<p>kmcmom, thanks so much for your input! i am going to look into studying electro-acoustic music at my local colleges to see how interested i really am in this! i’m not completely in love with math/science but i’m pretty good at it. I got a 34 on my math in ACT and a 780 on my math II after my soph yr in HS… but with that said, does anyone what schools would be the best if i placed more emphasis on the IR rather than the music production? essentially i would love to have strong programs in both, but that doesn’t seem 100% possible… and everyone seemed really caught up about that side when i think i actually care more about the IR/history part of my learning! thanks so much!!</p>
<p>All the schools on your original list will be strong in IR/History. I doubt you could go wrong with any one of them. However, the only one with which I have any experience is Claremont McKenna - and those departments are some of the strongest in the school, along with government and economics.</p>
<p>I am not an expert in the fields you are looking into, but I can say I was EXTREMELY impressed with the Claremont consortium when I visited with my son in August. </p>
<p>It is very different than the East Coast consortiums. Swat/Bryn Mawr/Haverford/Penn require quite a bit of logistical planning to work. Claremont required rolling out of bed. The colleges align the class schedules to make it easy. In addition to the academics, IMO there are a large number of artistic students - both musical and drawing. We were there over move-in and over the return of the freshmen trips. Saw a fair share of kids with mixing equip and instruments that were “hobby” related and not for academics.</p>
<p>I’d encourage you to look in-depth at all 5 of the schools in the consortium to find a mix of classes you may enjoy outside of an IR major at CMK.</p>
<p>Taanje, It seems as if your best bet is to apply to schools that you like academically, and according to other criteria such as location, size, vibe and with an eye toward the departments you are interested in.</p>
<p>I think that the music departments at the schools you listed will satisfy your interests, as will the international relations departments at many of them.</p>
<p>The discussion got sidetracked because at first it sounded like you wanted to do a program in technical music production and recording. I think you will run into those skills in lots of ways, while in college, but it sounds to me like you will be happy at a selective academic LAC, and you can start off in freshman year by exploring all your interests. You won’t have to choose for a year or two once there.</p>
<p>Good luck!</p>