hey, i’m a junior trying to find some good schools with a strong international relations program. my dream is georgetown’s walsh school of foreign service but i want to be realistic. also considering gw and nyu. i’m from ca so hoping to go anywhere but here.
stats:
gpa uw: 3.97
gpa w: 4.50 (just this semester, not sure abt previous sems)
no sat/act scores yet
aps 10th grade: apush (5), ap psych (5)
aps 11th: ap gov, ap lang, ap macro
also took two honors courses last year and two this year
ecs:
president and founder of school’s amnesty international club
student body president
one of the editors-in-chief at school paper
nhs member
peer mentor
english tutor
volunteered w/ esl students at public schools last year
worked part-time at bookstore since summer before last soph year
pollworker twice
nsli-y korea last summer (virtual :/)
What’s your budget? Does “anywhere but here” really mean big city east coast, or is it literally anywhere?
Assuming budget is not an obstacle: Definitely a contender for those schools, assuming you have a SAT or ACT in line with your gpa by the time you apply. Low admit rates are the biggest thing working against you (including at GW if you apply to the Elliot school). You might want to add American, also good for IR and in DC, but be sure to show interest as they hate being seen as a back-up. You could probably add Tufts as another reachy school and BU and Fordham as more match schools.
If budget is an obstacle: there are some excellent IR programs at some of the UCs, spread across the state. Perhaps just moving from your part of CA will help?
With IR you want to graduate with very little/no debt. A lot of the best entry level jobs pay poorly and you don’t want to have to pass on them because you have debt payments. I would add American, but show them some love.
definitely, i know being in the foreign service isn’t exactly profitable. one thing i was considering is entering the military post-grad as an officer for some time as they have some student loan payment programs (depending on the enlistment contract) and overseas experience could be fascinating/helpful.
honestly, literally anywhere except for ca. i am open to the midwest, new england, the south, east coast, etc etc. i’ve lived both rurally and in urban areas so no preference. i will definitely also add american, i don’t know it as well as gwu or georgetown but have heard good things. i would be a legacy at bu if i do apply but haven’t heard anything about ir there so wasn’t sure. thank you for the other suggestions as well!!
Tufts, suggested above, fits your theme, as does American.
Look into U Richmond and, if you might be interested in a women’s college, Mount Holyoke.
Some of the well-funded NESCAC LACs could offer you an excellent college experience. Consider Colby, Wesleyan, Connecticut College; Middlebury’s reputation for languages overlaps with its international perspective; Hamilton offers terms in both NYC and Washington, D.C.
Denison, Dickinson, U Denver (previously mentioned) and U Puget Sound offer excellent IR programs and moderately challenging selectivity.
thanks for these! i don’t know the new england region colleges well at all but your suggestions all seem like good fits. i am definitely looking for something with a good language aspect as i am hoping to continue studying korean.
yeah, unfortunately, i’m aware it’s more of niche language so i’d also be willing to start arabic given its global relevance, just haven’t found any options as an hs student. but it’s great to see that colleges like hamilton recognize it and have opportunities for students already dedicated to it. again, tysm!
Sounds good! You should have no difficulty finding colleges that offer extensive language instruction in Arabic. Also, in case it wasn’t clear from the link, Hamilton does offer an introductory course sequence, as well as advanced courses, (self-instructional, with extensive support) in Korean.
As someone else suggested above, Indiana University’s Hamilton Lugar School of Global and International Studies. It is an amazing school with fantastic facility. For direct admission, you need a 3.7gpa and a 1310 SAT or 28 ACT, otherwise u petition for admission but shouldn’t be a problem with ur stats. In fact, you’re likely to qualify for some scholarships. IU puts more weight on GPA than test scores. Plus they’ve gone test optional.
Also, IU claims to offer more languages (over 80) than any other university in the US and Korean is one of them. So worth looking into it.
Is @lilym11 still reading here? Has not returned since dec 2020.
So…please answer…what is your college budget per year…what WILL your parents pay annually.
Why aren’t you considering any colleges in CA? There are plenty of good options there that might be more affordable…especially if you qualify for the Calgrant.
