<p>I'm an accepted senior and am deciding between Cornell University - ILR School (International Labor Relations), University of Chicago, and Middlebury College. I'm interested in studying international relations, politics, environmental science and writing.<br>
Cornell might be a lesser ivy, but the ILR program is pretty selective, with many going on to professional degrees not to mention tons of sick internships. (too?) BIG SCHOOL, big sports, big parties, beautiful campus besides some ugly 70s buildings. Middle of nowhere.
UChicago is technically the highest academically ranked of the three, but I'm worried its the place "where fun goes to die?"-rumors or true? Sports not so much. Any info on international affairs program? Does the core curriculeum get in the way? Chicago is a sweet city--definately beats middlebury and Ithaca// info on music scene?
Middlebury is gorgeous but in the middle of nowhere. Nice dIII sports program (looking at playing lax) Super strong in environmental/international areas. Lots of attention, small college benefits, too small? what do students do for fun besides drink and ski?
I'm pretty sure I will be looking at law school in the future, therefore "prestige" matters a bit, but so does campus life and atmosphere. I've visited all three, but any more info on campuslife/classes/professors/dorms would be really helpful. Thanks!</p>
<p>im sure they would all be great for IR
it depends on the education you want
if u want to learn like crazy, and be around people that only want to learn like crazy
then U of Chicago would be best
but
really, all those schools are excellent in their IR/ political science
im not even sure if u of chicago has ir,
but i heard there poli sci is great, and also
every other program there is great.
Midd is supposed to have great IR and languages, though i think U of Chicago has the most selection in languages.</p>
<p>I don't know much about cornell's IR school
but ide assume its really good since, well
its a specialized school of the university, and that university is cornell.</p>
<p>as for internships
if u want good internships like working with govt agencies,
U of Chicago is probably the best.</p>
<p>but really, you will get a great education in ur desired major, it all mostly comes down to what internships, people, and surrounding area u want to be in</p>
<p>I'd personally choose the University of Chicago.</p>
<p>For your interests, I think that Cornell will be best. Chicago won't have much in the environmental field, and I doubt that they will have the type of writing program that you are interested in. You have a wide range of interests, so a big, general university will be better for you. Chicago is too theoretical, and you sound somewhat practical. Middlebury is too liberal arts. Chicago is not where "fun goes to die", so I would not worry about that. Normal people go there. Even in the seventies when I was there, it was all right, and it's probably more "normal" now. By the way- Cornell is also high pressure, and they grade the same if not harder than Chicago.</p>
<p>omg, hrudman PLEASE get your facts right... you want to study international relations, politics, etc, but ILR school is NOT International Labor Relations, it's INDUSTRIAL and Labor Relations. there's no IR program there, and the degree you'll get is a B.S. in Industrial and Labor Relations. you're not gonna learn about international relations or political science there. u sure thats what u chose? did you even look before you applied? dun end up accepting something you were mistaken about and ending up dealing with all the trouble it's gonna cost ya.</p>
<p>If Chicago's known as where fun comes to die... Cornell's ILR school is known as "I Love Reading."</p>
<p>But again, these are jokes that students at the schools use to make fun of themselves. Don't take them seriously-- if anything, use them as an indication of the sometimes self-deprecating nature of college humor and the fact that you're going to get a serious education no matter what school you choose.</p>
<p>For Chicagoans, the core doesn't "get in the way": it merely adds to the education that's already there. It helps you read, write, and think, and you will be able to take that skill set with you and apply it to your fields of choice. It also helps broaden your academic horizons-- because your interests span social science, physical science, and humanities, the core might be the perfect thing for you.</p>
<p>The International Studies program here is very popular:</p>
<p>Hah, I wrote this post way too late last night...I got confused between my interest and the school. I know it's industrial and I swear I'm not an idiot. Thanks for pointing it out though.</p>