IR: Dartmouth vs. Columbia

<p>Hi guys, I've been researching many schools with great IR departments and I happened to know Dartmouth and Columbia also have very decent IR programs. I know it's pretty meaningless to compare these two world-class schools given the fact that both schools are very well-rounded in regards of both academically and culturally. I does draw me a curiosity, however, as to which school has better, or I should say, more dedicated IR programs to its students. I prefer small class size, so the number of students in the room is one of the factors. I like the location of Columbia because NY is obviously very, very diversified city and much appealing to IR dreamers but I heard Dartmouth cannot be overlooked just because of its rural area. Please share your opinion on which school will be better place for IR students. </p>

<p>Kenneth Waltz, an incredibly distinguished IR scholar who shaped much of realist theory, taught at Columbia, and Robert Jervis still teaches there. I have not read much work of an IR scholar from Dartmouth (I’m a sociology/math major). So I, for one, feel that Columbia has a much more established ‘name’ in terms of international relations, at least in academia. That said, it’s okay to go by just ‘fit’.</p>

<p>I’m also a huge fan of Mearsheimer, who teaches at the University of Chicago, even though I subscribe to constructivist views rather than realist views. This is because there is no scholar in IR who can write as clearly and intelligibly as Mearsheimer, and taking a class from him would be absolutely amazing.</p>

<p>^ I believe Richard Lebow (a noted “constructivist” IR scholar) is a professor (emeritus) at Dartmouth.</p>

<p>FWIW, both Columbia and Dartmouth (as well as Chicago) make the top ten in Foreign Policy magazine’s “Ivory Tower” ranking of undergraduate IR programs. <a href=“Inside the Ivory Tower - Wikipedia”>http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Inside_the_Ivory_Tower&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

<p>If class sizes are important to you, note that Columbia has a higher percentage of “small” classes (< 20 students) than Dartmouth and about the same percentage of “big” classes (>= 50), according to USNWR/CDS numbers: 62%/9% for Dartmouth v. 82%/9% for Columbia. These are overall average numbers, which don’t necessarily reflect the numbers you’d see in IR classes at either school. For some colleges you can look up the class-by-class enrollments in the online course registration listings.</p>

<p>For this major in particular, I’d probably choose Columbia for its location and greater institutional resources. It really comes down to personal preferences, though. Then of course there’s the matter of where you get in and which one offers a better aid package (if that’s a factor). </p>

<p>Whoops, totally missed out on Lebow.</p>

<p>Famous professors are not why you should choose one college over another. You really won’t find very many all star professors at Dartmouth that are public figures. What you will is an unparalleled undergraduate experience- close interaction with professors and with your fellow students. Seeing a public bigshot lecture from the back row of a 300 person lecture hall, I would argue, is not nearly as valuable in the long run is having a few professors whom you’re very close with and will write you great letters of recommendation/do research with you/make phone calls to get you a job or internship/whatever. </p>

<p>I’m not privy to what Columbia has to offer, but I know Dartmouth has a number of programs as part of its Rockefeller Center that provide you with privileged access to internships and such with “prestigious” IR think tanks or gov’t agencies. </p>

<p>76% of Chicago’s classes have fewer than 20 students (Dartmouth - 62%; Columbia - 82%).</p>

Columbia has much more to offer and has more small classes and seminars.

This actually might be an easy comparison… The level of the IR programs is a piece of your consideration, but there are many high school seniors that are convinced of their future major that change midway through college, at every college. You shouldn’t make the decision based solely on this.

This is where the easier comparison comes in. Would you rather spend four years of your life living in a rural college with a typical New England friendly small town feel with beautiful postcard-worthy surrounding wilderness? Or would you rather be in the center of it all in NYC with tall buildings and hundreds of thousands of people and a multitude of bars, coffee shops, and Broadway plays right outside your front door?

A large piece of picking the right college for you is when you visit and walk around, “Could this feel like home for the next 4 years of my life?”