<p>I am really interested in studying government/political science and international relations. The schools I am looking into are: American, George Washington, Georgetown, Harvard, Macalester, Stanford, and Tufts. Of these, which schools do you think would be best for these interests?</p>
<p>You can get a good education in political science and international relations at any of the schools you mentioned. Pick your school in terms of the best fit for you (e.g., selectivity, finances, location, size, etc.). Those are all very different schools, and each has advantages and strengths for your stated fields of interest.</p>
<p>Let’s look at the three schools in Washington, DC, first. The obvious advantage for all three of these schools is their location, right in a city that is the most important national and international political center. This provides a unique view of the political process, access to internships, proximity to political journalism and media, opportunities to hear prominent speakers, etc., and all the buzz that goes along with those things. Georgetown is prestigious and that counts for something in national and international circles. Despite its location, it is not known for its academic strength in political science; rather its reputation is based on its school of foreign service. It is relatively strong in languages, but its best area studies field is the Middle East, including Arabic studies. For political communication and journalism, GWU is probably the place to go (but certainly Harvard counts many political journalists among its alumni.) Other than that, I don’t consider GWU or American as particularly outstanding. Their location is the main thing they have to offer (which is not an insignificant consideration), imo. Many other schools offer stronger programs in political science and international relations.</p>
<p>Harvard is by far the best of these schools for political science and international relations, though it does not offer a formal undergrad major in international relations. It offers a breadth and depth of cutting-edge coursework in these fields that very few other schools can even approach. It is nor only prestigious on the national and international levels, but it is also politically influential on a national level through its ties to national power centers via its faculty and alumni. Though it lacks the exciting location of Washington, DC, it still offers excellent opportunities for internships, opportunities to hear influential and prominent speakers, etc. that arguably at least matches or if not exceeds what you’d find if you attended a school in DC. In languages and related area studies, it offers more strengths in all world regions that the other schools don’t approach except possibly Georgetown in Arabic studies and Stanford in Chinese studies. Nonetheless, there are other schools that are stronger in certain of the area studies fields. </p>
<p>Stanford is strong in your fields of interest, and probably matches Harvard academically, though it doesn’t offer the same breadth and depth of course offerings. It also has national and international prestige, though considerably less political influence than Harvard (except possibly in some circles, e.g., the Hoover institution in conservative circles). Stanford has longstanding involvement in East Asian Studies, Russian Studies, and, possibly, Latin American studies; other area studies are relatively less developed.</p>
<p>Tufts’ reputation comes from its Fetcher School. Though that is graduate program, it has halo effects on the undergrad IR program, even though it is a separate program. Nonetheless, the undergrad IR program is strong in its own right. Tufts also has a school of nutrition science & policy, which offers a unique blend of courses relevant for development, humanitarian assistance, etc., but it is primarily a graduate program.</p>
<p>Unlike the other schools on your list, Macalester is a much smaller, liberal arts college. It has a longstanding reputation for its international focus. As a result, it has long attracted students interested in international studies; it has a fair number of international students; and its range of course offerings in foreign languages and international studies are broader than those found at many other liberal colleges. Nonetheless, there are some other liberal arts colleges that probably at least match Macalester in the international area, e.g., Middlebury, Wellesley, and, possibly, Hamilton, Oberlin, and Dickinson.</p>
<p>Thank you very much zapfino! Laying out the relative strengths and weaknesses of each school like that was very helpful for me. :)</p>