I was just accepted to both UC Irvine and American as a transfer to International Studies. Trying to figure out where would be best to end up in terms of major and future employment. DC seems to be the place for any sort of future in international affairs, but I was only offered $9500 in financial aid from American in the form of loans. Still waiting on a Yellow Ribbon decision but factoring in my GI Bill gives me a gap of about $11k to find for the year. Fiscally speaking Irvine is a better deal but don’t know where it stands compared to American’s SIS or the opportunities to pursue work/internships in the major in Orange County.
I welcome all opinions, thanks in advance.
DC is obviously the place to be for IR, especially when compared to Orange County. SIS is the real deal. You really aren’t going to find many better non-ivy IR programs, and the networking you will be able to do will far outweigh any opportunities you may have at UC Irvine. However, American is WAYYY too expensive. I start my freshman year in SIS this fall, and I’m extremely lucky that my parents can pay nearly full tuition without having to take out loans (we only got $5,000 per year loan and no merit aid). It really is ridiculous. Your undergrad doesn’t matter all that much in IR, and you would be better suited coming out mostly debt-free. If the difference in finances isn’t that bad, I would say AU. If it really stretches you though, I would say go to UC Irvine. Either school will be great!