Grad school, my friend. Missouri has a working newspaper for undergrads, also it has several specialties. For instance, a sophomore, might be covering the Saint Louis Cardinals. There might be as many as six or seven student reporters and photographers covering a Tiger football game. They also cover the Rams, as well as Mizzou and Columbia communities.

The school also maintains a revolving staff in Jefferson City.

Columbia in New York focuses more on downright, gut-wrenching writing. Also, anyone with a degree who can write stands the best chances. I have helped send two to Columbia, both females, both with English degrees. One graduated from South Carolina with a 3.9--4.0 in her major. The Duke grad graduated in the top 10 percent of her class.

To even be considered at Mizzou, a student needs a portfolio of clips. Mizzou does not start from scratch.

There are several good journalism schools in the SEC.

Writing, for instance, is emphasized at Georgia,Florida and Tennessee. The best and smartest kid I ever hired had a degree in English from Auburn. South Carolina is among the best "copy editing" schools in the country.

But all around, nobody touches Mizzou. Not even close.

This post was edited on 7/30/14 at 12:11 pm