My daughter is trying to decide between these two schools. Mason was one of her safety schools. She has been accepted into the Global Gateways Program and will get to spend the second semester of her freshman year at their South Korea campus.
Denison is a higher ranked school, but rather than being outside of DC it is outside of Columbus. D is worried that they won’t have as many internship opportunities. It is closer to home (still over 3 hour drive), but Mason is a plane ride.
She got merit aid at both, Mason is a bit less expensive, but not really a factor.
I am wondering how outsiders see these two schools regarding her major. Thanks
I’m not familiar with George Mason’s programs, but she might read up about Denison’s Lugar Program which has both a US and an international track, each involves interning. Denison – like many schools – offers a summer stipend for internships, as many government and policy type internships are unpaid for college students. Columbus is the capital of Ohio, so there are government internships at the state level. At the same time, if she is excited about a semester in South Korea as a freshman, there really isn’t much that can compete with that!
@Midwestmomofboys Thank you. I will have her look into the Lugar Program. Do you have students at Denison? Would you be able to answer any questions re: merit aid offers? We are going to Denison on Monday for an admitted student day.
A student can easily spend a semester of college in South Korea (or elsewhere) no matter where she goes to college. Is there something special about the GM program there or a strong reason to do it her first year? I might argue that a student’s first year is better spent on campus forging connections.
From the global gateway website:
"The experiential learning model offers the experience of living abroad while still taking Mason classes, and studying with Mason students. "
How immersive is the global gateway experience? Study abroad experiences that are more immersive are more beneficial, IMO.
@doschicos Thank you for your response. So, are you saying that you think Denison is a better school for International Relations?
Because of her major & interest in other cultures, my daughter would like to go abroad more than once in her college career. Also, the Global Gateway Program is set up so that she will be traveling with a cohort to S. Korea. This group will meet together on a regular basis during the first semester, as to create connections. I’m not sure about how immersive the study abroad will be. She will be attending a university there and taking classes with Korean students. I too have some concerns about her leaving campus so early, but I like that she will have this small community that she will be traveling with.
I don’t know enough about the differences in IR at the two schools to make an informed statement but I do think Denison has an overall better academic reputation. I’m also a fan of the small, LAC education. I guess what I’m saying is that I wouldn’t base the decision on the chance to go to S. Korea necessarily. Is South Korea an area where she has a very strong interest in studying in terms of her geographical focus in IR?
Yes, she wants to minor in East Asian Studies. But the Global Gateway Program isn’t the only reason she may be leaning toward GMU. She also thinks that the proximity to DC would be advantageous for internships and making connections with people in the DC area.