Syracuse University. Arizona State University. Northwestern University. The University of Maryland. 

All of these schools have something in common, and no it is not just the fact that they all have “university” in their titles. Those four schools have notable journalism and communications programs that have produced some big names in the media field, big enough  names that I should not even have to talk about who has come out of them.

There has always been some competition between these schools to determine who is the “best” school for these studies. Last Saturday, Frank Isola, an ESPN contributer, claimed that Syracuse was a “celebrity broadcasting school.” Then said Maryland — his alma mater — is a “journalism school,” that produces legitimate journalists. 

Obviously, there was a lot of rebuttals ­— especially from alumni of Syracuse’s S.I. Newhouse School of Public Communications. One current student, Michael Sessa, who is the news editor of the Daily Orange, Syracuse’s independent student newspaper, made a strong remark: “What if — and stay with me here — the quality of journalism you do isn’t based on the journalism school you went to but the quality of journalism you do?”

And damn, did I feel that. 

In no way am I trying to knock the legacy that these schools have, producing hundreds of incredible alumni. Many of these broadcasters and journalists are the best in their fields with their innovation, hard work and dedication to the “craft.” I would be ignorant in saying that I do not take bits and pieces and apply them to my own story ideas and concepts. 

But, any media student from SUNY Oswego will tell you something about going to this state school on Lake Ontario: we feel underappreciated compared to these “big-name” schools. 

SUNY Oswego does not have the strong and powerful alumni network like Syracuse, Arizona State or Northwestern. When a kid from Wyoming grows up and dreams of being the next Jim Nantz, Doc Emrick, Anderson Cooper or David Muir, are you going to tell me — with a straight face — that the first school they hear about is SUNY Oswego? 

With graduation nearing for the seniors, plus underclassmen looking for their first summer internship, where you go to school sadly plays an important role in the initial application process, especially in the applications for big-market roles. Employers see “Syracuse” on the resume and seem to immediately place it above those that say “SUNY Oswego.” 

However, almost every media student that I have come across in my four years at SUNY Oswego are some of the hardest working college students that I have met. We know that SUNY Oswego’s face value, despite having Al Roker, Linda Cohn and Steve Levy as alumni, is not as high as some of these larger and/or private schools. 

We produce the same quality content as these other schools. WNYO and WTOP both brought home national awards last year for their broadcasts. All three media organizations, at some point, have been recognized by national organizations or prominent people on social media. 

Circling back to what Sessa said, which is something that is 100% accurate, I do not care where someone went to school. I care about what they do at that school and the quality of journalism they complete. I would rather see a small school student busting their tail off rather than a big school student just riding the name of the institution. 

Everyone has their reason to choose a specific school, whether that be financial reasons, opportunities or location of the school. Those external circumstances surrounding prospective students should not hinder them after their time in college. Just because Student A could not afford an average of $77,579 a year at Syracuse does not mean their journalism quality is any less than Student B’s. 

Knowing that SUNY Oswego is sometimes overshadowed by these other schools, it bonds its media students together. We push each other more and more each day to be better journalists and people. We stick together not only in our years at school but after graduation. We cheer each other on when good news happens, and lift one another up when the news is not favorable. 

Do not worry about the school. Focus on the person. Like the old saying from when we were kids: “Don’t judge a book by its cover.” Don’t judge a student by its school.

Photo from @MichaelSessa3 via Twitter