sree Sreenivasan - all school-related questions welcome.
SEE LOCAL TIME: http://snipurl.com/u96d
Skypecast Voice Chat at https://skypecasts.skype.com/skypecasts/skypecast/detailed.html?id_talk=20763]

Thursday, July 27, 1-2 pm Columbia time
J-SCHOOL & THE BIG PICTURE CHAT: Hosted by Vice Dean David Klatell, Associate Dean for Academic Affairs Evan Cornog and Assistant Dean for Academic Affairs, Elizabeth Fishman - ask questions about the big picture: J-school, the industry and more.
TRANSCRIPT: http://deanstudents.blogsome.com/2006/07/30/transcript-chat-with-dean-klatell/
SEE LOCAL TIME: http://snipurl.com/tlao

Wednesday, July 26, 5-7 pm Columbia time
NETWORKING LOUNGE CHAT: Special two-hour informal chat session for students to introduce themselves and chat with each other. Hosted by Aaron Cahall, M.S. 2007 & Rubina Madan, M.S. 2007. No profs or administrators! No transcripts!
SEE LOCAL TIME: http://snipurl.com/tlai

Wednesday, July 26, 1-2 pm Columbia time
M.A. CHAT: Hosted by Associate Dean Evan Cornog, coordinator of M.A. program.
TRANSCRIPT: http://deanstudents.blogsome.com/2006/07/27/transcript-chat-about-ma-program-with-dean-cornog/
SEE LOCAL TIME: http://snipurl.com/tlae

Friday, July 21, 1-2 pm Columbia time
EXTRACURRICULARS & SPJ: A chat session to help you learn more about extracurricular activities at the J-school (make sure you see http://spj.jrn.columbia.edu). Hosted by David Ressel, continuing PT student, SPJ Board member and Columbia Senator; and Rebecca Castillo, president of the Class of 2006.
SEE LOCAL TIME: http://snipurl.com/te5d

Tuesday, July 18, 7-9 pm Columbia time
NETWORKING LOUNGE CHAT: Special two-hour informal chat session for students to introduce themselves and chat with each other. Hosted by Aaron Cahall, M.S. 2007 & Rubina Madan, M.S. 2007. No profs or administrators!
SEE LOCAL TIME: http://snipurl.com/t26m

Wednesday, July 12
INTERNATIONAL STUDENTS CHAT: 10-11 am, New York time - hosted by Prof. Josh
Friedman, director of International Program.
SEE YOUR LOCAL TIME: http://snipurl.com/su71

Monday, July 10
CAREER SERVICES CHAT: 1-2 pm, NY time - hosted by Ernest Sotomayor, director
of Career Services
TRANSCRIPT: http://deanstudents.blogsome.com/2006/07/10/sotomayor-chat-1/
SEE LOCAL TIME: http://snipurl.com/su8m

Friday, July 7
DOS CHAT: 1-2 pm, NY time - hosted by Deans Sreenivasan & Huff - aimed at
incoming full-time MS students, but all are welcome.
SEE LOCAL TIME: http://snipurl.com/su9a

DOS CHAT: 6-7 pm, NY time - hosted by Deans Sreenivasan & HUff -aimed at
continuing PT MS students, but all are welcome.
SEE LOCAL TIME: http://snipurl.com/ssly

TRANSCRIPTS OF BOTH SESSIONS: http://deanstudents.blogsome.com/2006/07/08/transcript-online-chats-from-july-7/

Wed, June 28
DOS CHAT, 1-2 pm: Academic questions, hosted by Deans Sreenivasan & Huff
TRANSCRIPT: http://deanstudents.blogsome.com/2006/07/05/transcript-chat-with-deans/

FIN. AID CHAT:, 2-3 pm: Financial aid questions, hosted by Dean MacDonald

Mon, June 19
DOS CHAT, 3-3:3 pm: First chat session, with Deans Sreenivasan & Huff

More to come throughout the year!

Online Chat with Vice Dean David Klatell, July 27, 2006

Hosted by David Klatell, Vice Dean, with Evan Cornog, Associate Dean for Academic Affairs; Elizabeth Fishman, Assistant Dean for Academic Affairs; Assistant Dean of Students Melanie Huff.

In order to be as useful as possible, the transcript has been lightly edited for style, grammar, punctuation and clarity, and to put similar topics together. Read other transcripts here: http://deanstudents.blogsome.com/category/transcripts/

Melanie Huff: Hi, all - Welcome to the Big Picture Chat
Elizabeth Fishman: Hi, I’m Elizabeth Fishman, Assistant Dean for Academic Affairs. Delighted to join this chat today.
Evan Cornog: Hello, I’m Evan Cornog, Associate Dean for Academic Affairs and andministrator of the MA program.
David Klatell: Hi, this is David Klatell welcoming everyone to our chat.
Melanie Huff: What questions do you have for us today?

HOT FIELDS
Jon Krill: Are there any areas in the field currently considered to be hot?
Claude: Yes. Is “new media” hot or is too early to tell or….?
Elizabeth Fishman: To the degree that you, as a journalist, can be versatile, and able to work in many mediums (online, in print, with some video) that seems to be where the field is heading.
David Klatell: The world of New Media has recvered nicely from the boom and bust of several years ago, as manymore mainstream news organizations have realized the neccessity of convergent newsrooms. So I say, “hot.”

INVESTIGATIVE JOURNALISM
Claude: I have read in several places that the art of investigative journalism is being squeezed out due to pecuniary issues that are taken to the extreme. Is the field giving way to sound bites, blurbs and the like? or will publications such as The Economist, Vanity Fair, etc., continue to be robust?
Evan Cornog: Investigative and other long-form journalism is under attack financially, but there are new venues emerging, too. The school is deepending its commitment to investigative journlaism this year with the inauguration of the Stabile Center, so we think it has a bright future, in whatever form.
Claude: New venues such as?
Evan Cornog: Online, mostly, but also book publishing is getting more important than ever for investigative journalism.
Claude: book publishing — as in the extended research pieces that turn into dissertation like products? How difficult would online work be to break into as a magazine concentrator/Stabile investigative journalist?
Evan Cornog: Book-length works aren’t necessarily academic–they’re often journalistic (see our faculty’s works, for example).
Evan Cornog: And online right now is probably the easiest place to break in, whether at an independent online place or the online section of an old-media firm.

Akisa: Will non-Stabile students have access to investigative journalism classes as well?
David Klatell: the answer is that all students will have the opportunity to take investigative reporting, a wonderful elective called “Investigative Tools” and another, “Computer-assisted Reporting.”

ROLE OF J-SCHOOLS
Peter O’Dowd: so what are your feelings on the long-held belief that J-schools are redundant or a “waste of time,” by working journalists who say real world experience is the only way to go. Obviously, I take issue with that statement (since I am more than excited to start in August) but I’d like to hear what you as deans think about that.
David Klatell: Peter, there are two great advantages of a school such as this: 1) the intense, personal atention you and your work will receive (this rearely happens in the newsroom any more) and 2) the ability to work on a wide range of subject areas atthe same time, rather than be slotted and tracked by an editor whose needs are narrow.

HOW BEST TO USE TIME AT SCHOOL
Aaron Cahall: General question, wanted to hear everyone’s opinion–I’m sure there’s many answers: how can I best use my time at the school, as fast as I’m sure it’ll go?
Elizabeth Fishman: The best advice we can give, is to focus on your studies, realizing that the pace can be quite intense and, looking ahead to the spring semester, when you’ll have a great deal more choice in your classes, think hard about what you can study here that you wouldn’t learn as a working journalist.
And, of course, if you have any questions along the way, all of the deans and professors are available to help.

JOBS & CAREER SERVICES
[also see the Career Services chat transcript: http://deanstudents.blogsome.com/2006/07/10/sotomayor-chat-1/ ]

Akisa: What’s the rough estimate of broadcast students getting on-camera reporter work?
David Klatell: Akisa, you may be surprised to learn that only a minority of our students seek on-camera jobs in the U.S., in part because of the necessity to startone’s career in a series of small markets and in part because many students want to become producers and eventually, the boss.

Srabani Roy: Related to a previous question, how much help does career services provide for jobs outside of traditional media areas (e.g., non-profit, advocacy, international organizations, etc.)?
Claude: or think tanks even?
Melanie Huff: Career Services posts all the job notices it receives and is open to helping students look for positions outside of journalism. However the primary focus is on journalism jobs.
Claude: Fair enough.

Shradhha Sharma: Is it true that to work in New York you first have to leave it after graduation, gather a lot of experience and only then can you return to a good job in New York?
Elizabeth Fishman: In answer to Sharma’s question: there is no rule to this as so much depends on timing. That said, there are often good opportunities, with a lot of responsibilty, available in smaller media markets.
Shradhha Sharma: This is in connection with my first question….how good is the New York market for Columbia graduates? Especially international students?
Melanie Huff: Shradhha: It can be difficult for international students to get work after graduation because of visa issues. However, some companies are receptive.

BECOMING A FOREIGN CORRESPONDENT
Erica Shen: Jobs with what sort of publication will give us the most opportunity to work as a foreign correspondent?
Elizabeth Fishman: Erica: the easiest way to break into foreign reporting is often to begin as a stringer overseas. But, once you’re here, I encourage you to talk with our career services office, and also Josh Friedman, who runs our Int’l program and has worked for many years overseas.
Melanie Huff: It is difficult to work as a writer at a magazine right after graduation. However, it is possible to work as editors and in other positions that involve some writing and that will lead to more writing opportunities.

M.A. PROGRAM
[also see the M.A. Program chat transcript:
http://deanstudents.blogsome.com/2006/07/27/transcript-chat-about-ma-program-with-dean-cornog/]
Guest6844: What is the feed-back on the MA program so far? Are the first graduates getting hired faster than the MS students from 2006?
Evan Cornog: We’ve been having good success placing MA grads in a tough market, and getting them jobs in the areas of their specialization. And we just had one MA student sell her thesis to Harper’s. So signs are good.

FALL COURSES
Claude: When are we notified about our ballots?
Melanie Huff: Claude: We will notifying you in the next week or so about your class schedule.

CONVERGENCE
Guest6861: Hi this is Abby Gruen, part-timer. I feel like the Internet has made choosing a concentration of newspapers vs. magazines vs. new media to be out-of -date. Any thoughts on convergence since content is king?
Elizabeth Fishman: Abby, there is no question that the industry is changing rapidly, and that many previously distinct areas of journalism are now more similar. But, there are still important differences in the magazine world versus the daily news world of newspapers.

Shradhha Sharma: How has this convergence of media affected the job industry in print journalism? Has it actually reduced the number of jobs available resulting in a lot of lay offs as one keeps reading about?
David Klatell: Convergent newsrooms are hiring multimedia journalists in droves, even as they may be reducing employees in other areas. It behooves everyone to be able to handle journalism in several media platforms; every major newspaper is now using using audio and video on its site, for example.

CAREER CHANGERS
Jon Krill: Will my previous career in advertising (writer) hurt or help in any way?
Evan Cornog: Jon: since advertising teaches you to be concise on on-message, it should help.

David Klatell: Approximately 30% of the entering M.S. class is composed of career-changers. We love’em.

Allison Bourne-Vanneck: I think having a change in career is a huge asset in journalism!
David Klatell: Allison, you are absolutely correct - real ife experience gives great context to one’s stories and reactions to issues.
Jon Krill: Thanks Dean Klatell–it’s good to be loved.
Guest7116: Akisa, Allison and Jon: I’m another one — switching over from a Ph.D. program in history — I’ll have to learn to be concise on message.

Akisa: Same question for me as well. How can I tie in my math teacher background as a pending journalist?
Evan Cornog: Akisa: You’ll be in great demand, since innumeracy is a huge problem in journalism–one we are trying to work on here. Science and business journalism are obvious places to use math skills, but really any realm can use the insights that quantitative skills can bring.
Akisa: I honestly had trepidation when I heard the median age at the info session
Guest6708: what’s the median age?
Elizabeth Fishman: The median age is 28.5
Claude: The median age is the same as in many business schools.

SKILLS COURSES
Shradhha Sharma: Given the kind of skills classes available for students to take up, can a student with print media concentration break easily into the areas like broadcast, magazine or even new media?
Melanie Huff: Yes, graduates do move between fields. Melanie Huff: The diploma only says MS, the concentration is an internal designation only.

SPECIALIZATIONS
David Fusaro: In addition to the being able to work in different media, is it best to hone our skills in one or two specific subject areas or to develop as broad a base as possible?
Evan Cornog: We think our prime goal should be to teach you how to report, and how to write in the medium you want to specialize in, but also develop awareness of multi-platform possibilites.
Evan Cornog: The forms in which journalism is done are constantly changing, but the fundamental thinking-skills are pretty invariable.
Elizabeth Fishman: I know this first-hand, as my background is in television news.

FREELANCING WHILE AT SCHOOL
Steven Elwell: Do professors at the J-school encourage or in any way help students sell stories they’ve written for classes throughout the year?
Allison Bourne-Vanneck: Two part question: 1) How difficult is it to freelance in broadcast televison during our year & 2) How can broadcast students free lance for print media in the spring?
David Klatell: Steven, professors take pride in assisting their best students. We are rigorous about quality, however, and the faculty is pretty choosy about the stories they help place. It’s better this way for everyone involved.
Elizabeth Fishman: Allison, as to part 2 of your question, if you would like to write freelance pieces for print media in the spring, and you can find a gig, that is much more doable.
Allison Bourne-Vanneck: Thank you so much! I’m excited about broadcast, but I would love to free-lance in print! :_)

DIFFERENT WRITING STYLES
Guest6844: Is the “writing for television” class very different than writing for magazines or RW1? How? Should there be a writing for the Internet as well?
David Klatell: 6844, there are substantial differences in writing and reporting styles in various media, and students are given the opportunity to take courses in several. You should take a look at our student pi=ublication “The ColumbiaJournalist.org” which features all kinds of student writing. Also look at “NYC24″ which is produced by the New Media Workshop every year.
in writing and reporting styles in various media, and students are given the opportunity to take courses in several. You should take a look at our student pi=ublication “The ColumbiaJournalist.org” which features all kinds of student writing. Also look at “NYC24″ which is produced by the New Media Workshop every year.

INTERNSHIPS
Shradhha Sharma: On an average, how many students go in for the spring internships every year?
Melanie Huff: Last year 26 students did for-credit internships of no more than 12 hours a week. However, some students do internships that aren’t for credit, too.

WHERE GRADS GO
Guest6708: I would guess that not all graduates go to traditional media outlets…what are some other common areas students work in?
Elizabeth Fishman: Our graduates work in a wide range of places — a good deal work in traditional media jobs as well as online, some work in advocacy groups, public affairs offices in governemental agencies - really, a very broad range.
Guest6708: ok…would you say the Career Services office is helpful in those other areas as well.

NARRATIVE JOURNALISM
Erica Shen: I come from a literary journalism background, how receptive are the mainstream newspapers towards that type of narrative journalism?
Evan Cornog: Erica: Depends on the paper. But with the breaking news function being more and more a function of broadcast and the web, newspapers are becoming more magazine-like, and therefore open to the sort of writing you are interested in.

David Fusaro: What is the best strategy for pitching our print pieces and to develop contacts at local news sources so the ideas we pitch are more likely to be noticed?
Evan Cornog: David: Working hard, getting scoops, being relentless in pitching, and being flexible all help.
David Fusaro: Thanks, Dean Cornog. Forza azzuri.
Evan Cornog: Grazie.

RWI
Aaron Cahall: How familiar are various sources in our beats with Columbia students…that many students coming through every year, do we run the risk of being, for some people, the next Columbia student in their experience?
David Klatell: Aaron, it’s a good question, because believe itor not, 200 Columbia students seem to overwhelm and annoy more than eight million residents. The trick is to pick a beat or neighborhood that has not previously been swamped (your RWI instructor will help with this selection process.) The good news is that most residents (if not neighborhood officialdom) are deeply grateful that any journalist is willing to spend the time to really get to know them and their issues - the major media never show up unless there’s a crisis. Ordinary folks in this city, like those elsewhere, appreciate having their story told - or at least respectfully listened to.

CLIPS, CLIPS, CLIPS
Srabani Roy: For someone with a limited journalism background what’s the best way, while in school, to gather clips, especially since after graudation everyone (in traditional media outlets anyway) want to see clips, clips and more clips?
Elizabeth Fishman: For pieces you write while being a student, we have several outlets from which you can generate clips. There is also Bronx Beat, which is a print newspaper produced by students in the spring. This, too, is a way to gather clips.
Sree Sreenivasan adds: Most employers consider our J-school online clips - ColumbiaJournalist.org, NYC24, etc. - to be the equivalent of printed clips.

Guest6844: Hi it’s Abby again [continuing PT student], I have been surprised how many clips I have gotten while at Columbia by pitching anyone I could think of as often as I could. Having pitches rejected out of hand can be embarassing and uncomfortable, but hey, you’re in school, it gives you a little more leeway.

HOUSING
Jon Krill: Are we able to stay on (housing-wise) to take additional classes next summer?
Melanie Huff: Housing ends when you graduate. However, there is some summer housing available on campus, but you would have to move.

COLUMBIA NEWS SERVICE
Steven Elwell: Do magazine students get a chance to put features up on CNS?
Melanie Huff: Students in courses outside of CNS can pitch stories to Prof. Porter for inclusion in this feature service for out of town editors looking for pieces with a nationwide appeal and long shelf life.
Steven Elwell: I see what you mean. Thanks.

THE FUTURE
Peter O’Dowd: big picture, what have you heard from alumni who have attended Columbia in terms of what the program has done for their lives and their careers years down the road?
David Klatell: Peter, the big difference may or may not show up in the first year after school. There is no question, however, that a high percentage of our grads advance faster and to higher levels of news organizatins than do people who have not been exposed to our rigorous combination of skills and a certain seriousness of purpose.
Peter O’Dowd: great, thanks

ALUMNI NETWORKING
Allison Bourne-Vanneck: How strong is the networking among alumni from Columbia J-School, in the US and overseas
Evan Cornog: Allison: the networking is very strong, and our alumni office has made this a priority.
Allison Bourne-Vanneck: Thanks!

INTERNATIONAL STUDENTS
Shradhha Sharma: Dean Klatell, how easy/difficult is it for international students to do RW1 considering that they are new to the place and all. Also, do the city residents easily connect with the international students or is that one area in which int’ls need to focus more than the other students?
David Klatell: Shraddha, since morethan 40% of the residents of New York City were born in another country, international students may actually enjoy an advantage. Don’t forget, too, that the vast majority of American students have never heard of or been to the neighborhoods they’ll be covering, either.
Shradhha Sharma: Thanks Dean Klatell, although the prospect of reporting in a completely alien environment seems daunting and exciting at the same time.

Jon Krill: I’ve heard, from a U. level teacher and practising journalist, that a Columbia degree is the gold standard if you ever want to teach.
Melanie Huff: Good Point

BROADCAST
David Fusaro: In addition to the writing clips, is there much attention/guidance given to the development of broadcast reels
Elizabeth Fishman: David, yes, for broadcast students, the Spring is a time to polish your broadcast reel.You and your classmates are the first students to have use of our fantastic new Arledge Broadcast facility for the full year and this allows you to work in a professional-grade facility.

Guest8948: …and kind of along the same lines, wondering how aspiring PHOTOjournalists fare… Do the courses offered provide opportunity to put together a portfolio?
David Klatell: Dear 8948, the photo classes concentrate on photojournalism essays and students can produce portfolios, but this is not primarily a school of photography, so the extent of the portfolio may be less than youwould want (though it’s in part a function of how much time and work you can devote to it). Remember, too, that the photojournalism classes, like all our classes, have a significant journalism element and cover breaking news as well as produce work for The Bronx Beat newspaper, Columbia News Service, etc.
Guest8948: that makes sense - thanks!

Akisa: I noticed the Nightly News is only online. Is there a possibility to have it on Public Access TV?
Elizabeth Fishman: Akisa, we are exploring ways in which we might disseminate Nightly News to a broader audience…
Elizabeth Fishman: There is nothing in-place yet, but now that we are working with an all-digital facility, there may be opportunities down the line — and, ideally for this spring’s Nightly News. Can’t promise it , but we are exploring.

ONE-YEAR vs TWO-YEAR PROGRAMS
Srabani Roy: What’s the thinking behind an intense one-year program vs. a two-year program (only one of the programs I’d applied to was for two years). I can hazard a guess, but would be interested in what the deans have to say — pros/cons of one year vs. two years (besides the finanical of course!)
Evan Cornog: Srabani: We opted for two one-year programs, so those who want to spend a second year and develop great expertise in a particular subject-area can do so.

Srabani Roy: Has the school considered having an international concentration for M.A. students?
Evan Cornog: Srabani: We include that in our politics concentration, although other majors (such as business) can have an international focus, depending on the thesis topic chosen and outside courses selected.

- - -

Jon Krill: Thanks, all. This has been wunnerful & I feel better already.

David Klatell: Good night and good luck!
Elizabeth Fishman: Bye, everyone. We look forward to meeting you all.
Evan Cornog: Bye.

Online Chat about M.A. Program, with Dean Evan Cornog, July 26, 2006

Hosted by Evan Cornog, Associate Dean for Academic Affairs, with Dean of Students Sree Sreenivasan and Assistant Dean of Students Melanie Huff.

In order to be as useful as possible, the transcript has been lightly edited for style, grammar, punctuation and clarity, and to put similar topics together.

Sree Sreenivasan: Good afternoon (good morning, good night, etc). It’s 1:05 pm, Columbia time. We are joined today by Dean Evan Cornog, coordinator of the M.A. program.

OUTSIDE COURSES
Jenny Marder: Do you suggest that we start contacting the professors now, or should we wait until we get on campus?
Evan Cornog: Start now by all means, but don’t be surprised if you get no response. But the real intense shopping begins the Tuesday after Labor Day.
Rong Cui: For students who haven’t taken the MS program, will it be a disadvantage?
Evan Cornog: It should have no bearing on your ability to get outside courses. And we wouldn’t have admitted you if we didn’t think you were up to the journlaistic expectations.

Sugi Ganeshananthan: any chance of getting a list of outside courses MA students took last year?
Melanie Huff: Yes, there is a list on the outside courses page at http://www.jrn.columbia.edu/students/outside_courses.asp

Jaime Cunningham: How difficult is it to get into classes in other schools in Columbia? Like a course in SIPA or the School of Public Health?
Evan Cornog: Jaime: It depends on the course, but we’ve got good relations with both SIPA and Public Health.
Jaime Cunningham: Cool. I’m looking forward to all my core courses, but I know from my undergrad experience that sometimes you have to really work to get into a course of your choice. Good to know we have good relations w/ other schools at Columbia.
Evan Cornog: Jaime–that’s true about needing to work at getting into coursees. But profs often like a mix of students.

SCIENCE
Richard Lewis: Some faculty said MA science students had real difficulty with graduate-level science courses. How is that being handled?
Evan Cornog: It depends on the level of preparation you have, of course, and the specific course. There are a number of possibilities . . .
Richard Lewis: I think many of us have some knowledge, but no intimate grounding.
Evan Cornog: and courses that examine the sociology of a field (often offered within a discipline) can be quite valuable.
This is the main thing you will be spending your free time on the first two weeks here.

Jenny Marder: Hi everyone. Also, I noticed there are tests required for admission to some of the science courses recommended. Are we expected to take those tests?
Evan Cornog: Admission to most courses depends on the instructors apprival, and you can sometimes get around such tests. But don’t count on it.

Richard Lewis: Can MA science students take classes from the Earth & Environmental Science Journalism Dept.?
Evan Cornog: Yes, and Marguerite Holloway can recommend specific ones.

MASTER’S THESIS
Jenny Marder: can you give some examples of what 2006 MA students did for thesis projects?
Evan Cornog: Jenny–we had a profile of a town losing its Wal-Mart, one on a New Orleans hospital during and after Katrina, and one that looks at the Millennium VIllages projects that was recently accepted by Harper’s magazine. They were an impressive group of articles.

Sugi Ganeshananthan: Are these available for us to read?
Melanie Huff: You can read the MA theses in the Journalism School Library.

Guest9021: Cool. Can we travel anywhere? Who pays for this? It’s great!
Evan Cornog: We hope that some money will be available, by application.

Sugi Ganeshananthan: I thought that last year each person was given $500? Is that funding no longer available?
Sugi Ganeshananthan: And people applied for additional funds beyond that?
Evan Cornog: We hope to be able to match that this year, but no gurantee yet. We’ll know better early in the fall.
Students did use their own funds, too. But local stories are easier to cover in depth, obviously. Some got outside funding, too.

Richard Lewis: So, is it fair to assume the thesis can tackle topics outside the NY region?
and is that recommended?
Evan Cornog: Yes, but you’ll need to assess costs, and the school’s ability to support travel, carefully.

Sugi Ganeshananthan: Any plans for group reporting trips like the one Professors Goldman and Sreenivasan took to India recently?
sree sreenivasan: No group class trips planned as of yet. The India trip was sponsored by a foundation for the CoveringReligion.org M.S. seminar.

Sugi Ganeshananthan: at what point should we really have our thesis topic nailed down? how much time do we have to explore different ideas?
Evan Cornog: You won’t have to nail the topic down until November or so, but the sooner you are work on it, the better.

JOBS, FREELANCING, POST-SCHOOL
amanda millner-fairbanks: Any statistics available in terms of numbers of last year’s MA class who are now gainfully employed?
Evan Cornog: Don’t have current stats–we’ll check with Career Services.

Jenny Marder: What are last year’s MA students doing now?
Evan Cornog: Working in various media jobs, trying to place their theses or editing them, weighing job offers, and some still looking. Some stuff going on Frontline.

Julia C. Mead: any book deals?
Evan Cornog: Not that I’ve heard of yet.

Julia C. Mead: will stories assigned in class be of the sort that could be freelanced?
Evan Cornog: A number of MA students last year placed class assignments outsdie–and professors are eager to find ways to allow you do do that.

Matt Malone: is there a different approach with career services for ma students v. ms
Melanie Huff: Yes, the approach is different.
Evan Cornog: In placing MA student swe have the advantage of the expertise in a subject area to sell. As the program becomes better known, we expect this to become easier.

OUTSIDE COURSES

MEAL PLANS
Richard Lewis: Is there some kind of a meal card and how would it work?
Melanie Huff: Please see http://www.columbia.edu/cu/dining/docs/meal-plans-flex/plans.html

INDEPENDENT STUDY
Sugi Ganeshananthan: On the list of outside courses, I see Independent Study in the Journalism School listed a couple of times… that counts as an outside course?
Evan Cornog: you can get an independent study in certain circumstances, with approval from your seminar prof and/or me.

OUTSIDE ADVISERS
Julia C. Mead: how many advisers are we required to have? my thesis is multi-disciplinary (socio-medical sciences). would be good for me to have two outside the J-school plus one in. possible?
Evan Cornog: That seems complicated. You can have as many folks “advising” you as you like informally, but we’re limiting it to two advisers.
Julia C. Mead: got it.
Evan Cornog: In fact, students in the MA learn to take advantage of CU profs in connection with many assignments.
Julia C. Mead: and can we get some help vetting those advisers for possible conflicts?
Evan Cornog: Your seminar instructors will help with that, but you’ll have to take responsibility for that mostly upon yourselves.

AUDITING CLASSES
Jenny Marder: what do you think about us auditing classes outside the regular courseload? Is that an option?
Evan Cornog: Jenny: Our experience last year was that auditing seemed like a good idea to people Week 1 of the semester, less so by week 5. You will get very busy with your regular courses.
Evan Cornog: I don’t want to discuourage your deasire to take full advantage of your year here, just want to inject some caution.

THE CLASS
Matt Malone: can you give us the breakdown of students in each concentration?
Evan Cornog: 10 in politics, nine in arts, 8 each in business and science.

CHANGES FROM YEAR ONE
Richard Lewis: I’m curious as to what changes/tweaks you all have made to the program after you had time to assess the first year.
Evan Cornog: We have made the shortened the History course to one semester, given room for an additional outside course in the spring. We have significantly retooled other courses to make them even better and we are working to make the assignments as valuable as possible without overloading you. We have retooled courses in the following ways: changing readings, lengthening or shortening sections of the course, the usual editing one does with a new course.

INTERACTION BETWEEN M.S. AND M.A.
amanda millner-fairbanks: there wasn’t much interaction last year between the MA and MS classes. Aside from the Frappr page, I think it would be a great addition to the school if there was more interaction.
Evan Cornog: Amanda: We are looking for ways to build more MA/MS interaction.

PREPARING FOR THE SCHOOL
Jenny Marder: Is there anything else we can do to prepare this summer?
Evan Cornog: Think about thesis topics, check out courses, read great stuff. And if you’re not from here, learn about NYC.
Jaime Cunningham: If anyone needs help learning about NYC, shoot me an email. I’ve lived her for about 10 years: jac2193.
sree sreenivasan: If you aren’t from NYC, checkout HopStop.com - Mapquest for the subways. It changed by NYC life.

FINAL THOUGHT
Evan Cornog: I want to stress one thing, which doesn’t naturally come up in this context, which is that the readings and ideas you will encouter in this curriculum are really exciting and useful for high-level journalism.
I know right now you need to focus on practicalities, but didn’t want to leave that aside.

Evan Cornog: Thanks for your questions. We’ll do another of these soon.

Columbia’s Student Financial Services (http://www.columbia.edu/cu/sfs/) has changed the date by which you will receive your first bill via e-mail.

You will receive your bill via e-mail on August 14.

Payment will be due on September 14.

Dear M.S. Students:

- Dean Sreenivasan

From: David A. Klatell, Vice Dean

Dear Students:

Welcome to the Graduate School of Journalism, where the world’s finest
journalism faculty and curriculum await you. Each of us is looking forward to
working with and getting to know you, so please feel that you are a valued
member of our community. I know that your year here will be challenging, full
of new and deeper responsibilities and a truly impressive work load. We expect
to treat you as adults and young professionals, following the dictates of
university life as well as the behaviors of working journalists.

One of the cardinal rules of the school and the professional journalist is that
you show up on time, where and when assigned, and that you take seriously all
work, whether or not you may have chosen it for yourself. So, at the risk of
beginning our relationship on an authoritarian note (I really am a friendly
fellow), I must remind you that the August program is not some sort of
orientation, nor is any part of it optional. It is the beginning of the school
year, with carefully-selected mixture of lectures, seminars, writing drills,
reporting assignments and guest speakers. Every part of the curriculum is
required of you, regardless of your personal preferences. So, for example, you
should expect to have assignments every weekday and some weekends. You should
also expect classes or presentations on Friday afternoons, including, I stress,
Friday, September 1 - the day before Labor Day weekend. Some of you (you’ll ask
your individual instructors) will have reporting and writing assignments over
Labor Day weekend itself.

So, do not plan to travel out of town in conflict with our schedule, even if
it’s an old family tradition, or attend other, non-school events that in any
way interfere with your obligations here. You will need permission - in advance
- from your instructors and Dean of Students Sreenath Sreenivasan or Assistant
Dean Melanie Huff to get a waiver from any of these requirements or deadlines.
Please do not attempt to sway us with the plea that you have to miss a class,
seminar, lecture or assignment because of a long-planned vacation, excursion,
friend’s wedding, etc. The only exceptions are legitimate health crises or
family emergencies, but these, too, need to be cleared by the deans’ offices
prior to any waiver or postponement of elements of our schedule.

This school operates on assumptions quite different than those you may
have experienced at other educational institutions. We have not developed
our rules and modes of operation simply to be draconian, or to run a “boot
camp of journalism” (a concept I abhor), but to assist all students to
understand and participate fully in the culture of the school and its
educational processes. You are only here for 10 months; there is much to
do in that short period of time, so you cannot afford to miss any of it.

If you have any questions, reply to Deans Sreenivasan and Huff via
dos@jrn.columbia.edu

Regards,
DK

David A. Klatell
Vice Dean
Professor of Professional Practice
Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism
2950 Broadway
New York, NY 10027

Q: What computer discounts can I get through Columbia?
A: Columbia has negotiated discounts for students and faculty with companies such as Dell and Apple and at J&R Computer World, a major NYC retailer. You can learn about all the discounts here:
http://www.columbia.edu/acis/sales/.

You can also read the University’s pre-purchasing advice (written for a campus-wide audience): http://www.columbia.edu/acis/sales/pre-purchase.html.

Thanks to Rubina Madan and Aaron Cahall for hosting the Frappr chat on Tueday, 7/18. See full schedule here: http://deanstudents.blogsome.com/category/chat-schedule/

From: Rubina Madan

The chat was pretty successful. At our peak, we had about 35 people, with people going in and outthroughout the night. I’d estimate there were 45-50 in all. Even though it was 1 or 2 a.m. for them, we had a few Europeans in there as well.

–Rubina, rm2507

Q: Just curious when we’ll be informed of our class schedule for this semester
and also who our Master’s Project Advisor will be.
A: Your basic schedule will be made available to you on roughly August 1.
Master’s Project advisers will be announced at a later date.

NOTE: AP style: “adviser,” not “advisor”

Online Chat with Career Services, July 10, 2006

Hosted by Ernest R. Sotomayor, Director of Career Services, with Dean of Students Sree Sreenivasan and Assistant Dean of Students Melanie Huff.

Ernest Sotomayor, who joined the J-school in Jan. 2005, was a long-time editor at Newsday and served as president of UNITY: Journalists of Color, the most influential organization of minority journalists in the the U.S. A widely respected veteran newspaper professional, his insights and extensive contacts provide Columbia students with an important advantage in their job hunts. He heads a three-person Career Services office. You will hear more from his other colleagues when school starts.

In order to be as useful as possible, the transcript has been lightly edited for style, grammar, punctuation and clarity, and to put similar topics together. Read other transcripts here: http://deanstudents.blogsome.com/category/transcripts/

Sree Sreenivasan: Good afternoon (good morning, good night, etc). It’s 1:03 pm, Columbia time. If I or Mr. Sotomayor use “…” at the end of one of our messages, that means there’s more to come. If we put a period, we are done, and ready for you…

Sree Sreenivasan: This is the fifth such session and we are very excited to have Mr. Ernest Sotomayor join us. He will address various Career Services related questions.

Ernest Sotomayor : Welcome to all of you, , on behalf of me and our Deputy Director of Career Services, Julie Hartenstein. Many thanks for your participation.

Some opening thoughts: Your time at Columbia will be enormously fulfilling and is intended to prepare you to launch your career, and for those who have some experience, to accelerate your newsroom abilities, whether in print or broadcasting or online media. While much has been written about the transformation of the news media companies, be assured that there are many opportunties still available for those who will seek them, wherever they are. Among the most important points to make here is that employers will be seeking to hire people who can demonstrate outstanding abilities as a reporter first and foremost, as well as a good writer. The best way to do that is to be published, through freelancing, internships, parttime jobs, on Journalism School’s “The Columbia Journalist” website, etc. At the same time, DO NOT jeopardize your academic work for an internship or a freelance assignment. The faculty here and our program is known worldwide because it’s the best at preparing you for a life in journalism, and you should not miss out on any of it.

Before you arrive, go to the Career Services website, at http://www.jrn.columbia.edu/careers/ and view the various pages of self-help guides, listings, and features that are always available to you. View the resume guides online and sharpen that starting now, and once you’ve arrived and settled in, Career Services can continue assisting you in preparing for the journalism workplace.

Sree Sreenivasan: We will take your questions now, one at a time, please.

INTERNATIONAL STUDENTS
Q: Claire Levenson: How hard is it for students whose first language is not English to find a job in American newspapers / magazines ?

Ernest Sotomayor: That will depend on your proficiency in English. We have had a number of people who can get jobs if they can master the language. Your writing ability will be the most important part of the qualification, but your reporting ability will be very important, also. And, your ability to master spoken English will be important. For most students who are accepted to Columbia, this is not a problem.

The other critical issue to remember is this: you cannot work in the U.S. without proper work authorization, which means the visa you are on must allow you to be employed. Be certain to check with the Immigration and Naturalization Service and the University’s international students’ office to be sure you are eligible. Nearly all foreign students, following graduation, will be able to apply for Optional Practical Training permits, which allow you to work in the U.S. for up to 12 months in pretty much any kind of job.

INTERNSHIPS
Q: Rubina Madan: How common is it for recent Columbia graduates to have internships the summer after graduation? Is this something the school encourages?

Ernest Sotomayor : Yes, we encourage students to take internships. We hope that everyone can get a fulltime job, but that won’t happen with everyone, and an internship will sometimes turn into FT job. But even if it ends after summer, you still gain very valuable experience that can be leveraged into your next job. (More here: http://www.jrn.columbia.edu/careers/resources/internships.asp)

Q: Paul Leonard: Are summer internships usually paid or unpaid?

Ernest Sotomayor : Both, though typically, most are paid during summer months. Nearly every newspaper internship is paid. Some magazine internships are paid, and some are unpaid. Some TV networks during the summer months will pay but not all. Local stations that hire interns often do not pay, and local stations and networks that do not usually require that unpaid interns be currently enrolled in school so that they can receive academic credit for the internship. That makes our students ineligible for those types of internships because once they graduate, they can no longer get academic credit for any internship. But there are a few highly competitive post-graduate paid fellowship positions available every year, and our graduates will begin applying for apply for paid positions in television. There are a several post graduate internships in radio, both paid and unpaid.

Q: Paul Leonard: Any advice for a new journalist who wants to be competitive for summer internships, but will not have a mountain of clips in October?

Ernest Sotomayor: Clips will be very important, so work as much as possible to get published. Most employers won’t put lots of stock in your class assignments, but that doesn’t mean they are not of value. It’s important training and if you have nothing else, then you can submit them with your resume packages at the end of the year when you apply for jobs. What will be key is also to look broadly for internships, and to look in many different markets. The wider your search, the most opportunities you make available.

POTENTIAL EMPLOYERS
Q; Aaron Cahall: Maybe this is too general, but–what have you found newspaper employers place the most value on from a potential candidate from J-school; master’s project? Teacher evaluations? Other?

Ernest Sotomayor : Reporting ability, above all else. If you can’t report, it’s not important how well you can write. Your master’s project is important in helping you learn the craft, and can also be important as a recruiting tool (some will be interested in reading it as part of your application package) but your published clips remain the currency in which most recruiters trade.

Q, Guest3513: How well is Columbia’s program known both nationally and internationally in terms of recruiters seeking out j-school graduates? Do many graduates go on to international placements after school or does this depend on your master’s project, clips, etc? And related to the freelancing issue, does the school help in finding or teaching us about how to go about finding freelance opportunities?

Ernest Sotomayor: Many factors are involved in getting employed overseas, including your desire to work abroad. The school is well known internationally, because we have grads on just about every continent in many companies. Your ability as a reporter, once again, will be the most important factor. Experience is very important in landing staff jobs at companies that have international reporters. The media companies abroad – local companies — vary greatly in terms of their policies, but understand that there are immigration issues also involved in getting hired in some countries. UK is hard to break into, for instance, if you don’t have a UK visa, but easy if you have a European passport.

As for freelancing: last school year we did four sessions designed to help you learn how to freelance stories, including how to pitch stories, write cover letters, what editors want from you, etc. We’ll be doing more. (Additional materials on freelancing. Career Services is rebuilding this site, so watch for updates in coming weeks. http://www.jrn.columbia.edu/careers/resources/freelance.asp)

BROADCAST QUESTIONS
Q; Matt Kozar: Mr. Sotomayor, when do broadcast concentrators begin sending out their tapes, and is the internet the best source for finding such job openings?

Ernest Sotomayor : Generally, broadcast students do not send out tapes until just before they graduate or just after because most often, unless they have worked in TV before coming here, they don’t have enough work to put in a resume reel. The internet is just one source for finding the listings, but the listings we put up at the school is another, and referrals, networking with people who come into the school can be another important way. (Job listings: http://www.jrn.columbia.edu/careers/resources/JobNews.asp and internship listings: http://www.jrn.columbia.edu/careers/resources/internships-recent05-06.asp)

Stefani Barber: Would having our work made available at columbiajournalist.org help our prospects upon graduation?

Ernest Sotomayor : Yes. You want to demonstrate your abilities to employers any way you can, and getting your work published or streamed on to the site gives your material you can later use in your reels, too. But remember that even as a broadcast concentrator, stories that are in print can be very important in showing your work as a reporter/writer. (See student work at The Columbia Journalist: http://www.columbiajournalist.org/ )

ROLE OF PROFESSORS
Q: Caroline: Do professors ever play a role in helping to find students jobs, perhaps at news organizations where they work or have worked earlier in their careers?

Ernest Sotomayor : Yes, some professors are proactive about helping. It’s always a good idea to ask them about connections, and network with the vast number of journalists who will visit the school over the course of the year. The professors indeed know lots of people and can point you toward people who will be willing to review our work, at the least.

Q, Guest3513: Can you give an idea of the percentage of students who get full-time jobs after graduating vs. internships? And what types of placements do students typically get — i.e., do most students go onto jobs in media outlets, or other types of organizations as well?

Ernest Sotomayor : Last year, about 40 percent of the students at graduation had either a job or had enrolled in another fulltime degree program, and this year that figure was about 52 percent at graduation time, so we did better. Most of those students — about 3/4 of them — went into internships or fellowships and the rest who got jobs had fulltime jobs. Nearly all were in media companies, ranging from broadcasting to newspapers and magazines to pure online companies. A handful went to non-newsroom jobs.

NEWCOMERS TO JOURNALISM
Q: Neha Singh: For someone who’s never been in the profession before (and therefore has no clips, etc. from the get go) what can we do to prepare for the job search early on?

Ernest Sotomayor : Get clips – period. What you’ll need to do is try freelancing now as much as possible. That means finding any outlet that will publish your works, whether it means weekly papers or magazines, local community papers. You can build up the clip portfolio as you go.

ALUMNI
Q, Guest3595: Are current j-school students encouraged to network with alumni, and are there many opportunities during the school year to do so?

Ernest Sotomayor : We greatly encourage networking with alumni. Alumni can be very helpful in guiding you about life at a particular media company, and in giving you tips about people and the jobs for which you’ll be applying. We will have several alumni gatherings at the school every year, along with the big alumni weekend where we have alumni visit. We also will have a mentor program. And, later, if you want the names of people at a particular company or a geographic location, we can help you find people that way, too. (More on the J-School Alumni Association: http://www.jrn.columbia.edu/alumni/associations/association/)

Q, Guest3513: How accessible is Career Services to alumni? Post graduation?

Ernest Sotomayor : We are 12-month operation, and continue to assist after you leave, but understand that we focus the majority of our efforts on our current students.

MENTOR PROGRAM
Q: Guest3765: Can you explain more about the mentor program…what is that exactly?

Ernest Sotomayor : Mentor program is run by the Alumni Association and you signup after school begins. Students are matched with a mentore who is supposed to communicate with you on over phone and sometimes in person. They can guide you about job searches, where to look, tips on types of companies, the type of medium you pursue, etc. (More on mentoring, but it will be updated soon: http://www.jrn.columbia.edu/alumni/associations/association/mentor/)

Q: Aaron Cahall: Quick two-parter: for those not graduating with jobs, is there an average time after commencement most get hired on by—either f-t, or internship? Also, how big a factor was previous experience as far as time to get a job by or after graduation? Clips and experience have to be important, as you’ve said.

Ernest Sotomayor : No average time that I can give. Some students had jobs in April and at least one in March, prior to graduation. I just had a meeting with a student prior to this chat from class of 2005 who was a standout but is still looking. Your experience prior to school will be important and give you an upper hand, but while in school you will have opportunities by doing freelancing, internships, class assignments like in Columbia News Service or Bronx Beat.

Q: Guest4635: Is it possible to change ones specialization, say, to Investigative journalism?
Dean Melanie Huff: Your concentrations are an internal designation only. Out in the world, you may apply for jobs that interest you. We have plenty of students who take jobs in areas other than those that were their official concentrations while enrolled.

SCHEDULE & TIMING
Q: Guest3513: The program is short and intense to say the least! When do students typically start their job search? When would you encourage us to start?

Ernest Sotomayor : For students seeking internships for the summer, the search begins in the fall, like in October. The deadlines for many internships for summer fall in end of October, through November and early December and some as late as January. For FT jobs, students typically begin searching about the time they complete their master’s projects, which is about spring break. Some begin much earlier, and some wait until after graduation and realize they’d better get on the stick. Seriously, it’s wise to begin in early spring. (See this page for examples of when some company deadlines are set: http://www.jrn.columbia.edu/careers/resources/internships.asp)

OTHER PATHS AFTER J-SCHOOL
Q, Guest4635: What about continuing with another program after the MS. What would you recommend?

Ernest Sotomayor : At the J-school, of course, we offer the Master of Arts program which we launched last September and which you can read lots about on the website. In the M.A. Class of 2007, we have about eight students who are returning from the M.S. Class of 2006 Some students go to law, School of International Public Affairs, some to medical school, and a variety of others. The vast majority go into journalism positions, however. I don’t have a recommendation, however, since that would depend so much on personal factors. (More on our MA program: http://www.jrn.columbia.edu/admissions/apply/ma-program/index.asp)

NETWORKING
Q, Guest3385: Do you recommend joining Journalism-related associations?

Ernest Sotomayor : Always. Good way to network, find out about more job listings, meet people who might be able to help, and provide professional development later. Some have good programs that cater to students that let you interact with seasoned professionals. (Links to many organizations: http://www.jrn.columbia.edu/careers/resources/networking.asp)

SALARY ISSUES
Q: Guest3513: Perhaps it’s too far down the road right now, but I have no idea about this at all and haven’t checked out any industry standards, etc., but what are typical starting salaries for starting reporters? Is there an average range?

Ernest Sotomayor : Very wide range, depending on the size of the market or the medium. A reporter at small papers in a rural setting might be paid starting salary of $25,000 while someone at a big newspaper as a longterm intern might get as much as 45 or 50K. Magazines in a place like NY might pay around 30K to 35K beginning salary. (Some salary guide info: http://www.jrn.columbia.edu/careers/resources/salary.asp)

CLIPS
Q: Rubina Madan: When submitting clips, is it OK to include print outs from Web sites rather than copies from the physical
newspapers/magazines? Or are most employers still looking for traditional clip files?

Ernest Sotomayor : Printouts of the websites are OK, but be sure you’ve got the media company ID somewhere on the page. If you send a link, be very certain that the link will remain available. I’ve gotten resumes with links to stories that were behind firewalls, required registration or where the link expired. I can tell you I NEVER registered to any newspaper site to
view someone’s clips.

Sree Sreenivasan: I am also a big fan of building a personal homepage with your clips. Those of you who do New Media Skills in the Fall or Spring will learn to do that. And we will have other opportunities as well. One URL to check out about this is http://www.sree.net/tips/websites.html

RESUMES/COVER LETTERS
Q, Guest3385: Is your office available to critique resumes/cover letters?

Ernest Sotomayor : Absolutely. We meet individually with students and in group sessions to discuss resumes and cover letters. We try to meet as many students as we can to help you with those two items and also post samples on our website. (See our guides here: http://www.jrn.columbia.edu/careers/resources/guide.asp)

Q: Aaron Cahall: Spinning off that–is there the opportunity to have someone at CS look at my resume/clip package and give me an idea of where I should be looking for jobs as far as market size, etc. I was asking about job search help by looking at resumes and clips?

Ernest Sotomayor : We can help guide you to employers based on your clips and resume/experience, yes.

Ernest Sotomayor : A few closing thoughts: Try to find places that will publish you work as you go through school here. That will be very important in getting employers to take interest. They want to know what you can do, and it means freelancing, getting an internship — usually your second semester, not your first. And stay abreast of the process for applying, the deadlines set by the media companies. You’ll not get an internship if you don’t apply or don’t apply on time. Last of all, think broadly about where to look for employment. The smaller your search, the fewer opportunities you’ll find. And, please refer to Career Services website: http://www.jrn.columbia.edu/careers/ for more.

Sree Sreenivasan: My final thought on this topic - start becoming familiar with the US media by reading sites like Poynter.org/romenesko, TVNewswer.com and MediaBistro.com EVERY day…

Our next chat is Wednesday at 10 am Columbia time…
All international students are cordially invited - rest of you, too!

-30-

Columbia Graduate School of Journalism’s 2006 international students prepared a 6-minute video for the incoming international students in the Class of 2007. There’s plenty of useful stuff for our American students as well. [That’s Heamakarn Sricharatchanya from Bangkok, Thailand, in the freeze frame below.]

Many thanks to Prof. Josh Friedman, director of the International Program; student producers Dan Fishel (Tel Aviv, Israel) and Scott Willyerd; student photographers Rebecca Castillo and Kathryn Maier; and all the international students in the Class of 2006.

When you play the video below, you will need to let about 20 seconds pass, as the first pictures don’t start until then.

PLEASE NOTE: If you click on this link instead, you can blow up the video nice and big by clicking on the icon on the lower right portion of the player, over where it says “Size:”

Below is a transcript of the two July 7 chats. About 45 students participated in at least part of the first hour and then about 18 participated in at least parts of the second hour later that day.

In order to be as useful as possible, the transcript has been lightly edited for style, grammar, punctuation and clarity, and to put similar topics together. We have also combined both sessions into one transcript.

sree sreenivasan:Good afternoon, everyone (or good evening, good night,
goodmorning, etc). It.s 1:03 p.m. in New York. Dean Sreenivasan here in 705. Dean
Huff is on vacation, but is joining us from a secret location…
sree sreenivasan:If I put a … at the end of my note, that means I have more
coming. If I end with a period, I am done.
Melanie Huff:Hi All!
sree sreenivasan:We are ready to begin…
sree sreenivasan:Before we take your questions, some housekeeping based on questions we have already fielded…
sree sreenivasan:1. If you write to dos@jrn.columbia.edu, please include your
name, concentration and a phone number.
2. The best way to find people in the university is to call
the main number: 212-854-1754. That’s the year Columbia was founded. The operators can connect you with any faculty member or office in the university.
3. Sorry some of you are still having tech troubles with the
fall 2005 evaluations. best advice is to try a diff. browser or computer and to
log on after midnight or before 6 am Eastern time.
sree sreenivasan:Now, we are ready for questions. One at a time, please.

SCHEDULING
Guest8980:When does RWIs meet in the classroom, should we worry about any
sections overlapping with our preferred electives?
Melanie Huff:No, the electives are all scheduled so that they will not conflict with RWI.

LAW
Coleman Cowan:Is the Friday Journalism, the Law and Society class taught in
three separate sections or do Blasi, Lewis, and Abrams tag team onteaching one
section throughout the semester? If there are threeseparate sections, is there
a way we can indicate an adjunctprofessor preference?
Melanie Huff:Sorry about the confusion. It is one class taught by all three of these professors…
Melanie Huff:The primary professor is Vincent Blasi.

JUDITH CRIST
Gabrielle:Has the deadline passed to apply for Judith Christ’s class?
Melanie Huff:No, you have until Monday, at 10 a.m.

MASTER’S PROJECTS
Guest8365:Can non-Broadcast concentrators chose a Broadcast Master’s Project?
Melanie Huff:No. Unless you have extensive TV or radio experience.

Ken Millstone:Even with the (frustrating) evaluation system, I dont feel like
I have a lot to go on in choosing an MP advisor. How easy/common is it to
change advisors later on?
Melanie Huff:For MP advisers, the best system is the new system for whic h
there are no problems….
Melanie Huff:You can try to make changes during add/drop too.

Guest8365:Can I do both a spring Documentary Workshop and a TV Master’s Project?
Melanie Huff:You cannot do both the documentary workshop and a TV project.

Guest8365:Past the add/drop period, you cannot change MP advisers?
Melanie Huff:It is very difficult to change after add/drop, but it is not
impossible.

Michael Dang:Are there any examples of print MPs available to take a look at?
Journalism Librarian, Deborah Wasserzug, who blogs at sent in this answer:

Print Master’s projects for the most recent 5 years are available to read at the Journalism Library (2006 projects should be available by early August). TV projects and radio projects may also be borrowed overnight from the library. Some radio projects also may be heard online, at
http://www.jrn.columbia.edu/studentwork/radio/masters/index.asp.
You can see the new media projects at http://columbiajournalist.org/masters_projects/2005/index.asp?course=masters_projects.
MA Theses for the 2006 class are also available to read at the Journalism
Library (again, should be available by early August).

Guest8946:how important is it to specify a master’s project topic at this
stage? If we don’t specify a topic, does that make us less likely to get our
choice of instructor for the master’s project?
Melanie Huff:It is not important that you have a topic in mind at this
stage…
Melanie Huff:It does not make you more or less likely to get your top choice
for your adviser.

Guest374:Should our master’s project topics be stories we’ve seen reported and
want to research further or unreported stories we should find and want to
break?
Melanie Huff:You and your adviser will discuss the merits of different ideas.

Guest2592:Master’s project: can we choose a broad topic and get the advisor’s
help in narrowing it down?
Melanie Huff:Yes, it is the adviser’s job to help you refine and narrow your
topic.

Yasmina Hatem:when will we know our schedules and assigned advisors?
Melanie Huff:You will be given instructions on how to access your schedule
online in a few weeks…
Melanie Huff:It will probably be a few weeks after that for the MP adviser
name.

BROADCAST MAJORS
Rebecca Kaufman:If we are in broadcast so taking a skills class is extra, is
it better to sign up for it now and drop it later if it seems like too much?
Melanie Huff:Broadcast students take Television News Writing as their skills
class…
Melanie Huff:To take an additional skills class, you will need to apply during
the add/drop period.

Guest8365:What classes are required for a Broadcast concentration SPRING
semester?
Melanie Huff:All that you have to take in the spring as a broadcast student…
Melanie Huff:is a broadcast workshop.

Yasmina Hatem:when can broadcast students choose skills class? They never
appeared on my ballot
Melanie Huff:Broadcast students are automatically registered for Television
News Writing as their skills class….
Melanie Huff:If they want to take an additional skills class, they can try to
add one during add/drop.

Rebecca Kaufman: what should broadcast students who begin two weeks early expect
to be doing those two weeks?
Melanie Huff:The broadcast students will be doing training on AVID, ProTools
and broadcast reporting basics.

Guest9197:when assigning us our rwI professors do you try and match their
concentration with ours?
Melanie Huff:Broadcast students will get put into broadcast RWI classes….
Melanie Huff:For the rest, we are trying to get you into the classes you
requested on the ballots.

Guest8365:Apparent in all broadcast evaluations was the dissatisfaction with
studio/recording/editing equipment. What kind of attention/updates have been
made towards the technical equipment?
Melanie Huff:All the television equipment is brand new as of January 2006….
Melanie Huff:We are working on the radio systems now.

Guest1487:broadcast students are supposed to meet 9 am august 7 — where are
we meeting?
Melanie HUFF: Lecture Hall.

Gabrielle:And for broadcast majors, will it be necessary to edit on our
personal computers, say through Final Cut express and programs similar to this,
or will we have the opp to do all our editing in the broadcast lab?
Melanie Huff:You will meet in the Lecture Hall.
Melanie Huff:You have to work with AVID here at the school…
Melanie Huff:You will br able to do some personal editing using Final Cut on
your computer…
Melanie Huff:but work for class will be done at school.

OUTSIDE WORK
Guest9197:I’m a bit confused regarding outside work. On the one hand i was
told that the curriculum would take up the majority of our time, but i also
recently received an email about internship opportunities…should we be
looking for internships and work to help offset the cost?
Melanie Huff:Most students find that they do not have the time to do an
internship…
Melanie Huff:However, some students are able to find ones that will fit in
their schedules…
Melanie Huff:They rarely are paid so should not be seen as money makers…
Melanie Huff:Those that do internships generally do them only in the spring
term.

AUGUST CLASSES
Guest8980:What is RW1 like from orientation until the “staggered schedule”
begins in September?
sree sreenivasan:Lots of work on basic reporting, structure, writing + getting
you upto speed on covering NYC + lots of speakers and panels.

RWI BEAT SYSTEM
Guest9197:how is it decided who covers what parts of NYC or does it rotate?
sree sreenivasan:In RWI, we work on a neighborhood “beat” system…
sree sreenivasan:Each RWI prof has a different way of assigning beats and
neighborhoods…
sree sreenivasan:Some allow you to pick, others assign them directly, some
have a lottery system…
sree sreenivasan:You will be spending a lot of time in your beat, getting to
know the locals…
sree sreenivasan:That’s when you will have that “I am glad I read the Power
Broker” moment!

Neha Singh:Does Dean Sreenivasan’s earlier comment about students being sent
to more neighborhoods mean that new neighborhoods are being added to the usual
beats in the Bronx?
sree sreenivasan:Depending on your prof, you could be in any of the boroughs,
though every few do Staten Island because of the distance…
sree sreenivasan:It’s best to familiarize yourself with Brooklyn, Queens and
the Bronx as much as possible…
sree sreenivasan:Only a few parts of Manhattan are ever covered…
sree sreenivasan:We try to stay out of, say, the Upper East Side and Upper
West Side, which are not nearly as interesting as, say, the Lower East Side….
sree sreenivasan:So the short answer is to do as much reading as possible…
sree sreenivasan:Here are some local resources for you to know about…
sree sreenivasan:GothamGazette.com, Gothamist.com, Curbed.com…
sree sreenivasan:Be sure to read ColumbiaJournalist.org in detail…
sree sreenivasan:That’s the site on which we publish the best RWI articles in
the fall (and other articles throughout the year)…
sree sreenivasan:It’s a great way to learn about what gets covered in the
school and to see good work.

Guest1487:for the beats…are you in pairs or by yourself?
Melanie Huff: For the most part, you are by yourself. However, it does
depend on the RWI prof.
Guest8365:Even for broadcast RWI, when we’re out with equipment?
Melanie Huff:Good question ….
Melanie Huff:In the broadcast classes, you will be sent out in teams for
broadcast stories.

Guest9543:How responsive are local officials to the Columbia students on their
beats? Is there any feeling that we are not “real” journalists bbecause we are
not getting paid or with a traditional media outlet?
sreenivasan:RESPONSIVENESS: Yes, it’s an issue… But we are working to spread
out strudents to more neighborhoods…
sree sreenivasan:So one thing you can do for yourself is to try to get a
neighborhood off the popular track…
sree sreenivasan:The fewer the reporters there (including Columbia ones)…
sree sreenivasan:the better your chances for getting access.

Guest9197:are the beats limited to nyc? or do they extend to the greater metro
area i.e. NJ long island westchester etc.?
sree sreenivasan:It’s almost always the five boroughs, but on occasion, a
prof. will allow a NEARBY location like you describe…
sree sreenivasan:Remember, you might have to travel to the beat and come back
to school more than once in a day…
sree sreenivasan:So LI, Westchester, etc., are tough.

Andrew Goldberg:Would you be able to tell me approximately what percentage of
time FT students spend in class at the j-school vs. in the field reporting and
at home writing? I’m currently living in midtown east and trying to decide
whether it makes more sense to move closer to Columbia.
sree sreenivasan:Tough to say… Depends on your prof, the beat, etc…
sree sreenivasan:But it’s safe to say that at least 30-40 percent of your time
is outside the school, on the beat, talking to people, going through public
records, etc, Hope that helps.
Andrew Goldberg:thanks!
sree sreenivasan:Best to be as close as possible to a #1 train… But not
mandatory, of course. Spend time on Hopstop.com or PublicRoutes.com to learn more about
distances in the city.

ELECTIVES
Guest9543:As for the electives, I’m interested in a lot of the RWIIs. How does
the spring schedule allow for another chance to take these electives?
Melanie Huff:In the spring semester, we offer electives and some seminars are
many of these same topics….
Melanie Huff:In the spring, you must take one elective…
Melanie Huff:and one seminar…..
Melanie Huff:so you get to take several things of interest.

Guest8980:The RWIIs are 10 weeks, do they begin right away after orientation?
Melanie Huff:The RWIIs begin the week of September 11 and run for 10 weeks.

Gabrielle:To piggyback off an earlier question, on average, how many electives
will we have the opportunity to take this year and will many of the very same
ones be offered in the spring?
Melanie Huff:Non-broadcast students will take two electives…
Melanie Huff:Most of the fall ones are offered again in the spring….
Melanie Huff:Those that aren’t are usually offered as more intenstive, seminar
versions….
Melanie Huff:Everybody most take one seminar to graduated.

Jessica Troiano:If we want to sign up for one elective, should we list a third
choice? Or will 2 be sufficient?
Melanie Huff:Jessica, you should rank all six…
Melanie Huff:you aren’t signing up for a class, but rather ranking them in
order of interest…
Melanie Huff:we cannot promise anyuone will get their first, second or third
choice.

SKILLS
Sree Sreenivasan: See the current Skills schedule:
http://deanstudents.blogsome.com/2006/07/06/courses-falls-skills-schedule-available/
Guest8946:How many skills courses is it typical to take in the fall? Is there
any way for us to tell whether / which of the skills courses overlap in their 5
weeks?
Melanie Huff:Most students take only one skills class in the fall unless they
are required to take more (Stabile)…
Sree sreenivasan: This 2006 Fall Skills Schedule is tentative for now, but
should give you and idea of the timings.
http://deanstudents.blogsome.com/2006/07/06/courses-falls-skills-schedule-available/

Jason Del Rey:How often do recruiters visit the J-school?
Melanie Huff:Ernest Sotomayor, director of career services….
Melanie Huff:is hosting a chat like this on Monday at 1 p.m. for these
questions.

Cissy Rebich:About the skills classes: Are they 5 weeks long? In particular,
radio skills this fall.
Melanie Huff:All skills classes run for 5 weeks.

Guest2807:I’m pitching my master’s project to a cable show, so far I’m a print
major. Can I take writing for television (for broadcast students)?
Melanie Huff:After add/drop, the only way to change is if there is a serious
problem we need to address.
Melanie Huff:There is a section of Writing for Television for PT broadcast
folks that may be undersubscribed…
Melanie Huff:If so, you can try to add it during add/drop.

Jessica Troiano:Can we choose when we take the skills class? Radio has four
sessions and I think I’d like one of the later ones.
Melanie Huff:For the most part, we just place folks….
Huff:However, for PT students, we will try to get you into the section you
want if we are able to give you that class…
Melanie Huff:Please note in the notes section…
Melanie Huff:of the ballot that you would like a later session.

MISSING CLASSES
Kate Brannen:Will it be alright to be out of the city labor day weekend?
Melanie Huff:Many students will have assignments that weekend….

Guest1487:last chat you said students couldn’t miss classes for holidays —
what about religious holidays
Melanie Huff:Students may miss classes for religious holidays…
Melanie Huff:You must inform your professor in advance…
Melanie Huff:and work with him/her to find a way to make up the work.

TUITION
Gabrielle:When will we start receiving tuition bills and etc?
sree sreenivasan:A transcript will be posted this weekend of this and the 6 pm
chat.
Guest9197:shhh dont remind them about tuition
Melanie Huff:You will get your first bill via e-mail on July 25.
Gabrielle:ha ha sorry - just had to doublecheck

Neha Singh:Another question on tuition if we’ve got a moment: What are the
payment options for tuition? Can we pay by credit card?
Robert MacDonald:You need to contact Student Financial Planning. If you need
the numbers please e-mail me. Yes you can use a credit card but there are extra
fees.

STABILE
Christopher Twarowski:Quick question: Is Investigative Techiques required for
Stabile students in the fall or in the spring?
Melanie Huff:Stabile students take Investigative Techniques in the spring…
Melanie Huff:The class is open for everyone else in the fall.

TRAVEL EXPENSES
Guest8365:When a class involves a field trip (specifically out of state), what
kind of personal expenses are expected?
sree sreenivasan:There are very few field trips out of NYC…
sree sreenivasan:Some classes, in the past, have gone to DC, Albany, Israel,
India, etc, but they are very few such trips and the expense situation is
explained up front.

COMPUTERS & TECHNOLOGY
Guest1487:do most students use computers or notebooks in class?
Melanie Huff:Students use both…

Guest8365:Are assignment turned in through email or hard copy? Are there
printers/computers available in the J-school for such use?
Melanie Huff:However, students are not allowed to be doing their email or IMs
during class.
sree sreenivasan: http://deanstudents.blogsome.com/category/discounts
sree sreenivasan:That’s the link for discounts…
sree sreenivasan:Next?

Melanie Huff:Some professors ask that student submit hard copy…
Melanie Huff:and yes there are printers in the building…
Melanie Huff:However, alot of professors ask that you submit work via
e-mail…
Melanie Huff:Please note that it can be hard to get to a J-School printer
during crunch times…
Melanie Huff:so it is a good idea to buy a printer.
Guest8365:Good to know–thanks

COLUMBIAJOURNALIST.ORG
Cissy Rebich:What’s happening with the student work website? Prof Bearak sent
my story to them in May and it hasn’t appeared because someone quit. Is the
person who posts the stories going to be replaced soon?
Melanie Huff:We are down several tech staff….
Melanie Huff:but we have hired a tech dean who will be staffing up shortly.

NEW MEDIA
Andrew Goldberg:I’m going to be concentrating in print, but I’d really like to
take the Issues in Online News elective. Can I put that down as my first choice
or do I have to wait till the Add/Drop period to try to pick it up?
Melanie Huff:There is no room in this class at the moment…
Melanie Huff:for anyone but new media students…
Melanie Huff:but you may try to add it during add/drop.
sree sreenivasan:For those who want new media without concentrating in it, the
NM Skills class is a great way to go.
sree sreenivasan:Basic skills is open to everyone. Can’t you just take that?

Guest4288:As an NM, is it possible to take photo skills in the Fall?
Melanie Huff:If you are a FT, NM student, you will automatically be enrolled
in advanced new media skills for the fall….
Melanie Huff:If you want to also do photo skills, you can try to add it during
add/drop.
Guest4288:great

CONCENTRATIONS
Guest2818:if you take a workshop out of your concentration does that
automatically change your concentration..
Melanie Huff:Yes, if you take a workshop outside of your concentration, it
changes your concentration to that of the workshop…
Melanie Huff:please note that concentrations do not appear on your diploma…
Melanie Huff:or transcript. They are internal designations only.

HEALTHCARE
Guest5314:Not an academic question, sorry: Is the Columbia Health Insurance a
mandatory requirement, or can I bring another insurance?
Melanie Huff:FT students are automaically enrolled in CU health insurance….
Melanie Huff:However, you can go to their website, and request a waiver to use
your own insurance…
You will have to prove that it is as comprehensive as CU’s…
All students have to pay the health services fee.

Andrew Goldberg:When does the health coverage start?
Melanie Huff:For FT students, it starts on August 1

Mark Wellborn:I’m wondering what steps we have to take to confirm that we’re
enrolled - I checked on the Chickering website on Monday, and they didn’t have
a record for me.
Melanie Huff:You have to check with the Health Services folks directly.

Cissy Rebich:Do PT Broadcast students ever take more than one skills class?
I’m interested in both radio & TV. Will there be time to take both skills
classes?
Melanie Huff:Most PT folks take more than one skills class while enrolled…
Melanie Huff:PT broadcast students also get to take the radio class for free.
Cissy Rebich:Free sounds good to me, thanks.

PART-TIME PROGRAM
Guest2855:so sree how are the critical issues classes different?
sree sreenivasan:Here’s how…
sree sreenivasan:In the Fall, we have two Critical Issues classes. One only
for PTers and another mainly for FTers, but one that PTers can ask for it.
sree sreenivasan:The PT one is at night, the other is Fridays at 12:30…
sree sreenivasan:The PT only one is smaller, while the other has 200+ students
in it.

David Cohn:How flexible is the add/drop period for PTs that are figuring out
their work schedule?
Melanie Huff:However, this is generally not done…
Melanie Huff:since you need six points for the student loans.
Melanie Huff:All add/drop requests….
Melanie Huff:are handled on a first-come, first-served basis.

Guest2855:is there a new investiagive skills class? tell us more is it too
late fore PT’ers
Melanie Huff:The investigative skills class is for those who were accepted to
the School as Stabile fellows.

Guest2807:Is it possible to audit a class if it is outside of your
concentration?
Melanie Huff:You may audit any class with the professor’s permission….
Melanie Huff:You don’t pay for it, you do no work, and it does not appear on
your transcript.
sree sreenivasan: http://deanstudents.blogsome.com/2005/08/12/audting-procedurefor-auditing-classes/

MISC.
Cissy Rebich:Have you ever staffed the radio & TV labs with students paid to
help out with the technology? Would the school consider it?
Melanie Huff:Intersting idea Cissy…
Melanie Huff:We will mention it. Not sure any of our folks have the time,
though.
Cissy Rebich:In law school, we had a computer lab staffers who covered most of
the hours the lab was open. Just thinking.

Melanie Huff:Remember, if you submit a ballot and then change your mind about
some element of it, you may submit another one. I will use the one with the
most recent date stamp (before the deadline of course)

sree sreenivasan:Any thing else? We are happy to stay, but don’t want to force
anyone so late on a beautiful Friday afternoon in NYC.
sree sreenivasan:Do send us feedback about this and let us know if you’d like
to see more of ‘em throughout the year.

sree sreenivasan:Ok, anything else, folks? A transcript of this and the
earlier session will go out this weekend.
sree sreenivasan:Please be sure to read the DOS Blog, where it will be posted
first.

-30-

This 2006 Fall Skills Schedule is tentative for now, but should give you and idea of the timings.

Below is a transcript of June 28, 2006, online chat aimed at incoming full-time M.S. students. About 40 students participated in at least parts of the hour-long session. Information about the the next sessions have been sent out via e-mail:

Friday, July 7.

SESSION I: 1-2 pm, NY time - aimed at incoming full-time MS students, but
all are welcome.

SESSION II: 6-7 pm, NY time - aimed at continuing PT MS students, but all
are welcome.

[In July, we will be doing similar sessions for other cohorts, including MA
students and international students, as well as one hosted by the Career
Services office.]

In order to be as useful as possible, the transcript has been lightly edited for style, grammar, punctuation and clarity, and to put similar topics together. Added to the end are answers to some questions we have received via e-mail.

sree sreenivasan: Good afternoon, everyone (or good evening, good night, good
morning, etc)… It’s 1:03 in New York. Dean Sreenivasan here in 705. Dean Huff is on vacation, but is joining us from a secret location. I am also joined in person in my office by
incoming student Bartram Nason, a professional cellist from Atlanta who
happened to be in town. Be sure to have your FCG (Fall Curriculum Guide) handy…
sree sreenivasan: If I put a … at the end of my note, that means I
have more coming. If I end with a period, I am done.

EVALUATIONS:
sree sreenivasan: So, let’s get started. First question, please.
Teal Anderson: i’ve had a difficult time ranking my selections for both RWI and
my masters project…the student evaluations haven’t seemed to be all that
in-depth?
sree sreenivasan: The Fall evaluationsaren’t as in-depth as they are
for the Spring because they were on a different system. Now they are
all anonymous, which should make for more candor and more in-depth
responses…
sree sreenivasan: As you know, we switched to a new system this spring. It took
several years to make that happen.

BROADCAST & NEW MEDIA CURRICULUM:
Brett Elliott: Hello Deans: according the guide, it looks like for incoming
broadcast concentrators, our first term curriculum pretty much already set
aside from the potential addition of a skills class. is this correct?
Adam Edelman: If I may add, it seems that way for New Media also (for first
semester at least)
sree sreenivasan: Brett, Adam: Yes, you are essentially correct….
sree sreenivasan: You will have plenty of choices in the Spring.

MASTER’S PROJECTS:
Lionel Laurent: My question is: can the masters project be in any format? Or
are we restricted by our choice of concentration?
sree sreenivasan: Good question…
sree sreenivasan: Most of the MPs are done in print (and that’s the default for
everyone). Broadcast majors can request and compete to do a video or radio MP.
NM students can compete to do a NM project.
sree sreenivasan: We will explain the “compete” part when you get here.

Bartram Nason: Can you give us an example of a NM project completed in the
past?
sree sreenivasan: http://www.rezoned2006.com - a great project this spring - and the only one with a domain name that’s easy to remember! Here are the rest:
http://columbiajournalist.org/masters_projects/2005/index.asp?course=masters_projects.

Rubina Madan:do most students do the bulk of their work on the master’s
project over winter break? should we plan to stay in NYC during that time?
sree sreenivasan: You are expected to finish all principal reporting
AND turn in a first draft by the end of winter “break”… so that means you
will be doing a lot of work during the so-called break, which ends the Monday after Martin Luther King Day (Jan. 15, 2007). Most people do leave town between Christmas and New Year, and return to start working on their MPs by Jan 2/3ish.

Bartram Nason:for master’s projects, if collaborating (for NM or broadcast)
when do we need to have a group together?
sree sreenivasan:Radio and print projects are solo. NM and video are two and three,
respectively. We will help you get a group together in the Fall.

Aggelos Petropoulos:Does that go for the Stabile Broadcast projects as well,
or is it possible to do something indipendently?
Melanie Huff:All broadcast students, including Stabile, must work in teams for
TV and NM projects.

SKILLS:
Brett Elliott: Do the Skills classes occur throughout the term, or all at
the same time?
Melanie Huff: The Skills classes run for several five week sessions throughout
the term. See the schedule >>>here< <<.

Rubina Madan:will the Skills professors be the same ones who taught the
courses last year?
Melanie Huff:Some of the skills professors will be the same and some will not.

Teri Berg:I noticed on the student evaluations of the new media skills classes that there were lots of negative comments about instructors and course organization, etc. Knowing that my learning style is best when I get more than just verbal stuff, I'm concerned about how much these courses will be improved.
Melanie Huff:The New Media Skills classes are being completely overhauled for this
Fall.
sree sreenivasan: All the Skills professors are aware of their reviews and are working on any problems raised last Fall.

HOLIDAYS & MISSING CLASSES:
Chris Brouwer: hi deans -- this is not an ideal academics question, but there's
a chance I might have to miss a few days of classes before Thanksgiving. Would
this be possible at that point in the semester?
Melanie Huff: Hi All - Dean Huff here. No, it is not possible to take
off a few days before. Classes scheduled for that Wednesday night will
be held...
sree sreenivasan: A quick note: the j-school has the fewest holidays of any
school on campus (and the shortest master's program, too).

INTERNSHIPS:
Melanie Huff:For the most part, internships are done in the spring only. In
rare instances, we will approve someone to do an internship in the fall...
Melanie Huff:We only do this after getting feedback from your RWI professor
about your performance and whether you can handle the extra work.
Melanie Huff:For internship questions, please contact Ernest Sotomayor at
es2387@columbia.edu

ACADEMIC CALENDAR:
Teal Anderson: is there an academic calendar for the j-school available? last i
looked, there was only one available online from last year
Rubina Madan: Teal, I think the 2006-2007 is online now
http://www.jrn.columbia.edu/admissions/programs/courses/calendar/

STABILE/INVESTIGATIVE:
Irene Jay Liu: I had two questions about the Stabiile major:
When will the new Stabile professor be announced? And will we have the
opportunity to choose who we want to work with (between the Stabile professor
and Professor Barrett), or will we be automatically assigned to one or the
other? Also, do we have the option to take the Investigative Techniques course
in the fall (it is listed on our ballot) if we want to take another elective in
the spring?
Melanie Huff: We will be giving out the name of the
professor in charge of the program as soon as the University paperwork is
complete. Students will be automatically assigned to either this professor or
Prof. Barrett for the MP. In the fall semester, you take the elective you
ballot for. In the spring, you must take the investigative workshop and
elective.

BUYING A COMPUTER:
Adam Edelman:Hey Deans, I bought my current laptop 4 years ago, upon entering
undergrad studies. But now, of course, it is outdated, do you recommend buying
a new laptop now (for this year?) or will that not make any sense considernig I
might have to upgrade upon entering the workforce? (And what kind -mac/pc-
would you recommend for the J-School)?
sree sreenivasan:You will need to be able, at a minimum to do e-mail, word processing and web surfing from home, so that's what you definitely need. For more advanced stuff, you might want to wait and see what you really need before spending the money.
Bartram Nason: Apple offers student discounts, as do a number of other computer manufacturers.
sree sreenivasan:Here is the DOS blog on academic discounts:
http://deanstudents.blogsome.com/2005/12/07/faq-what-computer-discounts-can-i-get-through-columbia/
Also see CUIT info on sales:
http://www.columbia.edu/acis/sales/. Separately, see some of the software, including anti-virus protection that Columbia gives you access to: http://www.columbia.edu/acis/software/.

CLASS WORKLOAD:
Aggelos Petropoulos: Is it possible to enroll in language or other courses beyond the 19 credits?
Melanie Huff:Any full-time student who takes more than 19 points gets charged a per point tuition rate for each additional point. Also, it can be difficult to find language classes that don’t conflict with our schedule. That said, some students do take a language class in lieu of an elective in the second semester. But that’s on a case by case basis.

Charlene Dy: What will the time commitment be like per week outside of classroom hours?
sree sreenivasan: You will see that only a small percentage of your time commitment will be in formal class sessions. You will spend hours and hours street reporting, computer research, doing interviews and traveling around the cityThat’s why it’s very hard to do internships or outside work, especially in the Fall.

BROADCAST STUDENTS
Don Duncan: Beyond the core bumper RWI, master’s project, crit issues in j and
journalism, the law and society, from where can broadcasters select extra
classes?
Melanie Huff: Broadcast students can try to take an additional skills class.
However, everything else is covered by the classes you listed. There isn’t time
for anything else.

Don Duncan:are broaedcasters expected to choose between TV and radio at any
point during RW?
Melanie Huff:No, Brodcast students don’t have to make a choice of radio vs. TV
in RWI. The choices you make will be in the spring ballot for radio or TV
classes. And for doing a radio or TV MP.

Brett Elliott: So if we would like to do a TV masters project, we should make sure that our advisor has that medium listed? (there seem to be only a couple).
Melanie Huff: Yes, that’s correct.

Brett Elliott:are broadcasters given priority for coumbia nightly news?
Melanie Huff:Only broadcast students can take Nightly News.

INTERNATIONAL STUDENTS:
Don Duncan: for international students, is there any way they can sit in on
journalism, law and society class?
Melanie Huff: No, because it meets at the same time as the NY as a Foreign
Country class.

Chris Brouwer:Is it possible for international students to have the NY as a
Foreign Country Class waived? (I’ve lived in New York for several years)
Melanie Huff: Aynone who has lived in NY or the US for several years can request a waiver
for the international class. You may do so during Add/Drop.

COLUMBIA NEWS SERVICE:
Adam Edelman:Do print concentrators have preference for getting into CNS?
Melanie Huff:Newspaper concentration students are given preference for CNS.

0 0 0 0 0

SOME QUESTIONS THAT CAME IN VIA E-MAIL:
Q: In looking through the ballot, I just saw that my concentration has been listed as “Newspaper” while I enrolled for “Magazine”. I hope to get into electives that are, I think, geared more towards magazine writing and would like to know if being listed as “Newspaper” will make this more difficult. How can I correct my concentration?
A: For fall classes, newspaper and magazine students are the same, so
you may simply complete the print ballot. We will get your concentration corrected before second semester balloting begins.

Q: I am having trouble viewing other semester’s evaluations for professors.
A: There are two systems. One is Fall 2003-Fall 2005; in it are buttons to switch semesters. The other system only contains Spring 2006 and has no buttons for semester switches.

Q: Please consider this a formal request to switch my concentration from magazine to new media. hat I’m wondering is: If the change goes through, will my ballot —
filed for Print — be invalidated, and will I be assigned a random schedule?
A: For now, please complete a print ballot. Should we be able to take
you off of the wait list, we will contact you about those ballot questions. Same goes for print to broadcast switches.

Q: Can we take more than one skills class if it fits in our
schedule?
A: Yes, you can take more than one skills class, if it fits and if we have space. Additional skills classes may be sought during Add/Drop.

Q: When will we hear about what classes we got?
A: You will be notifed in late July about how to find your fall schedule online.

Q: I have been impressed by the New Media master’s projects I have seen, but the student evaluations have been less encouraging. A couple mentioned the need for more
training, particularly in Flash, and more faculty/faculty assistance.
A: This Spring, we had the best crop of NM MPs and the students really pushed the envelope in ways we didn’t anticipate (which is overall a good thing). As a result of the feedback, we are revising the NM MP process, incorporating more training in Flash and other skill sets and building in more adjunct assistance. We have even higher hopes for the quality of the 2007 projects.

Questions? dos@jrn.columbia.edu