<p>i posted in the chances forum too but since i want to go to hopkins the most, i decided to copy my stats here. i'm undecided as to what major i would be applying as, but i'm interested in both the sciences and humanities. i've been on this board a while, but this is my first post. i visited hopkins and berkeley and ucla and really liked it there (especially hopkins, despite what everyone seems to say about its "cutthroat" environment), so i'm focusing on those three schools.</p>
<p>gpa: 4.3
sat combined score: 2280
competitive california high school
sat IIs: u.s. history 800, chem 760, math iic 760
APs: 5 (apush, bio, chem, physics c mech) 4 (calc ab, physics b)
senior year schedule: ap physics b, ap eng lang, ap french lang, ap stats </p>
<p>ECs:
independent research for intel science talent search and siemens (didn't win)
illustrations/cartoons for published book
volunteering
journalism
sports at school
worked for online startup company for a year</p>
<p>Thanks!</p>
<p>although i'm undecided as to what i want to do, i'm really interested in international studies which makes hopkins and uchicago among my top choices. the combined bachelors/masters program at jhu is amazing, since you get to study at SAIS (the graduate school) in DC, one of the top programs in IR. </p>
<p>i did some research though and from what i've heard the undergrad program at jhu gets its reputation mainly from the grad program, so how good really is undergrad IR by itself? the ba/ma program is incredibly hard to get into (they only accept 8 students per year? is that true?) and the opportunities grad students would have in dc, which is probably why sais is one of the top programs, aren't available to undergrads since tho baltimore's near dc, it's still quite a commute)</p>
<p>also, i read an article (from the jhu news-letter) citing problems with undergrad IR, namely not enough professors specializing in ir alone, since many classes are interdisciplinary and are interspersed among different departments (econ, poli sci, philosophy?)</p>
<p>can anyone, especially admissions_daniel or current students, verify these claims? thanks!</p>
<p>oh yeah, more more thing! i'm also looking at upenn, northwestern, cornell, duke, and stanford</p>
<p>Avg. for Hopkins really.</p>
<p>50/50</p>
<p>I think you have good chances of getting into JHU. I do not know that much about JHU IR program.</p>
<p>While I agree with you that some of JHU's IR prestige dervives from its association with SAIS, I'd also say that the IR program at Homewood is extremely strong in its own right. While its not perfect, there are many diverse classes to choose from and professors like David and Deudney are great. I would not hesitate to say that JHU's IR is one of the top programs in the nation. You are also correct in mentioning that because SAIS is in DC and JHU is up in Baltimore, there is not that much overlap between the two schools.</p>
<p>With that being said, I would NOT suggest applying to JHU with the sole intent of getting into the BA/MA program. They only accept 8-9 students a year (from a pool of around 30) and admissions can be undoubtedly pretty random, considering that the vast majority of the applicants are self-selected and extremely well qualified in the realm of IR and economics, which SAIS emphasizes. The application requires a statement of intent (EXTREMELY important), your resume, and a transcript of your freshman year/first-semester sophomore year grades. If you pass the initial screening, you get interviewed by a JHU professor and a SAIS admissions representative. In the end, its SAIS who makes the decisions on which BA/MAs to admit, not JHU.</p>
<p>Your credentials are pretty good, you should have a good shot at getting into Hopkins. I would, however, be wary of applying with the sole intent of getting into SAIS.</p>
<p>i'm going to hopkins this fall planning to major in International studies too! This professor Deudney is famous, almost every IR major at open house seems to love him and talk about how weird he is hahaha. can't wait to take his class!</p>
<p>sorry to go off topic but i'd also like to know....what type of research opportunities are available in the fields of IR, economics, political science, etc? I know hopkins is famous offering amazing research opportunities in the sciences for undergrads, but what about in the social sciences? do many IR majors conduct research as well? my high school econ teacher mentioned that there are professors who take students along with them during abroad as research assistants. it sounds really cool but is it really common among undergrads? </p>
<p>Welsh0913...you talked about the joint ba/ma program requiring freshman year transcripts...does that mean for those applying to the program first semester grades are NOT covered? </p>
<p>Thanks guys...i'd appreciate any information you may have. so excited for next year...go blue jays!</p>
<p>First semester grades are still covered so they look at your second semester freshman year and your first semester sophomore year grades.</p>
<p>As for the research assistant question, I'm not sure. You'll probably have to contact individual professors to see if they need any research assistants. I don't think research is as big in the life of an IR student as it is if you were a science major. However, there are a lot of opportunities for internships, although it can be difficult to land a meaningful one in your freshman year.</p>
<p>thanks people, i'm really leaning towards IR now. i think it's not as narrow as some majors such as business or econ alone which is good for me since i have lots of different interests.</p>
<p>Just curious, what made you guys choose IR as your major? (welsh, i'm assuming that's your major since you seem to know a lot about it?) for me, i love history and econ and international politics, so one day i want to work for organizations like the foreign service or the UN or IMF or even start my own non-profit (my dream), someplace that'll let me travel and meet amazing people from around the world. i love languages and speak french and mandarin (learning right now but still not very good...it's a beautiful language though!) and i'm planning to learn arabic. how many/which languages are recommended for IR majors who plan to work overseas after they graduate?</p>
<p>It was pretty much the same reasons for me. I was interested in polisci, history, and economics, so IR was the perfect major for me. I also like the different opportunities that IR brings - like you said, with an IR degree, you are well prepared no matter what you do, whether you want to work in government, foreign service, in finance, law, etc. For example, the five largest empoyers for SAIS for 2005 were the World Bank, the State Department, the Federal Reserve Bank of NY, Lehman Bros (finance), and the Department of Defense. Thats some pretty good diversity and some high-powered institutions.</p>
<p>It just seems like a much more dynamic and fascinating major than only political science or economics.</p>