Best Extracurriculars for Future Journalists and Communications Majors
Author: Extracurricular Hub
Article Summary
Best extracurriculars for journalism and communications majors. Princeton Summer Journalism, Medill Cherubs, NSPA, podcasting, and a 4-year roadmap for top j-schools.
Full Article
Journalism and communications programs at schools like Northwestern Medill, Missouri, Syracuse Newhouse, USC Annenberg, and NYU look for one thing above all: a real body of published work. Test scores and grades open the door, but a portfolio of bylines, broadcasts, podcasts, or photo essays is what gets you in. The good news is that the high school path to a strong portfolio is well-established. School newspapers, free national summer programs, freelance opportunities, podcasting, and writing competitions all let you build evidence that you can do the work — long before you apply to college. What Journalism Admissions Officers Look For Top journalism schools consistently emphasize the same signals: Published work — A real portfolio of articles, broadcasts, podcasts, photographs, or videos with clear authorship Multimedia versatility — Modern journalism is print, audio, video, and social all at once. Show range. Ethical foundations — Demonstrated awareness of accuracy, sourcing, attribution, and the difference between reporting and opinion Current-events fluency — Sustained engagement with the news cycle and an informed point of view on it Diverse reporting experience — Coverage of communities, sources, and topics outside your immediate world Browse journalism-related opportunities in our full directory — filter by Competition and Summer Camp categories. Free and Highly Selective Summer Programs The most prestigious journalism summer programs are free or scholarship-funded. Acceptance to any of these is itself a credential. Princeton Summer Journalism Program (PSJP) Free 10-day residential program for low-income rising seniors. Students report and write under the guidance of working journalists from outlets like The New York Times, The Washington Post, and Sports Illustrated. PSJP alumni are disproportionately admitted to top colleges. Northwestern Medill Cherubs The Medill-Northwestern Journalism Institute (often called "Cherubs") is a five-week intensive residential program for rising seniors. Tuition is paid but financial aid is robust. Cherubs students report on real beats, work with Medill faculty, and produce significant published work. Asian American Journalists Association JCamp Free six-day multicultural journalism training for high school students from any background, hosted at a different university each year. JCamp focuses on multimedia reporting and bringing diverse voices into journalism. Al Neuharth Free Spirit Scholarship and Journalism Conference The Freedom Forum selects one student per state for an all-expenses-paid trip to Washington, D.C. for a weeklong journalism conference, plus a $1,000 college scholarship. Walter Cronkite Summer Institute (ASU) Free, all-expenses-paid 10-day residential program at Arizona State University's Cronkite School for rising seniors. Hands-on reporting and broadcasting workshops with Cronkite faculty. Mizzou High School Journalism Workshops The University of Missouri School of Journalism offers a range of summer workshops in print, broadcast, design, and yearbook. Mizzou is the oldest journalism school in the country and the workshops carry serious credibility. Browse all summer options in our Summer Programs directory. Build a Real Publishing Record Programs are useful, but bylines are essential. Treat your high school years as the time to build a body of work. School Newspaper The most accessible starting point. Aim to write consistently for at least three years and rise to a section editor or editor-in-chief role by senior year. The journey from staff writer to editor — including the editing, layout, and management work — is exactly what journalism schools want to see. Yearbook and Literary Magazine Yearbook teaches design, photography, and project management. Literary magazines build editorial judgment and writing voice. Both count as serious publishing experience. Freelance for Local Papers Local newspapers — especially weeklies and online community papers — are often desperate for writers. Pitch them stories about your high school, local sports, community events, or neighborhood issues. A few real published bylines in a paid local paper can be more impressive than years of school newspaper work. Start a Podcast or Substack Pick a focused topic (high school sports in your region, local politics, music criticism, science explainers, your school's history) and publish consistently for a year or more. A well-produced podcast or newsletter with a real audience demonstrates the kind of sustained journalistic work that admissions officers love. Community Radio and Local TV Many community radio stations and local public TV affiliates have teen volunteer or intern programs. Producing real broadcast segments — even short ones — is particularly valuable for students interested in broadcast journalism. Competitions That Build Your Profile Scholastic Art and Writing Awards — Includes journalism categories. National medal winners gain real prestige. NPR Student Podcast Challenge — Annual contest for podcasts of three to eight minutes on any topic. Winners are featured on NPR programs. The New York Times Learning Network contests — Multiple contests throughout the year including editorial writing, summer reading, podcast, and review contests. Quill and Scroll Awards — National honor society for high school journalists with multiple writing and photo competitions. NSPA (National Scholastic Press Association) awards — Best of Show, Pacemaker, and individual story awards for school newspapers, yearbooks, and online news. JEA (Journalism Education Association) Write-Off — Live competition at JEA national conventions in writing, design, and photography. Find more contests in our Competitions section. Build Your Profile by Subspecialty Journalism is broad. The strongest applicants pick a focus area and develop visible depth in it. Print and Long-Form School newspaper writer to editor-in-chief Freelance bylines in local papers and online publications NYT contests and Scholastic journalism awards Broadcast Journalism School broadcast or morning announcements team Local public-access TV intern Walter Cronkite Summer Institute Digital and Multimedia Build and run a school news website or social-media presence Learn basic data visualization with Datawrapper or Flourish Multimedia projects combining text, photo, audio, and video Photojournalism Yearbook photo editor or sports photo lead Submit to Scholastic Art and Writing Awards (photo category) Build a documented photo essay on a community topic Sports Journalism Cover school sports for the newspaper, podcast, or local outlet Apply for the Frank Stewart Memorial National Sports Writing competition Pitch local sports stories to community papers Podcasting and Audio Launch and maintain a focused podcast for at least one year Submit to NPR Student Podcast Challenge Volunteer at community radio PR and Strategic Communications Run social media for a school club, nonprofit, or campaign Volunteer to handle communications for a community organization Take a DECA marketing event focused on PR or media planning Your 4-Year Journalism Roadmap Freshman Year Join your school newspaper and yearbook Read at least three serious news sources daily — pick across the political spectrum Start a personal blog or Substack on a focused topic Track everything in the Activities Tracker Sophomore Year Take a section-editor role on the newspaper or yearbook Submit to NYT Learning Network contests and Scholastic Art and Writing Awards Apply for JCamp, Cronkite Summer Institute, or other free summer programs Pitch your first freelance story to a local paper Junior Year Apply for Princeton Summer Journalism Program (PSJP) or Medill Cherubs if eligible Pursue a major reporting project — investigative, profile series, or documentary Become a senior section editor or managing editor Build a personal portfolio website Senior Year Serve as editor-in-chief or co-editor Mentor newer writers and editors Polish your portfolio for college applications Continue freelance and personal publishing work Internships and Real Newsroom Experience Most national news organizations limit internships to college students, but high schoolers can find meaningful newsroom experience with persistence: Local newspapers and TV stations — Smaller outlets are more flexible about high school interns. Send a personalized email with three sample story ideas relevant to their beat. Community radio stations — Public and college-affiliated community radio often welcomes high school volunteers as producers, hosts, or reporters. School district communications offices — Many districts have communications staff who will host high school interns interested in PR or strategic communications. Nonprofits and political campaigns — Communications work for a nonprofit or campaign builds real PR, social media, and strategic communications experience. Find current opportunities in our Internships directory. Beat Ideas to Pitch and Cover The hardest part of starting out is figuring out what to write about. Below are story types that consistently produce strong portfolio pieces and that local outlets are often happy to publish: School board and superintendent coverage — Most school board meetings are public, sparsely covered, and full of newsworthy decisions about budgets, curriculum, and policies that directly affect your peers. Local government and city council — Same dynamic as school board: open meetings, real decisions, and few reporters in the room. Even short summaries of meetings make legitimate journalism. High school sports beyond varsity football — Many sports get almost no coverage. Building a reputation as the writer who covers volleyball, swimming, or wrestling can quickly produce dozens of bylines. Local business and restaurant openings — Community papers often welcome short reported features on new businesses, especially with a quote and a photo. Profiles of local people doing interesting work — A teacher with an unusual side career, a retiree with an obsessive hobby, a small-business owner — these are the bread and butter of local journalism. Explanatory journalism on local issues — A 600-word piece explaining how your district's school funding actually works, or why a specific construction project is happening, can be more valuable than a hot take on national news. Data-driven local stories — Use public records: school spending, crime statistics, real estate filings, or campaign finance reports to find stories nobody else has noticed. Pitch these to your school newspaper, your local weekly, or publish them on a personal Substack. The discipline of consistently shipping reported work is itself the credential. Build an Ethical, Visible Online Presence Modern journalists are expected to have a public-facing presence. Build it deliberately and ethically: Pick one platform and go deep — A focused Substack with weekly essays, a TikTok account that explains local government, or a Twitter/X account that breaks high school sports news will all do more for your portfolio than a thinly maintained presence on five platforms. Document your work publicly — Maintain a personal portfolio website with your bylines, broadcasts, and projects. Use GitHub Pages, a free Substack, or any portfolio platform. Practice ethics from day one — Cite sources, correct errors publicly, separate news from opinion, and never plagiarize. The habits you build now will define your career. Putting It All Together Strong journalism applications are built on shipped work. Three years on a school newspaper or yearbook with a clear track record of bylines, a real summer journalism program, an internship at a local outlet, and a focused personal portfolio site will make you competitive at any communications-strong school. Find current journalism camps and internships in our Summer Programs directory and Internships directory, and use the Application Tracker to keep deadlines and pitch ideas organized as you build out your reporting beat. Frequently Asked Questions Do I need to attend a journalism school to be a journalist? No. Many working journalists studied English, history, political science, or other subjects. However, dedicated journalism programs at schools like Medill, Mizzou, Newhouse, and Cronkite offer specific training and connections that accelerate careers, especially in broadcast and visual journalism. Is school newspaper experience really enough for top journalism schools? School newspaper work is foundational but rarely sufficient on its own. The strongest applicants combine school journalism with freelance work, a personal publishing project (podcast, blog, Substack), and ideally one selective summer program. What if my school does not have a newspaper? Start one. Founding a school publication is itself a powerful demonstration of journalistic initiative. Alternatively, focus on freelance work for local papers, a personal Substack, or a podcast — all of which can substitute for school newspaper experience. How important is multimedia experience? Increasingly important. Modern journalism programs and newsrooms expect graduates to write, shoot photo and video, edit audio, and design for digital platforms. Even basic competence in two or three of these (text, photo, audio) puts you ahead of applicants who only write. Can I get into a top journalism school without published bylines? It is much harder. The strongest journalism applicants treat their portfolio the way pre-med applicants treat clinical hours. If you cannot publish in your school paper, publish on a Substack. If you cannot freelance for a local paper, podcast. The field rewards people who already do the work.Frequently Asked Questions
Do I need to attend a journalism school to be a journalist?
No. Many working journalists studied English, history, political science, or other subjects. However, dedicated programs at schools like Medill, Mizzou, Newhouse, and Cronkite offer specific training and connections that accelerate careers.
Is school newspaper experience enough for top journalism schools?
School newspaper work is foundational but rarely sufficient on its own. The strongest applicants combine school journalism with freelance work, a personal publishing project, and ideally one selective summer program.
What if my school does not have a newspaper?
Start one. Founding a school publication is itself a powerful demonstration of journalistic initiative. Alternatively, focus on freelance work for local papers, a personal Substack, or a podcast.
How important is multimedia experience?
Increasingly important. Modern programs and newsrooms expect graduates to write, shoot photo and video, edit audio, and design for digital. Even basic competence in two or three of these puts you ahead of writing-only applicants.
Can I get into a top journalism school without published bylines?
It is much harder. The strongest journalism applicants treat their portfolio the way pre-med applicants treat clinical hours. If you cannot publish in your school paper, publish on a Substack. The field rewards people who already do the work.