<p>Academically, which school is better for an International Relations major? Is one school more challenging than the other? Does one school have better professors? Will the fact that GW is more well known/higher ranked give me a significant advantage when applying to grad schools?</p>
<p>I don’t really need to know anything about the campuses and social life. I already know they are very different from each other in those aspects. Thanks in advance!</p>
<p>GW is NOT more highly ranked in IR. And the number of IR majors at AU is more than double the number at GW, despite GW having almost double the number of undergrads. The result is there are more course offerings, more tracks, more languages, more study abroad options, more faculty at AU. The other major advantage of AU is, I am told, that it is much easier to double major with another school (Business, Public Affairs, Communications, etc.)</p>
<p>I am told, but cannot confirm, that there are more adjunct faculty at GW. That can be a good thing in that many adjunct faculty can be working professionals in the field. The disadvantage maybe when you try to get a grad school or internship recommendation a year or so after.</p>
<p>As far as IR goes, they are ranked about the same and are similarly well-known in the field. However each has a slightly different character. For example, what GW might call “security studies” AU would call “peace and conflict resolution.” Also AU has some of the oldest programs in fields such as international communication, which GW only recently picked up. I have also heard that GW has more adjunct faculty as well, but don’t have any specific numbers to back that up. AU is opening a brand new building this year, GW opened a new one a few years ago. AU has many more IR majors, and it is easier to have a second major outside of IR, although how much easier I am not certain, I just know by glancing at the respective Web sites there are less restrictions. Both schools have excellent faculty. GW will tout their location “across the street from the State Department”, although in terms of actually working there that doesn’t mean all that much. In fact, the running stereotype is that AU staffs the State Department, GW staffs the White House, while Georgetown staffs the Department of Defense. Obviously not all true by any stretch, but it does point out a lot of the institutional culture of the respective schools that may be shared with those particular government institutions. As far as applying to grad school I don’t think it would make much difference. Is there a specific sub-field of IR you wish to go into? That might matter slightly more as one school may have a particular strength. If not, I’d base your decision more on which school as a whole you think you’d be happier at, as the IR programs I believe are fairly comparable. Of course, I will quickly give in to my personal bias and say you can’t go wrong as an AU Eagle! ;)</p>
<p>Terribly sorry if that was very ramble-y, it’s a bit early in the morning. :)</p>