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I have a friend with an amazing talent. He is an excellent public speaker. He has one numerous awards for it and is a "great" person. He has been to the state drama competition and the state speech competition and won all of these speech contests and got "Public Speaker of the Year" at our magnet school which is one of the top in the state test score wise. He has worked very hard in this area and after years of these activities he got a job at a radio station. His dream job is to have a nationally syndicated show. He started out as a call-screener for a local show working for free just for the experience. After just a couple of weeks, the host of the show promoted him to Control Room Coordinator because of his leadership and work ethic. Just a few weeks after this, he got his first break. He was offered to take over the time slot on the show that he worked for to host his own sports talk show! No one could believe it! The show is syndicated all over Central Florida. He loves the show and is still working hard. He was just hired to be the assistant to for the host of a nationally syndicated show! He is working his way up.

But now, the reason I am writing all of this. He is great at all these things and he is recognized by many as a leader and a great person but hi GPA is just a 2.8 and his SATs are 1250. Another goal for him has always been to go to a top communications school where they offer "Radio and Television Broadcasting". Maybe Syracuse or NYU or his top choice, UCLA. I just want to know what his chances would be of getting into programs like these since he doesnt have the greatest grades but when it comes to what he wants to do for the rest of his life he has an A+!

P.S.- I don't know if it helps, but he also won a state award for the Science Fair from the Florida Association of Science Teachers, Earned a silver medal at the state competition of Science Olympiad, was the varsity tennis captain for two years, and is selected by the Administration to represent our school in nearly every public address meeting. He even was chosen by our principal to speak in front of the school board. But anyway, thanks for your help! And please add and rec.'s of school he shopuld apply to! Thanks!

By Gen. Sarnoff on Tuesday, April 23, 2002 - 06:16 am: Edit

Without a crystal ball, it's hard to predict. The only thing that's certain is that you'll never know for sure until you apply. Syracuse surely seems within range and you're entitled to reach beyond that.

Are you keeping the sports show while assuming the new position as assistant to the host on the nationally syndicated show?

Check out BU. It has a well-known communications program though I'm not sure if they offer radio and tv broadcasting. Also look into Emerson College, Boston.

By Will Smith (Will) on Tuesday, April 23, 2002 - 12:58 pm: Edit

Yes, he is keeping the show and working for the National show.

Thanks for your response.

By Roger (Roger) on Tuesday, April 23, 2002 - 02:24 pm: Edit

Will, for another communications & broadcasting school that should be well within your friend's range, check out the Ball State University thread. BSU had an outstanding set of stations and studios.

Syracuse's Newhouse school is significantly more difficult to get into than Syracuse itself, by the way - even with the great accomplishments described above, I'd consider it a reach. It would be good to have a solid backup or two.

USC has a strong broadcasting program, but is even more selective than Syracuse. I'm not familiar with their programs, but I've heard Ithaca College mentioned for broadcasting/mass media.

By AFL on Tuesday, April 23, 2002 - 05:06 pm: Edit

It sounds like your friend is right where he wants to be, and if he's truly enjoying himself and his success, he might want to rethink his college goals.

While I rarely discourage an eager student who is aiming for a strong academic program and an away-from-home experience, this guy might be an exception. It seems that he is going to learn tons about his chosen field right on the job, and a move to a new locale would probably mean giving up the postition he has now. At this point, his career as a broadcaster might be best served by studying fields outside of communications (political science, science, history, etc.) to enhance his base of knowledge as a journalist.

While any good communications program will require some sort of core curriculum that would serve this purpose, your friend might want to also consider staying on his present career track and enrolling in an institution close enough to home to allow that.

Yes, encourage him to go for the out-of-state programs as well, but remind him that there are many routes to stardom, and the one he's taking now may be the best fit for him.

By Will Smith (Will) on Tuesday, April 23, 2002 - 06:33 pm: Edit

Roger, AFL thanks! Any more good schools?

By Roger (Roger) on Tuesday, April 23, 2002 - 10:25 pm: Edit

AFL makes a good point, Will - if the radio gigs in your friend's home town keep coming and his scope keeps expanding, it might be foolish to leave all that behind.

On the other hand, I think completing a degree should remain a priority. Local radio tends to pay poorly (unless you are in a major market), and there is a shrinking number of on-air opportunities due to automation, syndication, and pseudo-local shows that are actually produced remotely. Getting a solid degree will help him cope with future changes.

Hence, AFL's suggestion of enrolling close to home might be a good one. If your friend is definitely planning on attending a non-local college, before application time he should work on creating a high quality air check tape (using the station's professional equipment) that highlights the different kind of stuff he does. Things like brief clips from the sports show, a commercial or two, introducing a song (if he does conventional DJ work), etc. would all be good. It could help during admissions, as well as in finding on-campus or off-campus radio gigs when he arrives at school.