<p>I am torn between the two schools and I've heard columbia has the upper hand when it comes to IR does anyone have an insight? Any current students have sth to add?</p>
<p>stanford has some top-notch research centers and professors on campus. much of this administration's foreign policy has been directed by stanford affiliates - condi rice was a fellow at CISAC, the center for international security and cooperation, here (you can write an honors thesis with a prof from CISAC), larry diamond, a professor and fellow @ the hoover institution, was advisor to the coalition authority in iraq, stephen krasner, another prof, is condi's policy director, etc....</p>
<p>lots of amazing profs and big names in IR, especially in relation to democracy (basically diamond + krasner) and security (stedman + sagan), two big fields in IR, at stanford. we also have the hoover institution, which, despite being blatantly conservative, does house raging liberal profs (i.e. diamond) for a nice balance...</p>