<p>You should apply to several schools including UW-Madison and your dream schools. With UW you could always do study aboard later if you want to stay away from your parents. With Georgetown you could try ROTC to pay for the cost. May be your parents will pay the cost rather than letting you joint ROTC.</p>
<p>Does anyone who went to UW Madison have any input on their experience, especially if it was relevant to international relations?
I'm a little wary to go to a school with 30 thousand undergrads, as great as the Big 10 experience could be. It seems like it could be really easy to get lost in it all. I picture freshman lecture halls when I learn my history and IR in amongst a crowd of 300 other kids. It doesn't seem like that would foster a very good learning environment.
The reason GTown and Tufts appealed to me so much along with places like Johns Hopkins is because they are medium sized schools of between 4 and 10 thousand undergrads but still elite schools where I could get the small classes I am looking for but still with the big name. Any other ideas where I could get that? If I were to apply to grad school or job I'd be like "yeah I went to goucher..." they'd be like "ummm no thanks" cuz even they'd never even heard of it.</p>
<p>BigP:</p>
<p>My S is at Harvard. Last semester he had a class of 300 and a class of 200 (as well as a class of 8). Some of the most popular classes have 800 students. Large classes are not confined to large state Us.
S1 went to a LAC. His classes had 40 or fewer students. But he got shut out of some he wanted/needed to take.
Large state schools are obviously not LACs or mid-sized universities, but large classes are not unique to large state unis, and LACs can have their drawbacks.
UW has some truly wonderful programs in area studies, has has great success in fund-raising; it has a high level of participation in the Peace Corps, which says something about the international orientation of its student body. Obviously, it's not G'Town or Tufts in terms of size and overall college experience, but it is a great school.</p>
<p>bigp...do you have the stats (3.7+ GPA/1450+ SATs) for a merit scholarship? You might want to think about American U, GWU or BU. </p>
<p>BAsically, if you don't want to be controlled by your parents, you will have to put your money where your mouth is. Work a year before you go, get merit money, work during school, get good paying summer jobs, become an RA--there are lots of ways to finance that ticket.</p>
<p>It can be done--and as a fellow wander-lustee, I think you should try to send yourself out of Wisconsin--just for the experience of living somewhere completely different. That's a great way to start yourself on a 'foreign' adventure.</p>
<p>Your big mistake is focusing on the Foreign Service Exam as a ticket to a great overseas career. Even if you do well on the exam, I believe retired military personnel get priority. I read the stats on how many Gtown SFS grads get FS jobs and it was surprisingly few.</p>
<p>Anyway, as momrath says--there are a million ways to get overseas. </p>
<p>Besides "IR", what area of the globe intrigues you? What aspect of IR? </p>
<p>There is a great CC thread on IR under 'Other Majors'. You might want to check that out.</p>
<p>I have indeed looked at all three (American, GW, BU). I have a cumulative 3.85 (Unweighted, weighted would be a lot more) and an SAT of 2230, I didn't think that was good enough for a merit scholarship. I think I would be happy at any of the three mentioned and they are exactly what I was looking for in terms of size, location, and program. Do these three really give out merit aid for those types of stats?</p>
<p>And while I'm at it, what are some other common jobs for IR Grads (Undergrad or Master's)?</p>
<p>Bigp, you may already have moved past this point, but, should you reconsider UW Madison, to emphasize what Marite said in a prior post, I rent a house where I actually live several months out of the year with my daughter - and she's a senior in college. Our "real" home is a five hour drive from here. </p>
<p>Can you imagine being in college and living with your parent(s)? It might surprise you to know that we have to compare calendars to make appointments to spend time together, as we are both so busy we rarely see each other, even "living" in the same house...the majority of our communications are via email or IM as we are constantly on the move - I don't think going to college so close to home will be an issue for you, and I think you'll find that your parents are highly unlikely to simply "drop by".</p>
<p>Yes, you definitely could get merit aid from those colleges with your stats.</p>
<p>BigP:</p>
<p>I think that UW-Madison is of equal quality as BU and better than American or GWU (which happens to be the most expensive uni in the US). BU is a pretty large school, too. I do think your stats would qualify you for merit money at a number of schools. Don't sell yourself short. These are great stats.</p>
<p>IR grads can be found in the Foreign Service, in NGOs, in journalism, in law schools and in business.</p>
<p>You REALLY need to sit down with your parents and have the "money talk!" As in "Are you willing to contribute any funds to my college career? To make contributions towards room and board? Tuition and fees? Is there a dollar limit or a percentage you are willing to contribute? Will you cosign my loans, if I choose to borrow outside loans? Will you expect me to work during college? How many hours? etc. etc. You SAY that "in reality they will pay nothing, and expect me to deal with it" but are you SURE of that, or are you just guessing? You need to have a calm, collected and candid discussion. Nix the big emotional scene and impress your parents with how mature and calm you can be discussing this issue - then let us know. We can provide better advice if we know what the budget is! :)</p>
<p>BigP: I had the same situatrion when I wasyoung. My dad said I had to go in state. Of course my major was not even offered in our state. We had quite a falling out that ended when I said," If I pay my own way can I go where I want ?" He said, "Okay". I found scholarships, worked ,and graduated in three years. I think I owed $500 when it was all done. It is kind of hard to change parents so you need to be resourceful and find another way to attain your goal. It may be more difficult but just as rewarding. By the way I love my parents and as I got older appreciated where they were coming from way back then. I still give them a hard time about it now and then but that is history and we buried the hatchet many years ago.</p>
<p>Are you male? With a 3.85?? Honey, you are a rare animal.</p>
<p>Is your M and V above 1450? If so, I think the 'Merit Schools' will be very interested in you. </p>
<p>Start researching the merit app process.</p>
<p>I am not comparing UWisconsin to BU, GWU or AMerican. I am comparing Boston and Washington DC to Madison--through the eyes of a 17 year old with wanderlust in his eyes. Location trumps school ranking in this case--especially for a diligent male student.</p>
<p>So says me.</p>
<p>Count me as one who had to take a year off, take out loans, work as an RA and work high paying summer jobs to pay for my private education when my parents changed their minds from "We will pay for you to go wherever you want" to "We don't like paying these tuition bills! Wah! We're not paying for the Hare Krishna School of Architecture! Wah". See, the WWII generation had it's share of whingers.</p>
<p>Don't burn those family bridges over money. It's not worth it. It's only money.</p>
<p>I love my folks to bits too--they just underestimated me by a continent--or four.</p>
<p>For whoever asked: Male, 3.85, 2230 (M 700, V 760, W 770)</p>
<p>How many times have you taken the SAT? IF you've only taken it once, work on getting that Math score up--you'll be all the more golden with a 1500</p>
<p>that was first time but I'm not so hot at math...I really don't like it. Literature, history are much more enjoyable which is why I do so much better reading and writing</p>
<p>bigp, Success in the foreign service (or just about any other field) is not determined by where you get your undergraduate degree. It is determined by what you do to direct your own career vis a vis internships, connections, summer jobs, accomplishments, and to a certain extent, where you go to graduate school.</p>
<p>The U.S. Ambassador of the country where I live is one of the foremost senior career diplomats in the foreign service. He got his BA at the University of Kansas. The three previous ambassadors -- all high ranking career diplomats, not political appointees -- went to GWU, Colby and Princeton respectively. See a pattern? No, there isn't one. People who are successful come from all kinds of educational backgrounds.</p>
<p>You've been given a good deal of good advice and want to focus on what you can't have -- paid tuition at an elite college. You've great credentials and there are so many alternative routes out there. Start focusing on what's possible.</p>
<p>You don't want to go to Wisconsin? Okay, don't. Your parents won't pay for Tufts, Georgetown or JHU? Apply and see if they change their mind.</p>
<p>Nothing else sound appealing? There's the crux of your problem, BigP. There are SO MANY doors waiting to be opened, but you have to make the leap of faith.</p>
<p>There are a zillion career paths for a person with a degree and an interest in IR, especially with language skills. International business, not for profit organizations (NGO's), all of the other government agencies in addition to the State Department like the UN, Commerce, USTR. Don't worry so much about what you'll do when you graduate from college. </p>
<p>Go back to what I wrote above: do well, gain language proficiency, intern in your area of interest, study abroad. You can do this at any of dozens of colleges or universities. The big names have not cornered the market on education and job opportunity.</p>
<p>What if 50 more points on the Math SAT =$100K merit scholarship?</p>
<p>Whaddya mean you don't 'like' Math? Who cares! Get crackin' kiddo! xiggi has posted a number of "Surefire Tips for a Perfect SAT Score". Search the forum or PM him for the link.</p>
<p>Hold Up! I wasn't saying I don't plan to study for it! Just giving a reason why my score was probably lower. I do plan on taking the SAT again in June and studying for it this time.</p>
<p>bigp:</p>
<p>You do have a good shot at merit money and honors colleges. Your SAT scores are excellent, and if you can raise them a tad, you'll have an even better chance. </p>
<p>You do need to sit down with your parents. How much are they willing to pay for your sudies? Would they be willing to pay the same amount for you to study out of state if you got merit money or financial aid? Would your family qualify for need-based aid or do you have to go for merit aid only? Are your primarily interested in East coast schools or would you go to a midwestern one? Kofi Annan went to Macalester.
Do impress on your parents that you are likely to receive merit money at many schools when you have that conversation.</p>
<p>bigp, Did I hear you correctly in your post #16?</p>
<p>
[quote]
at least I have some money saved up from the 3 jobs i am currently working at about 25-30 hrs a week now and 60 hrs a week during the summer to pay for all my necessities such as food and clothes.
[/quote]
That's a heck of a lot of hours for a HS student to have to work for their own necessities. Parents may not be obligated to pay for any college you want, but boy howdy, affluent parents should at least be covering your "necessities such as food and clothes"! Maybe you should work that out with them first. Best of luck to you.</p>
<p>Sorry for the beat-down. You don't deserve it--but you need to stay tough with yourself and plan ahead--you could have some amazing choices this time next year.</p>
<p>Colleges are on the lookout out for super bright, diligent, male students with high verbal scores--from places other than the East Coast. You are a far more attractive candidate than you think. </p>
<p>If you qualify for need-based aid, I'd say you are a good Tufts fin aid candidate too.</p>