I’m struggling a lot to find real “safeties,” as the ones on my list currently have 40% acceptance rates and those aren’t true safeties. To put my needs into perspective, I’m a white female with a 3.74 UW GPA from a reasonably challenging public high school. My extracurriculars are good and I have an ACT of 33 and an SAT (currently, hopefully I’ll be able to raise it) of 2030. I’m looking for schools with good International Relations programs that are still relatively easy to get into. My major is not optional. Any ideas?
Syracuse University seems like a good choice they have the major you’re looking for and your 33 ACT is way above their 75th percentile score of 28 and with a 50% admittance rate you’ll get in for sure
Thank you! That looks like a really good one. I appreciate it. 
Here’s some schools in the mid-atlantic region:
-Allegheny College
-Canisius College
-Duquesne University
-Gettysburg College
-Goucher College
-Hobart & William Smith Colleges
-Juniata College
-Manhattan College
-Muhlenburg College
-Nazareth College
-Niagara University
-Notre Dame of Maryland
-Saint Joseph’s University
-Seton Hall
-Seton Hill
-Susquehanna University
-Syracuse
-Towson University
Hobart & William Smith offers a major in international relations as well as courses in other political science subfields such as American politics, comparitive politics and political philosophy. Be aware, with respect to your general search for a good program, that international relations and world politics, and possibly other descriptions, refer to the same course of study. St. Lawrence offers global studies, for example, which may also be suitable for you.
Thank you guys! I really appreciate the help. My list of safeties is steadily growing.
Although I’m not personally familiar with it firsthand. Dickinson seems as if it might meet your needs as well. https://www.dickinson.edu/homepage/114/international_studies
Safeties HAVE to be known to be AFFORDABLE. You may get into all of those suggested schools but if you’re parents won’t pay for them (and FA is bad), then they’re NOT safeties.
How much will your family pay each year?
(safeties rarely give great need based aid).
I think UAlabama can give full tuition for ACT 32+ and 3.5 GPA? @mom2collegekids
Yes, if she were to apply before the Dec deadline, Alabama would give her free tuition.
What is your career plan with a major in International Relations?
My parents will pay little to none of my college tuition, unfortunately. What little I can pay will be from my savings and limited college fund, which is around $3000 in savings and $5000 in my college fund, though I will be working part-time during college. Career-wise with International Relations, I want to be a diplomat with the US Foreign Service. However, I fully expect getting there to be a process and not one that will happen immediately, so I’d look at being a consultant for businesses on foreign policy, etc.
Wait, why would your parents NOT pay any cent for your education? Do they not know how expensive the colleges have become? Or do they have low income?
International relations may be a concentration within a more generic sounding political science major.
Yes, International Studies can often be found as a concentration within other majors…business, poly sci, etc.
Are you low income?
Have you had your parents run the NPCs to see how much you’d have to pay?
How much will they pay each year? $5k? more? less?
Even if you work part time during the school year and full time during summers, you’re still not going to “net” enough to pay for a chunk of a school’s cost, including personal expenses. At best, you can only realistically expect to be able to put about $5k of net earnings towards a school’s costs and personal expenses. Don’t forget about personal expenses…you’re going to have at least a couple thousand in personal expenses.
Yes, we’re a family of 7 and we’re low income. Unless we suddenly gain another source of income, they’ll pay what they can, which right now is nothing. I am pretty apprehensive about the cost of college, and I’m just hoping to get into a good school that meets 100% of need, although with my GPA, that’s unlikely.
Don’t bother with the SAT, your ACT 33 is awesome (top 1%). HOWEVER use that next SAT date to take subject tests in your best subjects, to make your application more well-rounded (plus, some universities require it).
Use this list:
http://www.thecollegesolution.com/schools-that-meet-100-of-financial-need-2/
Pretty much all of these would be interested in a student with an ACT 33 and your profile.
Thank you! I’m actually already applying to around 9 from that list, and hoping I get in, but there’s always a chance I don’t get into any and need backups that are more of a “sure thing.” I really appreciate the good wishes.
Ah, that makes sense.
I would also add:
Clark University LEEP scholarship
U of Richmond Boehner Scholarship
Washington and Lee Johnson Scholarship
UNC-CH Robertson scholarship
Lewis&Clark Colleg Hirshi scholarship.
etc etc…