Jay Mathews, higher education reporter for the Washington Post, visited Elon Thursday, April 10 and spoke to students at the annual Student Media Board banquet. Details...
Mathews recently published “Harvard Schmarvard: Getting beyond the Ivy League to the college that is best for you.” In the book, Mathews ranks Elon #1 on a list of what he calls “100 outstanding (but underappreciated) colleges.”
After visiting with administrators and touring campus earlier in the day, Mathews spoke to members of the Media Board Thursday evening. He told the group of approximately 50 students, who work with Elon’s five campus media organizations, that journalists must be passionate about their work.
“As a journalist, you have to take things personally,” Mathews said. “You have to look for stories, events and trends that really affect you personally.”
Mathews, a Harvard graduate, debunked the theory that students who do not attend Ivy League colleges and universities are at a disadvantage. He said Ivy League graduates end up as successful, or unsuccessful, as their counterparts from other universities.
“Life is very unpredictable. It does matter that you work hard. Effort brings back satisfaction.”
He praised the work of schools like Elon. “We should be directing students to more schools like Elon, a school that prides itself on arranging internships and getting connected to the real world….I think the kids who pick places like Elon are seeing into the future.”