Hi, I’m looking to major in International Relations, with a possible double major in Political Science. I am a junior in high school. So far I have visited George Washington, Georgetown, and Pitt. I’m considering looking at William & Mary, American, NYU, UCSD, and UC Berkeley. I’m looking for the best school in this subject area, and think these are all within a reasonable range but am unsure. Are these schools realistic fits for me, and are there others i should look at for IR/PoliSci
Info: SAT- 2020 (taking it again this month), taking 3 APs this year, probably 4 more next year. GPA- 93 (out of 100).
Extra Curriculars- Model UN, Class Government Officer, 3 years Marching Band, 3 years Varsity Volleyball (captain), Natinoal Honors Society, DECA, and I have a job.
Students looking for IR/Poly Sci should research on an equal basis schools with majors/concentrations such as Government, World Politics, Public Policy and others. Dickinson, for example, offfers an International Studies major that could be appropriate for your interests.
These schools are in visiting distance, except Elon:
-Bennington College
-Boston University
-Bucknell University
-Colgate University
-Denison University
-Elon University (Not sure if NC is vising distance)
-George Washington University
-Hampshire College
-John Hopkins University
-Lehigh University
-Middlebury College
-Northeastern University
-Syracuse University
-The New School
-University of Pittsburgh
-Wellesley College
Hi! I’m planning on majoring in IR or its equivalent, so I’ve been researching the strength of programs at a lot of schools. The following are ones that I’ve heard good things about (I tried to list schools that haven’t already been mentioned):
University of Denver
Macalester College
University of Richmond
Dickinson College
Lehigh University
Claremont McKenna College
Pitzer College
If you’re a female, you may also want to look at these colleges:
Mount Holyoke College
Bryn Mawr College
Barnard College
Additionally, some schools consider International Relations to be a subset of Political Science while others consider it an Interdisciplinary major, so be sure to check each school’s website. Because IR is so closely linked with PoliSci, it is not advisable to double major in both as you end up learning a lot of the same information and skills.
I hope these lists suggest a few good possibilities. However, keep in mind that many students change majors. Even if you do decide to major in IR (or to concentrate in IR within a political science/government major), your IR courses will comprise only a fraction of your courses (maybe no more than 5 out of 30-40). IR is a specialized are of political science; political science is not an arcane subject that only a few universities have mastered. So there is no need to pin all your hopes on somebody’s list of “top” schools for this major.
@tk21769’s point is well-taken; most IR programs involve poli sci, econ, history, etc. – all departments every college has. I’d also advise that you think about what you want to do with that degree – international business, foreign service, international law, NGO work – and make sure that the school can help you explore that as well. Keep in mind that if you want to do something international, mastery of at least one foreign language will be critical. For example, if you want to join the foreign service, after you pass the difficult exam, proficiency in a needed language (recently, these have included Arabic and Chinese) is often the key to who becomes employed.