At Columbia Journalism School, students in the Master of Science Program are on the street reporting from day one, learning to think critically and act ethically. Their classes are small, instructors give students intensive feedback, and the pass-fail grading policy fosters collaboration. The result: a grounding in the fundamental skills that helps graduates stand out and makes a difference throughout their careers. The M.S. is designed for a range of students, from those with little to no experience to those who have been working in the field for several years and want to enhance their skills in order to advance to a new level.
What is it like to be a Master of Science Program student at Columbia Journalism School? We talked about the student experience with Class of 2022 alum Michael Hoffman.
Please read the Q&A below to learn about Michael's education at Columbia:
What inspired you to apply to Columbia?
Well, I knew that I wanted to go into journalism ever since I was a little kid. I was a very curious person and I thought the best way to utilize that curiosity was to become a journalist. I hadn't fully come to that realization that journalism was what I was going to do during my undergrad, and even if I had, there was no journalism program at my college. I studied communications and I knew that if I just jumped into some newsroom after graduating, I would be in way over my head. So I really wanted to go to journalism school because I wanted to get an understanding of, "What is a nut graph? What is a lead? What makes for a good story in any medium?" And besides the fact that it's Columbia, I wanted to come to New York to do journalism school because I was born and raised in Westchester, New York and I knew that New York City is the mecca of journalism. And, in Pulitzer Hall, you've got everything here. I thought if I were to go anywhere else, that would be dumb. When I got in, I knew that I had the opportunity to go to one of the - if not the best - journalism schools in the country, and I knew that I had to take this opportunity by the horns and really go for it.
How did you decide to apply to the Master of Science Program?
I love how it said in the Master of Science Program description that it was for people who are new to journalism, who are familiar with journalism, or people who want to make a career change. And I just knew that, although I had done some journalism in the past, I wasn't going to be able to do it at the level that I knew that I could unless I went into a program that has people who have done journalism before and those who haven't. I wanted to learn the basics from the ground level and really build it up. I would not have been able to do that anywhere else.
What was it like starting the M.S. program with the reporting module?
I'm a big proponent of learning by doing. And having the ability to go out and really apply those skills that I learned in that reporting class really ingrains them in your head. I remember my first breaking news story assignment that I did involved going to a community board meeting, and I sat through hours of conversation about something. My reporting teacher had told us, "Pick out what your topic is, listen to what's going on, see what's important and hone in on that." And I honed in on it, and it ended up being a really big story about sidewalk cafes in the city. I went into my reporting by thinking, "Well, everybody loves outdoor cafes, right?" Wrong. I was very wrong. And that was when I learned to never go into a story with an understanding of what you think you know. You don't know anything. You know what you're going to be reporting on, but you don't know anything yet.
Something my reporting teacher said to me that I now tell other people all the time - and that I think it's a great way to look at journalism as a whole - is that reporting on a story is like getting a big gallon jug of water, getting a pint-sized glass and putting it on the ground, and then just dumping that bucket onto that glass. You're gonna retain about 10 percent of that water in that glass, but it's the most important percent, because that's what you're going to consume. But all that extra reporting - that overflowing water - makes it easier for you to get a full glass of water into that glass. I've been able to take that lesson into every different medium that I've been reporting in.
How did you choose your spring Seminar & Production classes?
I chose "Sports Reporting" and "Video Newsroom." I knew early on that I wanted to do
"Video Newsroom" because I wanted to go into broadcast news and I wanted to be specifically video-based. I also decided to take that class because of the professors. I knew of all of them and all their work beforehand, and they were fantastic. And I just knew that I wanted that class's training based not only in the on-camera work, but also in the behind the camera work, the production work, the setting up shots, the editing of things - and learning how to do all those things specifically for video.
For my "Sports Reporting" class, having Kelly Whiteside and Sean Gregory for professors: oh my God! I'm a sports fan, so I would have been remiss if I didn't at least try to get into that class. To say that those two are the coolest teachers that I've ever had would be an understatement. They were both really great about honing in on specific strengths that their students have while accentuating them, and also working on things that need to be worked on. And they're also powerhouses when it comes to sports journalism. And I just thought, "How lucky am I to be able to be in this class with these professors?"
What are the most important skills you've gained at Columbia?
If I were to start my current job never having gone to Columbia, I would be completely out of my wits. I wouldn't know how to set up a shot, how to do color balance, and how to report out a story. I would just be sitting there with no confidence, no skills, no experience, and just hoping that something worked out. I am not the same person that I was when I started this program by any means.
I do feel like I've retained the best parts of myself - I was a very curious person before coming to Columbia, but now I'm more focused and I'm curious about the right things. I'm asking different questions than I was before. I look at the world in a very different way - not in a cynical way, but in a way of, "Okay, where did that information come from? How did that person come to that thought process? How can I dissect that thought process? And what do people on the other side think?" I think that Columbia Journalism School really helped me figure out how to ask the right questions and come to the realization that there aren't just two options. The world is not black and white. It is gray. And it gave us the tools to figure out where that gray comes from.
What was the Columbia Journalism School's student community like?
I made some of the best friends that I have in my entire life at this program. And it's weird, because I didn't expect to make such good friends in one year. I met three of probably the best friends I've ever made in the second semester of this program. The pass-fail grading aspect of the program really promotes this collaboration versus competition. It is collaborative. Everyone is here to help each other out. You get out what you put in. And everyone seems to put in this energy that makes it a real collaborative, helpful environment.
I met three of probably the best friends I've ever made in the second semester of this program. The pass-fail grading aspect of the program really promotes this collaboration versus competition. It is collaborative. Everyone is here to help each other out. You get out what you put in. And everyone seems to put in this energy that makes it a real collaborative, helpful environment.
How did you approach Career Development at Columbia?
Before the career fair, I reached out to the staff. I would just ask for just point blank advice. And they would be more than happy to just explain to me what the industry thinks about certain things, what they thought about certain things, what I should be thinking about, the questions that I should be asking, how I could be finding those answers. They were really, really helpful in getting me to figure out what I wanted to do. But more specifically, it's not that they told me what I should do. They gave me the tools to ask the right questions to figure out the answers that I needed to know on my own.
What advice do you have for incoming M.S. students?
Take it one step at a time. It's all one step at a time. If you think about everything that you're going to do, all at once, you're gonna blow your mind. You're gonna freak out. Don't freak out. Just take it one bite at a time. I mean, how do you eat an elephant? One bite at a time. There's a lot of stuff that has to get done: you've got these classes, you've got this master's project. Don't worry yourself about all the work - worry yourself about the quality of the work. Just do your best in everything that you do, take it one step at a time. Don't overwhelm yourself by thinking about, "Oh, I got this class next, then I got my master's project, then I got this, then I got that." If you're having issues, communicate early and often, the professors are not there to make your life hell - they're actually there to help you 100 percent. So if you're honest and you give all the effort that you can, you will succeed, no doubt. I mean, if I can do it, anyone else can do it. Like, I say that very seriously.
The imposter syndrome is real, and you should be feeling that. If you're feeling like, "My God, what did I just get myself into?" Yeah, welcome to the club - that's what I did, and that's what I'm feeling right now about this new job that I'm doing. But just make friends, go to everything that you're invited to because you never know who you're going to meet. Just be honest with everyone about how you feel about the program because everyone feels the exact same way. Just don't sweat the small stuff, just take it one day at a time, one step at a time, one bite at a time.
What would you say to someone considering applying to Columbia Journalism School?
If you're somebody who is into learning by doing, somebody who is happy with a challenge, somebody who is willing to grab life by the horns, then Columbia is for you. The Journalism School, while it may seem very intimidating, offers a healthy challenge. And there are people there who are so much smarter than I am. But the challenge almost adapts itself to each individual. The Journalism School is going to give you just enough to push you. It's not going to push you the same way that it does the biomedical engineering major from undergrad who is doing science journalism. It's all about what you make of it, all about the stories that you're doing, all about how much you want to push yourself. The challenge adapts itself to each individual person. So, if the reason why someone doesn't want to apply is because they don't think that they can get in, don't let that stop you - apply. If you think that you don't want to apply because you don't think you'll succeed - trust me, you will, as long as you put in 100 percent effort and take it one step at a time.
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