<p>I want to major in international relations</p>
<p>Which school is better for an IR undergraduate program?</p>
<p>and Which school would I benefit the most from attending?</p>
<p>Tufts…</p>
<p>Can you expand your comments? All three are excellent schools and all can probably get you wherever you want to go, but when you say “which school would I benefit the most from attending?” what do you mean? In what way are you looking to benefit-best undergraduate experience (probably Brown), best IR department (probably Tufts, but JHU is known for this as well), best what?</p>
<p>ok… when I say benefit the most, which school will make me more marketable as I pursue my career, hopefully in the diplomatic profession… </p>
<p>Here’s my dilemma: Brown has the best undergrad experience and is Ivy league and is offering me enough to cover all but a few thousand dollars; Tufts has the best IR program of the three; and JHU also has a top-notch program, is offering the most money, and is conveniently located in the DMV region (family, friends, etc)…</p>
<p>Well what’s your financial situation? </p>
<p>How does the fin. aid between Tufts and JHU compare? JHU has a great program and if costs are a concern, I’d go to JHU.</p>
<p>mediocre at best. Well Tufts hasn’t sent me my fin-aid packet… But lets assume I would pay a similar amount per year… which school would benefit me in the long run?</p>
<p>after fin-aid grants etc: I would pay 6 grand to JHU and after a scholarship I would pay 7.5 grand to Brown (both per year).</p>
<p>In the long run, it’s probably a push professionally. When you’re two years out of school (maybe even two months!), the differences from a professional standpoint among these three colleges is negligible.</p>
<p>IMO, too much weight is assigned to undergraduate college choice for career purposes as all a school can really do is tee you up for that first job interview and then it is up to you to make it happen or not. However, the school choice for graduate school is very important and the issue of what a school can do for you is going to be far more important at that stage of your career.</p>
<p>With schools of the caliber of these three, you really can’t make the wrong choice. Trying to distinguish between them is an exercise in futility; the differences are so minute as to be negligible. Go to the one that you like best.</p>
<p>I’m quite familiar with all three. All three are great schools–and similar in some ways (such as size) and different in others (culture).</p>
<p>In terms of studying international studies (I use that term because international relations is a subfield of political science and not really an undergraduate major) which is an indisciplinary field combining political science (international relations in particular), international economics and, typically, area studies (including language), there are five schools which most academics would agree stand head and shoulders above all others: Johns Hopkins, Georgetown, Columbia, Princeton and Tufts.</p>
<p>Brown is not in that group and, frankly, is miles behind the ones I mentioned. The Watson Institute at Brown has a lovely building, but the program is underfunded and, for reasons I can’t imagine, is not a favorate of the current Brown president. As a result, many of its better faculty have left and morale there is not good. Brown overall is a good school and I wouldn’t suggest for a moment that you can’t get a good education there. But if you are serious about international studies and have the choice between the three, I’d quickly cross Brown off my list.</p>
<p>Tufts and Hopkins are probably comparable academically. Culturally they are different and you should visit both and see which seems a better fit. Tufts is a great school, but it suffers from being in the same area as Harvard and MIT (meaning it is viewed as inferior; obviously, there are also benefits to have three great institutions in close proximity). Hopkins, on the other hand, is clearly the best school between Philadelphia and Durham–a pretty large area. Hopkins also benefits greatly from its proximity to Washington (which is where SAIS, its graduate school of international studies, is based). Hopkins is far better known internationally than Tufts–in large part because SAIS has full campuses in Europe and China. I understand that about 50% of the foreign service diplomats from EU countries are Hopkins alumni. If you want to work for an American firm or the US government, however, Tufts (and Fletcher School in particular) will certainly do you well.</p>
<p>“Hopkins, on the other hand, is clearly the best school between Philadelphia and Durham”</p>
<p>Hopkins is a good school, but I think you’d get a pretty strong argument on this statement from the folks at Georgetown, U Virginia and W&M.</p>
<p>Perhaps, but they would be wrong:)</p>
<p>Alright thanks, but I’ll definitely need to look into the Brown situation you described…</p>