Daughter interest in International Relations needs help choosing her from several colleges

Parents Forum
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<p>My daughter just posted this entry on the Search and Selection forum, but asked me to post it in the Parent's Forum in case she/we would get different responses here. Please forgive me if this is a breach of CC etiquette:</p>

<p>Hi, my name is Eliza. I'm a senior from California interested in languages and international relations. I've been accepted to Northeastern's honors program, Middlebury, American's Global Scholars Program, and Tufts. I was waitlisted at Harvard, Penn, and Georgetown (my #1 choice). I would love any input that would help me chose! I'll be visiting them all again over spring break, and I'm well aware of my very, very slim chances of getting off any wait lists. Here are my current thoughts about each of the schools:</p>

<p>Northeastern I fell in love because of the opportunities I would have to travel. It's not, however, as prestigious and would make getting into grad school more difficult. In addition, it doesn't have the same caliber of professors, and the classes tend to be large. </p>

<p>Middlebury has an amazing language program and is full of talented students. I've wanted a city school, however, and Middlebury is very, very remote. Also freezing. They did give me the most aid ($50,000 all in grants).</p>

<p>American's Global Scholars Program is definitely attractive. Being in DC would be great, and I know that it's a good program, but American as a whole isn't as rigorous as Tufts or Middlebury or the general students as motivated. It's a very small program (only 25 students), and I don't know if it would be too insular. In addition, I'm not sure I want to finish my BA in three years. Global Scholars is the program I know the least about--I've found little information about it apart from the description on their website. They also gave me the smallest amount of money, and it would be quite a stretch financially.</p>

<p>Tufts is an amazing school, and I got a really happy vibe when I visited. I also know it has one of the best IR departments in the country. They gave me plenty of financial aid.</p>

<p>I'm going to stay on the waitlist for Georgetown (and probably Harvard) and do everything I can to get off it, but since it's very unlikely to get in of the WL, I want to fall in love with one of the school's that's actually accepted me. If you have any information that could help me decide, I would really appreciate it! Thanks so much.</p>

<p>P.S.: I'd also love any suggestions about what to do when visiting in order to make the best decision.</p>

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<p>I would have said Tufts even before knowing they’ve made it affordable (I assume you and your parents have run the financials?) Strong combination of urban, motivated student body, fantastic academic reputation, and very happy students.</p>

<p>Don’t stretch for American. And if you can fall in love with a rural location, Middlebury is fantastic.</p>

<p>But I’d vote for Tufts-- and move on from your waitlists. Great options!</p>

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<p>Sounds like Tufts has what she wants…city, good financial aid, great IR department, and great vibe. I didn’t hear those accolades for her other schools. What is her hesitation about Tufts?</p>

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<p>thumper1, I don’t think she’s hesitant. She just got the WL notification from her number one choice, Georgetown, so she’s processing that loss of a dream. But she’s resilient and is already bouncing back and researching more about the schools that said yes. I’m encouraging her to do her due diligence with the four acceptances and make one more visit to each school and perhaps sit in on classes and spend a night and then decide based on how it all feels to her now, not based on a visit she made a couple of years ago when she was only a sophomore. One more thing she didn’t mention in her letter is that her brother is a junior at MIT and it looks like he’ll stay in the Boston area for at least a while. So that’s a plus for Tufts or Northeastern.</p>

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<p>Two years ago my daughter had to choose between tufts, northeastern (honors), and american (honors). We went to their three admitted student’s days and discovered three very different types of students My daughter felt the vibe at northeastern was more her and that she was more in tune with the kids there - she is very happy now there in her sophomore year. My recommendation is to go to the admitted students days and see where she feels she fits in best. I would rule out middlebury since it is in the boonies compared to the locations of the other schools.</p>

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<p>Answering the last question - talk to the students, eat in the dining halls, imagine yourself there - are they kids you could connect with.</p>

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<p>Congratulations on your choices. Out of the group you have, I’d go for Tufts in a heartbeat – top notch school that is great in your area of study, excellent aid, you got great vibes there, and a location you want. It sounds like a great fit to me.</p>

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<p>Thanks, Kiddie. That’s good advice. And I’m hoping the timing works out for us to attend all. I don’t think the American official admitted student days correspond with our dates on the east coast, but I’m hoping we can visit anyway–and possibly for her to spend a night in the dorm that is only for the kids in the Global Studies program–who all live together. But yes, having her walk around and FEEL it, I think that’s where we are now. </p>

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<p>Based on where you were admitted, Tufts would provide the best balance of a suburban setting very close to Boston, an outstanding reputation, and you got a good feeling. I would be very careful about committing 100% to a major- while you may now seem this is a sure thing, the wonderful part of college is that you are exposed to other subject areas and something you never even thought of can come up. My daughter is going to major in Spanish (no this is not a contradiction of what I just said) but is leaving herself open for another major. Could be business, neuroscience, biology, psychology. She is looking forward to exploring the possibilities.</p>

<p>We looked at Tufts and I really liked it but my daughter was not that thrilled with it. She did not apply which kind of disappointed me because I thought it had a lot going for it. . She does like Boston though and was admitted to BU (she did not care for BC) and is in the process of deciding. She really likes their study abroad programs.</p>

<p>I agree that Northeastern just does not fit into the other schools to which you were admitted. Middlebury (a school my daughter also applied to because of the language program) is rural and the students are very liberal in general. She was not thrilled with it. </p>

<p>If Georgetown is/was your #1 choice, and getting off the waitlist is your goal, there is an article on The Ivy Coach website about a woman who did just that- get off of the waitlist. Meanwhile, try to envision yourself in another school (my vote is for Tufts) and best of luck to you. </p>

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<p>Well it was not easy for us - we had American’s admitted students day on Friday and Tufts that Monday - so we spent Saturday and Sunday traveling in opposite directions (live in NJ). Daughter did not stay in dorms at either location (although it was an option - she chose to spend the night in the hotel with me instead). </p>

<p>My only other advice is not to be swayed by people who will just say Tufts because it is the highest ranked in the group - fit is key not ranking! I think many of my daughter’s friends were shocked when she did not choose Tufts (which had been her dream school for 2 years) and went with a less prestigious (by rankings) school. But in the end she went with her gut feeling and the vibe she got from the schools.</p>

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<p>My DD is an IR major at Tufts and absolutely loves the academics and the school. Outside of the classroom there are multitudes of organizations, lectures, and a general vibe around being a global citizen. The Fletcher School, grad school for international diplomacy brings speakers, etc., to campus. Check out the EPIIC class, very unique. DD loves the flexibility of concentrations in the IR major, and the large size of the major. My DD feels she has found a true IR community. Languages are very strong at Tufts, and all students take 6 semester equivalents of language/culture, even the math majors. IR requires 8 semesters. The majority of students study abroad for at least one semester, a large number spend a full year abroad, and a small number even more. Northeastern is a great school, but has a much more engineering vibe. Middlebury is also a great school, stronger on languages than IR, and as you say in a very remote location. All good choices - good luck!</p>

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<p>laurapb23, how do I find that article for my daughter on the Ivy Coach website? do you have a link or a category to look for?</p>

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<p>laurapp23, never mind, I found it on my own! Thanks for the referral.
And thanks 1012 mom…do you think your DD might be willing to talk to my daughter about the IR program at Tufts? Or even possible meet with us when we’re in Massachusetts visiting? I know that’s a lot to ask, but some kids like to be ambassadors for their schools.</p>

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<p>My son got into the honors program at American (not the Global Scholars though) and Tufts. Was rejected from Georgetown and never looked at Northeastern or Middlebury so I can’t speak to them. He liked American very much, but felt that if he should change his mind about IR he’d be stuck with less than optimal other choices. A huge plus of American is the ability to intern during the school year and the fact that they arrange classes schedules so it’s easy to have a whole free day. My son didn’t really like the idea of an honor group within the bigger school either. </p>

<p>My son is a current senior at Tufts. He likes Tufts, but he would never say it’s the perfect place and there are a few more hoops in IR than he would like. One of them is the fluency in a language requirement (which he agrees is a good idea, but Arabic has been a killer.) Arabic at Tufts seems to cover twice as much material as Arabic in other colleges. (Something he’s been able to see because he’s done three different study abroad programs in Jordan.) He enjoyed the EPIIC class very much, but would say don’t take it as a freshman which he did. (One of his better grades that year, but it sucked way too much time from other classes or making friends.) The Global Leadership Institute is a real plus. </p>

<p>He sometimes says that while he likes nerdy, Tufts nerdiness is people sitting around and talking politics or debating political theory - whereas he’s looking for the nerdy kids who are reading sci fi and playing video games. </p>

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<p>mathmom thanks for this portrait of Tufts and sharing your experience. I’ll share it with my daughter. she’s already fluent in French and has been studying Arabic for a couple of years. Languages are her strength so I wouldn’t worry about that in her case. Now if I were the student there, I’d be sunk! P.S. What’s EPIIC?</p>

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<p>I live overseas and although I’ve always been in the private sector I interact a lot with professionals in government, governmental agencies and international NGOs. Many of my son’s friends – both Americans and other nationalities – were IR majors at US and European universities. </p>

<p>From that viewpoint I would say that Tufts is a GREAT choice for IR undergrad. It’s at least equal to and in some ways better than Georgetown, because Tufts’ focus in more centered on undergraduate education. The internship opportunities and graduate school acceptances of the Tufts students are extraordinarily good.</p>

<p>It’s true that many in the upper echelons of the U.S. foreign service and the international agencies have graduate degrees from Georgetown, Princeton, Harvard and all of the usual suspects; however, their undergraduate degrees cover a wide spectrum of educational background. Graduate school is where you find the Ivy League and DC concentration. </p>

<p>I’d also try to identify what it is about Georgetown that in your mind gives it an edge over Tufts. If its the DC location, you may be underestimating the sophistication of Boston in attracting thinkers and doers. It’s a great place to be a student.</p>

<p>I think as Kiddie said, you have to also make your choice based on fit and comfort level. Northeastern, Middlebury and American all have a lot to offer, but if you’re looking for an IR program most analogous to Georgetown’s, I would choose Tufts.</p>

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<p>If IR is the field, Tufts is the best school on your list. </p>

<p>Also, agree with momrath’s points about considering the Ivies for grad school. </p>

<p>Might be early, but some good grad school choices to consider not listed in previous posts:</p>

<p>Columbia
JHU</p>

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<p>EPIIC is an amazing course run by the Global Leadership Institute. Every year it has a different topic. The year my son took it, they covered nuclear issues, both power plants and weapons. In the fall they had a series of experts in the field come give them talks. Each week they had several hundred pages of reading to cover so that they could listen intelligently. In the spring they organized a symposium, and also another event for local high school students. Unfortunately the IR department refuses to give credit for the course. More here: <a href=“EPIIC | Tufts Global Leadership”>EPIIC | Tufts Global Leadership;

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<p>momrath, thanks so much for this. I appreciate your differentiation between programs at the undergrad and graduate school level.</p>

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<p>I always scratch my head when I hear about students applying to schools that don’t meet their basic requirements. If she has no interest in attending a rural school, why even apply to Middlebury? </p>

<p>As I’m sure you know, Midd is the best on her list for languages, and also has an excellent international studies program (not to mention schools abroad in 17 countries and access to the Monterey Institute of International Studies, which is now a graduate school of Middlebury College). But if she wants to live in the city, Midd isn’t for her. </p>