[학생기자]The Journalism School that produced 38 Pulitzer Winners

Not many Koreans are familiar with Northwestern University, a prestigious university located in Evanston, Ill. The few that recognize the name probably remember Northwestern University through John Park, a former student of Northwestern who earned his popularity through TV programs such as American Idol and Superstar K.

However, in the United States, Northwestern University is known as a top ranked school just behind the IVY League schools such as Harvard and Princeton. Northwestern's journalism school, Medill School of Journalism, is one of the best journalism schools in the United States.

Medill School of Journalism was founded in 1921 and was named after Joseph Medill, owner and editor of the Chicago Tribune at the time. Since then, it has been recognized as an elite journalism school. Over the last century, Medill has raised top level journalists including 38 Pulitzer Prize Winners. There are only four Korean Pulitzer Prize winners.

Like other prestigious schools, Medill is very selective. According to university data, the acceptance rate for Northwestern University in 2010 was a record low 23%. The acceptance rate for Medill has not been revealed but “it is definitely much lower,” according to Loren Ghiglione, a professor at Medill School of Journalism. Even among Northwestern students, the students of Medill are considered the brighter ones. “The first response I hear from a Northwestern student when I introduce myself as a Medill student is a wow,” said Ho Jun Yang(21), a freshman at Medill School of Journalism.

Students who have won the intense competition to get into Medill face another competition, the battle for grades. Medill is notorious for giving out a load of work and harsh grades. “You are not a Medill student if you have never received a Medill F,” said Danny Na(21), a freshman at Medill. A Medill F is a unique grading system of Medill. When students misspell a single word or use incorrect information, they automatically receive an F for their grades. “I agree. It's harsh. However, it is to teach that in journalism, accuracy is as important as the speed of delivering information. It's also to prevent mistakes when students actually jump into the real world of journalism in the future,” said Ghiglione.

Medill also offers an opportunity for students to experience professional journalism before they graduate. Medill requires juniors and seniors to spend at least a quarter in a journalism residency in order to graduate. Student can choose positions in broadcasting, newspaper, magazines, or any other media according to the student's major(Medill students decide in their sophomore year whether they would jump into either newspaper/online, magazine, broadcast, or marketing communications). “Many students say that their experience in professional newsrooms helped a lot when they graduated and searched for jobs in journalism,” said Ghiglione.

In the recent years, Medill's applicants have been steadily increasing according to Northwestern University, so has the number of Korean students in Medill. In 2010, six Korean students were accepted to Medill, the most in the past several years. They come from various backgrounds. Three students are from Korean high schools like Korean Minjok Leadership Academy, Daewon Foreign School, and Korea University. The rest are from American high schools.

“I applied to Medill because I knew Medill was the best in journalism. I thought learning journalism in Medill would make me a better journalist than learning journalism in Korean schools,” said Na.

Accepting more Korean students is not the only change in Medill. Medill's curriculum has changed vastly over the years. Medill has changed its curriculum to focus on new media such as Web sites, videos, filmstrips, and podcast. Medill has announced this change as a “change to accommodate to the rapidly changing journalism world.” Medill says that journalism is moving from print to multimedia. As a result of the changed curriculum, Medill students like Na and Yang learn not only how to write but also to make videos, audios, and slideshows.

“At first, I thought it was weird to learn about Flash and Photoshop in journalism classes. However, I also do realize that these multimedia skills will help me in the future as a journalist,” said Sehwa Huh(21) a Medill freshman.

Six Korean students and the brightest journalism prospects from all over the world study in Medill to become the top journalists who will grace the halls of CNN, the New York Times, and other prestigious newsrooms. Maybe one of them could be the next Korean to win the Pulitzer Prize.


Min Seok Choi
1st Year,
Northwestern University