<p>Hi guys! I am torn! I was admitted to Barnard, Penn, Tufts, W&M (Monroe Scholar), and a few others that I have mainly ruled out (American, Bryn Mawr). I'd like to be an IR major, but I don't want my major to dictate my college choice in case I change my mind (although I don't think I will). I live in rural PA, so I'd kind of like a change of scenery, but I think any of those would really provide that, which puts me back to square one. </p>
<p>Anyone have any input? Thanks so much!</p>
<p>Penn hands down. Amazing campus, great facilities (I was surprised at Penn Previews). A great aura about campus, and just overall the BEST school in the world.</p>
<p>I personally would take Penn or Barnard. I think that big-city schools have more oppurtunity and overall are more well known. Barnard seems to produce a lot of power betches, which I love. If that’s your thing you would be in good company with alumni like Martha Stewart/Joan Rivers. Penn on the other hand has the ivy prestige which means guanteed job placement when you graduate.</p>
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Joan Rivers’ daughter, Melissa, went to Penn. :)</p>
<p>Although you said you didn’t want your major to dictate your choice, W&M has a very good IR program which you might want to look into, especially as a Monroe Scholar.
Otherwise I would say Penn couldn’t be a bad choice.</p>
<p>hmm No one went with Tufts…perhaps I should considering ruling that one out</p>
<p>^^Absolutely not! Tufts is great for IR, so don’t rule it out too soon.</p>
<p>Tough choice. The schools are all very different, so you have to evaluate what kind of environment you’d like to be in. Do you want to be in an urban space (Barnard or Penn) or will more of a suburban or semi-rural feel at W&M suit you better? Do you want to go to a liberal arts college or will a university be more exciting?</p>
<p>Also, I know that your major should NOT rule out any place, but in international relations depending on what kind of job you want name recognition of your undergraduate institution could possibly matter. The biggest name on your list will of course be Penn. But, you shouldn’t pick a school just for that reason. And it would be hard for me to rule out W&M if they’re offering you a scholarship.</p>
<p>All in all, it’s a really tough choice, but for me it would be between Penn and Barnard, and I would be leaning towards Penn.</p>
<p>Penn is fantastic for IR. I was a Penn IR major and it took me far. You can PM me for more about Penn IR and its awesomeness :)</p>
<p>I would rule out Tufts. If money is not a concern, I would go to Penn or Barnard. If money matters, I would go with beautiful W and M.</p>
<p>Thanks everyone for your input! I think I’m going to go to William & Mary because they called this morning and offered me a full scholarship. It will be really tough to say goodbye to the other schools, especially because they were all offering me good aid, but I can’t say no to a full scholarship, right?</p>