Complaint Review: University of Maryland Philip Merrill College of Journalism - College Park Maryland

During my time at the College of Journalism, I applied to the Capital News Service TV's Broadcast Bureau (CNS-TV) and The ViewFinder, and was declined multiple times. There were no other further opportunities for undergraduate broadcast journalism students like me to be a television news reporter. The other non-Capital News Service and non-viewfinder capstone courses neither meet the undergraduate broadcast students’ interest in television news reporting nor prepare them to be a television news reporter.

I have already taken the initial steps to resolve this by speaking to the Undergraduate Dean: Olive Reid and the Dean of Academic Affairs: Rafael Lorente. My option from them was to take a capstone course that had nothing to do with my career aspirations. Mr. Lorente told to "get any job."

The advice I was given by the Philip Merrill College of Journalism advisers were not successful, and has caused problems for me with news directors and recruiters well-known broadcast companies and its local television news station affiliates, and I do not have one. I cannot even get a job as a television news reporter with your journalism school because I was neither given the opportunity to do Capital News Service by Ms. Susan "Sue" Kopen-Katcef nor The ViewFinder by Ms. Bethany Swain (this person mistreats learning-disabled students)

The Philip Merrill College of Journalism at the University of Maryland has already failed to help me and other students as a  television news reporter to find work in the field. Not many of the undergraduate broadcast students can get into the Capital News Service Program or The ViewFinder. The Philip Merrill College of Journalism has made the excuse of saying, “there are not enough seats guaranteed for CNS-TV or The ViewFinder as we must make these seats available for the master’s students and we do not have enough professors to teach the undergraduate sections.” But actually, the school has money.

These courses and opportunities are already guaranteed to master’s students, but not to undergraduate students. I have seen some undergraduate broadcast journalism students doing both CNS-TV and The ViewFinder in consecutive semesters.

Other students are then forced to take a capstone course that has neither to do in being an on-air television news reporter nor preparing them in being one. The other courses do not have any opportunity for students to do tv news reporting or make a reel for tv news. The students have to do that on their own time which can be difficult.

Many news organizations do not have resources to help their employees make a demo reel. The students are forced to either make a reel using material from previous broadcast classes or doing an internship reel or paying a broadcast talent agency to make a demo reel. Then, when it comes time for jobs, these students cannot apply for reporting jobs without an excellent reel showcasing their work, their skills, and their personality.

There are no other reasonable options for them.

They are forced to take a job as a desk assistant, news assistant or a production assistant and other jobs where the news organization or company do not have resources to help their employees make a demo reel and will tell applicants and employees that this is something they have to do on their own. This means the company or news organization is neither responsible nor liable for making a demo reel for its employees.

This strongly suggests that some of the undergraduate broadcast journalism students are taking CNS-TV and The ViewFinder for granted where the Philip Merrill College of Journalism and these undergraduate broadcast students selected to the courses are stealing these opportunities from other undergraduate broadcast journalism students who truly need these programs and opportunities in order to obtain employment as a television news reporter and/or a television news anchor.

The Philip Merrill College of Journalism is forcing their students to do a job that they do not like and where they may never be an on-air television news reporter or a producer. The Philip Merrill College of Journalism is not doing enough for their undergraduate broadcast journalism students.

Philip Merrill College of Journalism is playing a game with its current students, prospective students, and transfer students' career goals in regards to CNS-TV and The Viewfinder, and not publicly telling them the truth and seriously impacting their career goals. This school did not help me at all and completely abandoned me during my senior year.

The school and its staff did not care about what happened to their students and don't even know how to help them. I cannot find employment in journalism field because of the Philip Merill College of Journalism. The school just want students' money.

To prospective and transfer students, this school is not telling you the truth and just want your money. All the University of Maryland and the Philip Merrill College of Journalism care about is your money. They will squander it.

Please go to another undergraduate journalism school that will fully allow you to be a tv news reporter or anchor guaranteed. Capital News Service TV, The ViewFinder, Philip Merrill College of Journalism, and the University of Maryland are not worth it.

This school does not care about its students at all as claim in advertisements.