<p>I'm a spanish student, I'm in my 3rd year of Law and Political Science.
My university offers a lot of scholarships to study abroad for one year, but there are just so many options I don't know what to choose!</p>
<p>My first preference is:<br>
- University of California (later on I will decide if I want to go to Berkeley, UCLA or San Diego and try to be accepted!) </p>
<p>But i also have to choose some universities that will be assigned to me if they don't give me my first option (University of California).<br>
So, which one do you think is the best for studying POLITICAL SCIENCE? </p>
<ul>
<li>Roosevelt University (Chicago)</li>
<li>University of Washington </li>
<li>Boston College</li>
<li>Florida atlantic university</li>
<li>Wesleyan University</li>
</ul>
<p>I would love if you could make a small "ranking" of those universities!
Thank you so so so so MUCH! :) </p>
<p>Ever hear of the Senator Henry “Scoop” Jackson School of International Affairs? The guy ran for president and was a dominant political figure in Congress for years. What about the Daniel J. Evans School of Public Affairs? Evans was a widely admired political icon in the 1970s. Both of those schools are units of the University of Washington. 'Nuff said.</p>
<p>If it’s any help of the five choices the University of Washington is most like an urban campus of the University of California. Roosevelt University and Florida Atlantic University are not well known outside of their immediate region. Boston College and Wesleyan are both excellent nationally recognized colleges.</p>
<p>I would choose either Boston College or Wesleyan if political science. BC is known for some very famous political alums including John Kerry and Tip O’Neill. U Washington is also a great university, but for political science, I would place it third.</p>
<p>Argument for BC:
Wesleyan and Boston College are very selective private colleges. Compared to the others, either one is likely to deliver smaller classes<em>, more consistently well-qualified classmates</em>*, and more focus on undergraduates. For a one year study abroad program, I’d recommend Boston College for its much more desirable location.</p>
<ul>
<li>Class Sizes
Wesleyan …72% < 20, 23% 20-49, 5% 50 or more
BC … 51% < 20, 42% 20-49, 7% 50 or more
Washington 33% < 20, 44% 20-49, 22% 50 or more
Source: US News</li>
</ul>
<p>** Average Entering SAT Scores (25th / 75th percentile)
Wesleyan 640 / 740 CR, 660 / 740 M
BC … 620 / 710 CR, 650 / 740 M
Washington 520 / 650 CR, 580 / 710 M
Source: collegeapps.about.com</p>
<p>Argument for UW:
The University of Washington is much larger than Wesleyan or BC (with ~10X as many undergrads as Wes).
It does seem to have a strong Political Science department.
<a href=“http://www.polisci.washington.edu/Alumni/Dept_Snapshot/snapshot.html”>http://www.polisci.washington.edu/Alumni/Dept_Snapshot/snapshot.html</a>
A large school with a strong graduate department is more likely to attract distinguished professors in that field than a small, undergraduate-focused college. If you know of a well-known professor of political science at UW who teaches undergraduate classes that interest you, that might be reason enough to pick UW.</p>
<p>Argument for Wesleyan:
Wesleyan is by far the smallest of these 3. As a visiting student from Spain, you’d be less likely to get lost in the crowd there. It’s the one I’d prefer for one of my own kids if academic quality and social/intellectual atmosphere were the only factors.
Still, for a one-year study abroad (and first exposure to the USA), I’d prefer Boston.</p>
<p>Go to Boston College. Besides being the better school along w/Wesleyan, it’s in a great city. The location/type of environment is important for someone who needs to adjust to living in USA.</p>
<p>I’d leave Washington as a last choice. Too gloomy/depressing for someone coming from sunny Spain, imho.</p>
<p>Thank you so much guys!
After reading you, my 2nd option would be Boston College, but unfortunately they do not accept the IELTS certificate, only the TOEFL… So I haven’t got the language diploma required and I can’t put it as an option, I’m so sad! </p>
<p>So I think I will select the University of Washington! I think it is the best combination between great city and good reputation.
Even though Wesleyan sounds also like a great university, Middletown sounds like a less amazing place to live.
So…my final choice will be:
University of California
Washington University
Roosevelt University (despite it hasn’t got a lot of prestige, it’s placed in Chicago)
Wesleyan University</p>
<p>I hope I can get into de University of Cali!! Wish me good luck!
I know I will have fun wherever I go, it’s going to be a great experience. </p>
<p>Thank you again, seriously, you’ve helped me a lot to decide my future! </p>
<p>Be aware that the school in Seattle is the University of Washington, not Washington University. There’s a Washington University also: in St. Louis, Missouri. Also a George Washington University, in Washington, D.C. Also (partial list): Washington Theological Union (Washington, D.C.), Washington and Lee University (in Virginia), Washington State Community College (in Maryland, bizarrely), Washington International University (online diploma mill) and Lake Washington Technical College (close to Seattle, at least).</p>
<p>When you’re the first president of a country, stuff gets named after you.</p>
<p>^ Ahh that makes sense…UW would’ve seemed like somewhat of an outlier on that list…huh…Well, OP should make sure it’s the one she really wants, wherever it may be.</p>
@ThereAreLlamas makes a good point: Please clarify which “Washington” is under consideration.</p>
<ol>
<li><p>There are major differences both in location and reputation among the UCs. Are you sure to get into UCB, UCLA or UCSD? Or might you end up at any of the 10 UCs? </p></li>
<li><p>Boston is a very good city, in my opinion one of the best locations for an international student studying in America. Transportation is good and the area is full of college students from the many schools in the area including BC, Boston College, Northeastern, Tufts, Harvard and MIT.</p></li>
<li><p>Wesleyan is a bit of an outlier because it is a smaller university in a smaller town. Its advantage is that the academics are excellent and it’s not too far from both New York and Boston. Also, at a smaller college you will have smaller classes and closer relationships with your professors than you would have at some of the larger universities.</p></li>
<li><p>Neither Roosevelt nor Florida Atlantic has the same reputation or academic stature as the others on your list. I would replace Roosevelt with Boston College.</p></li>
<li><p>Assuming that you will not have a car, you need to check the availability of public transportation at each location. </p></li>
</ol>
<p>I’m curious to know how you came up with this list.</p>
<p>I would pick Wesleyan before Roosevelt. First, because academics are world-class. Second, because its location makes it perfect for a year abroad, with easy access to most cities alongside the Eastern Seaboard.
For “Washington”, it depends on what the university is. I’d pick GWU before Wesleyan, but Wesleyan before UWA if academics are a concern, but the Pacific Northwest is very interesting and there are trains running from city to city so it’d be a good pick also.
All of this may be moot if your deadline was Oct. 11th or12th…</p>