The UNC School of Media and Journalism made the decision to alter its application process this semester in hopes of creating more opportunity for students left out by the previous standards. Throughout March, the MJ-School released its first round of acceptances with the new admission process.
The process for the incoming admitted students to the MJ-school included the traditional automatic acceptance for current or transfer students with at least a 3.1 GPA and 45 credit hours. One of the changes is now any student has the opportunity to apply, regardless of their GPA.
Charlie Tuggle, the senior associate dean for undergraduate studies at the School of Media and Journalism, said the addition of allowing students with below a 3.1 GPA to apply did not have a significant effect of the number of admitted students.
“Between our two orientation sessions we have 220 people coming, when you add in the 40 assured admissions students who will come in the fall and the 40 or so transfer students, that will put us around 300 and that is pretty standard, about 300 new students every fall semester coming to the MEJO School, so we are right on pace with previous years,” Tuggle said.
Tuggle said the plan next year is to continue admitting students straight from high school, but everyone else will apply through the traditional process.
According to Tuggle, orientation is now mandatory before students can begin at the MJ-school to help incoming students get a sense of what is ahead of them. Attending orientation is the final step to officially be admitted. There will more orientation sessions added next semester to make accommodations for students.
Tuggle said all reactions to the new process have been positive, and one of the initiatives for the new process of having all students apply was having past students ask for it, rather than just be automatically admitted. He said they felt that getting into the MJ-school was a huge accomplishment and it would make them feel proud to be admitted after completing an application.
Jamie Krantz, a sophomore at UNC, was among the first group of students who got accepted into the MJ-school via the new application process. Krantz said the application was not a difficult one, with only the personal statement requiring consideration, but was worth the result.
“I knew I would feel a greater sense of accomplishment saying that I am in the School of Media and Journalism and that I deserved to be there after filling out the application, so I knew it would be a challenge, but I knew that sense of pride would trump all,” Krantz said.
