Medill-Northwestern Journalism Institute
Are you an aspiring journalist looking to up your game and expand your portfolio before college and beyond? The Medill-Northwestern Journalism Institute at Northwestern University in Evanston, IL runs an intensive five-week journalism program that is run by a Medill professor. Admission is selective, with less than half the applicants invited join the program each year. It’s an amazing way to hone skills while living in an immersive and supportive environment with other news junkies.
The Institute, also known as “Medill cherubs,” is a five-week journalism program for up to 84 rising high school seniors at Northwestern University in Evanston, Illinois. It is sponsored by Northwestern’s Medill School of Journalism, Media, Integrated Marketing Communications. Students learn from accomplished journalists and university professors while gaining practical experience in the field. By the end of the summer, students create a body of work, build connections and meet aspiring journalists from around the world. In the summer of 2019, students came from 21 states in the United States as well as from Brazil, China (6), Indonesia and South Korea (2).
Want to learn more about the program? Check out their website.
How do I expand this narrative arc? Are you interested in journalism and keen to go beyond your school newspaper?
If you have a journalistic bent, check out our post on this incredible organization promoting written and visual journalism, YR Media
Consider starting a school radio or TV station
Do a summer course like this one at the New York TImes.
Submit your work to Affinity Magazine, a magazine for young journalists.
Be recognized for your work when you submit it to one of the many national writing competitions and awards programs like the Edward R. Murrow Awards
Hot Tip: This is a really interesting summer program for aspiring journalists. It’s a great way to hone your craft and spend the summer with other young writers. You also leave with a real portfolio of work that you can share with colleges. Make sure it fits with your narrative arc!
IMPORTANT NOTE ABOUT SUMMER PROGRAMS: College admissions officers are very adept at identifying “resume padders”: expensive, one-off programs paid for by your parents which do not mesh with your narrative arc. Therefore, make sure any summer program or course you consider falls into one (or more) of these four buckets:
Highly selective/competitive
Totally unique + linked to your narrative arc
Evidence of adulthood (long hours, multi-year commitment or simply hard work)
A jumping off point or expansion for an authentic narrative arc.
If none of the above apply, a program could still have value to you if it allows you to test a potential interest. However, if it does not end up being a jumping off point for further interests, then you may not want to mention it in your high school resume