About the School

Photo/Claire Holt

Kate Grossman '97

Education Reporter, Chicago Sun-Times

The year I spent at the Journalism School was one of the most intense and rewarding of my life.

I walked away with many gifts, chief among them was the endless time and the insights I got from my professors. The skillful editing they offered is unlike anything I've seen since graduating. I was dispatched to the South Bronx to learn shoe leather reporting and came home to professors who helped make my stories sing. Those teachers, as well as my classmates, are some of the brightest, hardworking and interesting people I've ever met.

Columbia also opened my eyes to the art of storytelling. I was exposed to a broad range of reporting and writing styles—narrative writing, investigative work, deadline reporting. My bag of tricks is deep because of Columbia J-School.

Best of all, the Journalism School set a standard for excellence I simply cannot ignore. As journalists, we're constantly tested: Wouldn't it be easier not to make that extra call? Wouldn't it be a better read without really telling the other side?

At Columbia, that simply wasn't allowed and I'm eternally grateful for it.