Q: Hi. I wrote you an email earlier this semester about being an international student who wants to study journalism in the U.S. I received good news from J-schools in New York but I had a question concerning those NY schools. Do you think Columbia is the best J-school ever? How do you feel about CUNY's new school (opening fall of 2006) and NYU?

I still have to decide where to go and would appreciate some advice.

Also: what's best for a foreigner? Try to get a job at the foreign desk/bureau of a paper maybe?

Clementine

A: Columbia is a great journalism school, no doubt. It has great instructors, a strong tradition, an active career services staff, ambitious students from around the United State and the world and a fantastic reporting laboratory in New York City.

Does Columbia have the best J-school ever? And what do I think about City University of New York's program that has not yet started up?

I think you know the answers.

While there are several journalism schools that I would put in a top tier, I would not call one of them the definitive best because students come with different needs and interests and no school is a one-size-fits-all. They can't be, or they wouldn't be exceptional.

I can't say anything about CUNY's program, except that I hope it becomes great, too.

Let's boil your question down. You're asking about only three schools, all in New York City, and you have been accepted to two or maybe all three of them. Your question is, "What is the best J-school in New York this year?" I would say Columbia.

Congratulations.

As for working, a lot will depend on whether you want to work in the United States. It can be tough to get employers into the visa process, but I believe that the student visa you would get to study here would allow you to work for 12 months in your field. You should use those months to persuade a U.S. employer to hire you -- or to get the skills you want to take home.

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