I’m currently a high school senior that aspires to major in international relations. I know Washington DC and NYC are two of the best, but are there any other great cities for the program that would also offer many internship opportunities as well? School suggestions are appreciated as well. Thank you.
Honestly, those 2 are well known for a reason. NYC has the UN, DC has the State Department- the best 2 places for international politics in the nation. Some school suggestions would be Columbia, NYU, Georgetown, GWU (which is really really close to the state department), American University, George Mason, and UVA. However, I think there are some consulates in LA, but not nearly enough to make it worthwhile for an IR major.
“Not nearly enough to make it worthwhile for an IR major.”
And that’s why there are summer internships! To search only in those 2 cities would be to ignore top IR programs like JHU, Harvard, Tufts, Dartmouth, Macalester, and Middlebury (and assuming identical costs, I can’t imagine why someone would choose George Mason over any of those for IR).
Apply widely to schools that interest you, but don’t rule anything out because it’s not in NYC or DC.
Do not overlook colleges with semester length off-campus programs in NYC or D.C. Hamilton is an example of a school that offers both.
@usualhopeful I can’t imagine choosing George Mason over those others even if costs weren’t identical.
Because nowadays work experience and internships is a lot more valuable than school prestige, ESPECIALLY in a field like IR. Especially if you’re considering becoming an FSO, where you have to pass tests and the prestige of a school won’t help as much. My father did not go to a prestigious school like JHU, NYU or Georgetown and still became one. Also, GMU has some of the best study abroad options in the country, and is very internationally renowned and recognized. It would also be a lot cheaper than some of those other schools, and provide better year round internship opportunities.
It is also a good idea to have back up schools, so I would say GMU is very solid in IR as a back up or if you don’t want to pay a huge amount of money. If you’re a great student, I’ve heard they are pretty generous with scholarships.
And to be quite honest, IR isn’t a hot major right now. A lot of people are doing it, but there are not a lot of jobs- and a lot of IR jobs allow for other degrees. I would suggest putting yourself in the best possible position to succeed, and going to school in NYC or DC. Summer internships are the most selective by far, and I’m sure you can make a more lasting impact in a year round internship.
Good luck!
Oh believe me I know George Mason. It’s run by a Middlebury graduate. I know George Washington too. It’s run by my best friend.
@urbanslaughter Um, ok? I never doubted that you did. But I don’t really see why that is relevant- university administration and IR are very different careers. Different careers need different aspects to succeed. And I also said that it was a good back up, because it’s pretty hard to get into all of the schools you suggested now matter how qualified you are.
And I didn’t really mention GWU except to say it was in DC, so I’m just really confused by why that’s applicable? I don’t mean to be rude but I genuinely don’t understand.
Is there a particular region that you are looking to focus on for IR - like Asia, Middle East, etc?
I’m currently interested in the Middle East and North Africa and building stability in those regions.
@jdam9828 My dad was an FSO focusing on MENA affairs- it’s extremely competitive. Language proficiency and general knowledge about pretty much everything are the best 2 ways to become one. And even then only 2% of applicants ever matriculate to become FSOs. Even if you pass all portions of the test- there is still no guarantee. However, I doubt that school prestige will make a huge difference and how good the program is. I’m also pretty sure they don’t care what you major in (don’t quote me on that though), as long as you are intelligent, can communicate well, and have language proficiency (in your case, Arabic would be very helpful). I don’t think there are many other jobs other than being an FSO that directly relate to IR, other than the UN. But the UN has quotas for the nationalities of people they hire, so Americans are rarely hired so they “don’t show a preference.” To be quite honest, if I were you I would have a strong back up that you enjoy- because you don’t need an IR degree to become an FSO, and there are very few jobs in which you do need an IR degree, even less at the undergraduate level. However, that is just my advice and I encourage you to do whatever you think is best for you.