<p>My daughter is interested in the “International Affairs” and the “Advocates for Children and Education” scholars programs. We would love to hear of any impressions about these programs from those with experience: </p>
<ul>
<li>what are the students like, </li>
<li>are the special programs substantial or is it more focused on being a community, </li>
<li>what are the dorms like,</li>
<li>how many freshman and others live together, and do they bond together nicely, </li>
<li>what are the advisers like in each of these programs, </li>
<li>are contacts or internships useful for the future,</li>
<li>does the Scholars program make a significant difference in the student’s quality of education???<br></li>
</ul>
<p>I’m in 1st year in International Affairs right now. Most of the freshmen in the program all live together in Smith-Steeb, which is the newest renovated dorm on south campus, so it’s pretty nice. There are around 100 of us in the program this year. Everyone gets along pretty well, and living together really helps everyone in the program get closer. Honestly, IA is probably one of the lesser developed scholars programs on campus and I’ve enjoyed meeting everyone on my floor more than I actually have enjoyed the program, but I know people that really like the program as a whole. I don’t know much about ACES, but the program coordinators for ACES and IA are the same, so I’d assume the experiences would be similar. I hope this was at least a little bit helpful!</p>
<p>Thanks, firebird. It’s nice to know that the living together aspect of the program is a positive. Are the IA students mostly foreign born, or are they interested in international business, or travel?</p>
<p>There aren’t very many international students in the program; I think there are only one or two this year. In my opinion, the best thing about the program is the travel opportunities it provides. There are a few travel/study abroad opportunities offered to IA scholars that aren’t offered to other students at OSU, which is probably what draws a lot of students to the program. As for what students are interested in, there are definitely quite a few International Studies/International Business majors in the program, but there are also many students who have majors totally unrelated to International Affairs. I think what’s great about a lot of scholars programs on campus is that they allow you to explore interests outside of your major, so you don’t always have to be majoring in the focus of your scholars group.</p>
<p>Now that Scholars notices are coming out, I thought I’d ask again if anyone can provide feedback on the pros and cons of the different Scholars programs. Thanks!</p>