Students seeking entrance to the Manship School of Mass Communication may now apply as many times as they like.
Cathleen Jackson, one of Manship school’s academic counselors, said prior to this semester, students were allowed to apply for admission to the school only twice.
“Recently, we found there were many UCAC students who met the requirements and had the grades, but were afraid to apply,” she said. “These students did not want lose one of the two opportunities they had to apply for admission.”
Jackson said the requirement changed in an effort to get these students to apply.
Brooke Cormier, a mass communication sophomore, was one of the students who feared wasting a chance by applying too early.
“I applied to the school before the requirement changed,” she said. “And, I would lose sleep wondering if I had been accepted and what I would do if I was not.”
Cormier said if she had been denied admission to the school, she had no idea what she would have changed her major to because she was only interested in pursuing a degree in mass communication.
“I think the restrictions placed on the application turned many students interested in mass comm. away,” Cormier said. “So, I’m glad to see the process open.”
Cornier said the change gives students more time to learn and discover the major that interests them the most.
Jackson said although students are now allowed to submit an unlimited number of applications, enrollment in the college will not necessarily increase.
“Each semester, the dean gives us a number of students we can accept into the school,” Jackson said. “So the number of applicants may increase, but we still have a limited number of spaces within the school.”
The Manship School’s Web site said admission to the Manship School is competitive and listed the admission requirements as at least 30 hours of college coursework and a “B” or higher in Media Writing.
“Students with a 3.0 LSU GPA and a 3.0 cumulative GPA will be given priority for admission on a space-available basis,” the site said.
Jackson said prior to fall 2001, the school had no application process and a lowered GPA requirement.
“With an increase in number of students wishing to enter the college, we moved to an application process,” she said.
Michael Broussard, a mass communication freshman, said he was interested in applying to the school before the requirement changed, but afraid to because he heard it was the most competitive school at the University.
Jackson said although it is competitive for students to gain entrance in the school, there actually is no ranking of the school being the most competitive college on campus.
Broussard said under the new system, he no longer feels pressured by the application he submits.