Hi all,
I’ve been searching for colleges for the past several months, and although I’ve found some I’m interested in, I can’t seem to narrow down my options. In face, I keep finding more.
My main requests are:
Diverse International Relations/Affairs program with a variety of classes
Good Russian program that includes higher-level courses or study/work abroad (I’ve taken 3 years, and am at the Intermediate-Mid level in writing and reading, but Intermediate-High in writing)
A program for at least one of the other critical languages (Chinese, Turkish, Korean, Hindi, Persian, Arabic, Bahasa Indonesian)
Urban or suburban, at least so I have a decent amount of internship opportunities
Varied study abroad options, with at least a few Russia/Slavic choices
Not super small, preferably not <2000, but this is negotiable if it’s a school that fits my above requests well
Some that I’ve looked at are American, BU, George Washington, University of San Francisco, USC (reach), UPitt (not ideal academically, but good financial aid), and William & Mary (rural but I have VA in-state).
It would be so incredibly helpful if I could get some suggestions on schools. I know there are some Ivy Leagues or prestigious schools that fit these specifications very well, but I won’t get into any (3.6ish UW GPA, 1450 SAT (w/o studying, am retaking this month and actually prepping this time), all 8s on SAT essay). I have strong activity involvement, though, and my teachers really like me.
If any of you could just name some schools that I might like and could research, that would be great. Thank you so much, I’m just really desperate at this point. And my apologies for the post being so long!!
Tufts could be a great fit. Pretty much hits all your criteria. Chicago has great Russian and Slavic languages. The downside to both is that they are hard to get into.
What are your language goals? Only the critical language flagships have a graduation goal of superior. You might find that you are already at graduation level objectives for some universities. (My Dd was at an intermediate high, high B1+/B2 when she graduated from high school and placed into 400 level Russian at her current university. We had strict budgetary constraints, so it made her college search challenging.)
I recommend educating yourself on the different types of study abroad (exchange, affiliate, faculty-led, etc. There are different levels of support, as well.) Some universities that offer Russian as a major do not have their own approved study abroad programs in Russia and only offer affiliate options that can make transferring back credits more complicated. Some have study abroad programs in former Soviet bloc countries and not directly in Russia.
I would also recommend understanding dept focus. Some depts have a stronger focus on language acquisition. Some focus more on culture and politics. If your goal is language acquisition, make sure you connect with a dept that supports your goals and can meet your level.
As far as what schools, it is really going to depend on your budget and the type of campus environment you want.
My daughter (2018) is applying to colleges for Russian/Economics double major. We’ve spent a great deal of time researching colleges and programs. Nationally, one of the best is actually University of Wisconsin/Madison but they aren’t great about merit money for OOS so she isn’t applying there. I wouldn’t disregard Pitt’s program, their faculty in the Russian Dept is stellar and they do the summer language intensive which is a 5 week study at Pitt and a 5 week study abroad in Russia, it’s their own program and is highly regarded. While BU is excellent, especially in International Relations, I think Pitt’s Russian faculty is a bit larger. Pitt doesn’t have a specific IR program however, it falls under the PoliSci program with a concentration in Global Studies if I remember correctly. The University of Delaware has an excellent International Relations program, competitive scholarships and an interesting 3 Foreign Languages Major. Also the University of Delaware has the World Scholars Program designed for students who are globally focused…you spend first semester abroad, they work with you on your Fulbright application and you spend time abroad in Junior year. Check out that program, it’s very unique. Of course American, George Washington, Boston College, Tufts are all fantastic in IR and have Russian studies programs, they are all very pricey so my D doesn’t plan to apply. She was just accepted to Pitt for the Russian program as well as invited to their Honors College, it’s one of her top choices, if you have any questions fire away (her stats 34 ACT, 4.55 WGPA, 4.0 UWGPA, Top 2% class rank).
The schools she’s applying to for Russian/Econ: Pitt, UDel, Boston University, Bryn Mawr and possibly Rutgers. Other than that it’s up in the air a bit still. We continue to research. Good luck!!!
Middlebury - not only the most-highly regarded language program in the country, but also a fantastic International Relations program with schools all over the world.
University of Denver. Has an IR school, is very big on study abroad (with a few programs in Russia). Not a big Russian department, but seems to have a lot of courses. You would likely get in, and probably with some merit money.
Also would agree on checking out Dickinson. The only place it is near is Harrisburg, PA, but it is good in a lot of other ways.