I deliberated about this for a long time after I got my UAI. Eventually, I chose USYD's BA (Media and Communications), which I posted about
here.
To copy and paste:
Why BA (Media and Communications) at USYD?
A common question asked by students wishing to pursue journalism (especially here in Sydney) is whether USYD or UTS would be a better place to study for journalism. The truth is, in journalism, your work experience counts more than your degree. (In fact, you can be a journalist without a university degree. Popular freelance journalist Sam de Brito, who authors the blog All Men Are Liars and comes from a family of journalists, is a good example.)
Having said that, one of the most significant choices I had to make after getting my UAI was between USYD's BA (Media and Communications) and UTS' BA Communications (Journalism).
A quick rundown:
BA (Media and Communications) @ USYD
-UAI cut-off in 2009 is 98.45*
-4 year course. If you wish to pursue a post-graduate degree in America (as many people do), your undergraduate degree in journalism has to have been at least 4 years long.
-May be combined with Law (UAI 99.55)
-Was revamped in response to many journalism degree around Australia (see UTS below). In particular, it seeks to provide students with a broader understanding an appreciation of the arts.
-Work experience completed in the final year of the degree. Arguably, students are less well-equipped then as they have to learn on the job.
BA Communications (Journalism) @ UTS
-UAI cut-off in 2009 is 95.05
-3 year course
-May be combined with Law (UAI 97.20) or International Studies (UAI 95.30). Combining Journalism with either Law or International Studies will make your double degree a 5 year course.
-Combining with Law offers an understanding of legal boundaries which would be useful in journalism.
-In combining with International Studies, you learn another language and another culture, which will enable you to move into foreign correspondence in future.
-Work experience is built up over the course of your degree.
-Unlike USYD's degree, this degree has is highly specialised with little or no focus on literature or the arts.
-Essentially, this degree is very focused on producing a journalist ready for the workforce.
*all UAIs listed are for Commonwealth Supported Places (CSP)
Why I chose USYD finally
As a writer, I felt it was important to have a solid education in literature that only USYD would be able to provide. At the end of the day, to be a journalist, work experience counts more than anything and even though USYD does not provide as strong a journalism degree as UTS, I felt that I would be able to get work experience on my own throughout my degree anyway. Hence, USYD provided the right balance between journalism and arts in general for me.
I should add that I never considered going out of Sydney to study Jounalism, such as at Bathurst, because I have to care for my sister here. If you have the choice though, you should look into journalism at Charles Sturt University in Bathurst. Richard Glover, a journalist, told me that the three main universities for journalism are: CSU, UTS and USYD, while my English teacher thought CSU was the best. It depends on what you want to get out of the degree. If, like me, you wanted to study arts and journalism, go to USYD. If you want practical experience, go to CSU or UTS. Since entry into CSU is determined from your writing, I'd say you'll be amongst very good writers there, not just good students who excelled in the HSC but are not necessarily language oriented.