International Relations: Europe

College Search & Selection
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<p>Ok so I'm looking into colleges now, and I am considering all options (that means, anywhere in the world). I speak fluently english, spanish, french, italian (and some russian), so the language is not really a problem.
The US and Canada are options that I consider, but the price is a problem, and being a EU citizen (I'm spanish) I pay much less in European universities. For example, the maximum home/eu fee in the UK is 3000p, around 6000$, compared to the at least 20000$ in american universities. The distance </p>

<p>I have been looking a bit, and I am very interested in Sciences-Po Paris. They have a satellite campus in Poitiers focused on Iberoamerican studies, and the courses are in english, french, spanish, and portuguese, so it would also be an opportunity for me to learn portuguese. I am also very interested in LSE (although I don't know if I could ever get in).</p>

<p>What do you think about those? Which other colleges/universities in Europe (doesn't really matter where) would you recommend for IR studies?</p>

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<p>Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies in Bologna, Italy.</p>

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<p>That is a Graduate school, I'm looking for undergraduate...</p>

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<p>Try for the LSE; in terms of International Relations, it's probably one of the best in Europe. I'm not sure how the undergrad admissions go but, at least, for graduate studies, applying early gives you more than a 50% better chance of getting in.</p>

<p>I have heard Katholieke Universiteit Leuven is also very good for IR in Europe. </p>

<p>Obviously, there's Oxbridge as well.</p>

<p>Sciences-Po, as you mentioned, is also very good. </p>

<p>If your German is any good, I have heard some good things about the University of Heidelburg.</p>

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<p>Then he(or she) would need to take DULF or whatever the abbreviation is, it's quite different from toefl and it needs a substantial preparation, just like any foreign language standardized test.</p>

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<p>r6mile,?y porque no te vayas a la Universitat de Barcelona, no cabe dudas que tiene un programa bastante bueno para las relci?nes internacinales. El unico problema es aprender el catalan....
P.S. Sorry for switching to spanish.</p>

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<p>You are talking about the DELF. It would be no problem, as I speak French very fluently (I studied in a French school for 9 years), but I'd still prepare for it.</p>

<p>El problema con las universidades espa?olas es que todas piden selectividad, y yo estoy estudiando en un colegio internacional en el extranjero con sistema americano, asi que Espa?a no es una opcion.
(sorry for the spanish, just a clarification)</p>

<p>Well I'm not even going to bother to apply to Oxbridge, I could never get in, and UCAS only lets you apply to 6 universities un the UK, so I'd rather use their spots and apply to other universities in the UK.</p>

<p>That university in Belgium seems interesting. Is it an english-speaking university, or is it a flemish-speaking one?</p>

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<p>Luven, from what I've gathered, is completely English speaking which is why is was recommended to me. Check out their website and troll around. See you like the place.</p>

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<p>Ok I will certainly look into it. I have already sent them an e-mail asking them about the compatibility with the american high school diploma, AP's, SAT's, and so on.</p>

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<p>another good way to find schools to consider is to look at graduate programs you might be interested in (both schools and subjects) and see where their students recieved their undergraduate degrees.</p>

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<p>BUMP!</p>

<p>For IR, do you think it is better to study, let's say, at LSE or Sciences Po, than at AU or GWU for example?</p>

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<p>Never mind, I'll ask another question:</p>

<p>I've seen the Catholic University of Louvain (French-speaking) and it seems higher ranked than the Dutch-speaking one. The language would be no problem, my french is fluent. Does anyone know if they are good with international relations (or social sciences in general)?</p>

<p>Switzerland: The University of Geneva and the University of Lausanne, does anyone know if they are good universities for social sciences? </p>

<p>UK: What are the best universities for International Relations in the UK? I thought LSE, Edinburgh, Bristol, St. Andrews, but could anyone edit this list and add (or remove) any university that they think is good for international relations?</p>

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<p>I can chime in on institutions offering strong undergraduate programs in the United Kingdom. A number of programs offer degrees in politics, but less focus specifically on international relations. Most programs are highly specialized and, therefore, it may be best to make decisions based on your interests rather than rankings, which don?t typically account for specialization. Many programs offer considerable breadth, but each has prominent strengths. A list of what may be considered the best international relations programs, with a note on their area of specialization, follows:</p>

<p>LSE: Economics, international law, political theory, diplomacy, development, etc.
St Andrews: Terrorism, international security, Middle East studies, political theory, etc.
Oxford: International politics (history, philosophy, economics, etc.)
King?s College London: War studies (history of war, conventional war, defence policy, etc.)
SOAS: Regional studies (especially Africa and Asia), languages
Aberystwyth: Political theory (especially critical theory, constructivism, etc.)</p>

<p>I?ve listed each institution with their corresponding tariff score (median acceptance requirement) below:</p>

<p>Oxford: 515
St Andrews: 470
LSE: 462
King?s College London: 390
SOAS: 341
Aberystwyth: 321 </p>

<p>A significant portion of your time as an undergraduate is going to be dedicated to life outside the classroom. Therefore, I might just point out that each institution has a different character. My impressions:</p>

<p>Oxford: Urban and ancient; think Harry Potter stuck in the middle of a mid-sized city
St Andrews: Coastal and ancient; think Harry Potter stuck in a small coastal town with golf
LSE: Urban and somewhat modern; think beautiful modern library in central London
King?s College London: Urban and dated (but remodelling); think poured concrete in central London
SOAS: Urban and falling apart; think former Soviet Bloc housing in central London
Aberystwyth: Rural and historic; think small Welsh market town with a university </p>

<p>Hope this helps?</p>

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<p>Yeah that really helps thanks.
I decided to give a closer look to Aberystwyth, and it really looks good. I like the fact that it's a fairly small town, because I don't think I could live in a town as big as London: the stress, the rush, I don't know, it would be too much to handle I think.
The department is the biggest in Europe (and one of the biggest in the world): I hadn't seen a university with such a wide range of degrees in International Politics, They have degrees such as International Politics & International History, Int'l Pol. & Intelligence Studies, Int'l Pol. & Strategic Studies, Int'l Pol. & Military History, Int'l Pol. & the Third World, Int'l Relations, European Politics, and you combine European Studies or Int'l Pol. with a wide range of other subjects, in Joint Honours, or as a Major/Minor...
It looks really appealing, I think it's the one that I'm considering the most right now. What else can you tell me about Aberystwyth?</p>

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<p>Aberystwyth's Department of International Politics is great (though I'm in no way affiliated with the program)! PM me with some specific questions, and I'll do my best to come up with some thoughtful answers.</p>

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<p>I talked it over with my mom, but she said that maybe those degrees are too specific. Do you think it would be better to get a more general undergraduate degree (like International Relations) and then do a more specific Master's degree (like Intelligence and Strategic Studies), or do directly a specific undergraduate degree (such as International Politics and International History)?</p>

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<p>Definitly consider the LSE: it's especially good for International Relations because of its prime central London location. Also consider Oxford, as its International Relations programme (I think its called Politics) is also one of the best in the UK, but Cambridge is supposed to be not as good.</p>

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<p>Yeah I will consider Oxford, but I know for sure that I could never get in. I am already considering LSE. With UCAS you can apply up to 6 universities, and I already have thought of 5, LSE, Aberystwyth, St. Andrews, Edinburgh, and Oxford. What do you think of my list? Since there is space for one more university, which one do you recommend?</p>

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<p>..........</p>

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<p>Well consider applying for 2 courses at LSE. Eg. International Relations and International Relatiosn with History.</p>