@lookingforward Thank you for replying.
He considered volunteering for local rep but ultimately felt that having different viewpoints than the rep would lead to too great of sense of incongruence. (I was pleased that he had the self-awareness not to pursue it even if it meant no resume experience in that area. Some things aren’t worth it. :))
But he continues to keep his eyes open for other opportunities.
@Techno13 Thank you for sharing your thoughts and considerations. I would be interested in hearing more from you as you and your daughter visit more schools in the Spring. (I had similar feelings about GT so I wasn’t overly depressed that his odds for acceptance would be low, b/c I don’t want him to feel anxiety, stress and pressure continuously. I have counseled college kids who felt that and I do not want it for him. So a fine balance, between using one’s brains, but not feeling that is one’s only worth in life.) 
(It’s so hard to coordinate visits when school is in session and when son’s academic or NJROTC demands won’t conflict with such travel.) I imagine you are in similar situation with your daughter, a senior, I assume, and whatever activities she is juggling. It’s hard. Thus, b/c I don’t want to stress him out, I’m spending as much time possible doing research and finding schools that are solid, have small classes, excellent teaching, and great career placement opportunities/guidance (and internships and travel abroad).
I really want him to enjoy college. Not just “get through it”, but to really learn a lot academically, sure, but to make solid relationships with peers, value his mentors, and feel satisfied but not overly stressed upon undergrad completion.
My D is a junior. Visiting schools is a huge challenge and she doesn’t want to miss any school (unexcused absence!), but it’s best to visit when the college is in session. So we’re limited to Spring Break, A couple days of Thanksgiving break, and a few weird days off that work for day-trip distance schools. But we’re west coast and she’s looking mostly east coast. I’ll let you know how we like the Boston-area schools. She’s lighted largely on women’s LACs as meeting her needs best, but that doesn’t really work for your son!
@Techno13 That is cool you are from the west coast. Feels so far away to me here in FL. We all have an interesting next 9 months or so researching all these programs, etc.
Feels like training for a marathon!
Thanks again for your f/b.
HAT is the History Aptitude Test (see https://www.history.ox.ac.uk/history-aptitude-test-hat). I don’t think the AICE would make Cambridge more likely to give an offer than Oxford, generally they are less amenable to American students (see http://talk.qa.collegeconfidential.com/united-kingdom/2091170-oxbridge-admissions-for-americans.html) and also more expensive.
Instead predicted grades will be critical to getting an interview and you are likely to get a conditional offer based on final AICE grades, since they are essentially equivalent to A levels. That can present a major timing problem for results that come out in August because you might already have started at a US school that is on the semester system.
I’m a big proponent of FL schools and using those Bright Futures benefits, but if he really wants to leave the state…
It sounds like he isn’t as interested in American politics as international. University of Denver has a big International Relations program. Many students study in Scotland for junior year (or half the year), but they can pick other programs too.
BYU has the most grads in foreign relations posts. Grads have excellent language skills due to their missions. Of course, BYU has a lot of other requirements.
Wyoming has the Dick Cheney school of international relations. Lots of programs to choose from, and Dick kicks in some money for study abroad. It also has ROTC and there is some money for that (they were recruiting my daughter but she wasn’t interested).
@Twoin18 Thank you for clarifying what HAT is and how to learn more.
I just read your link and will now do more reading. Thank you again for sharing such helpful information. I don’t know where else I could learn these things than on here.
Have you considered PWAD Peace War and Defense at UNC only 2 math classes a QR and a QI. I encourage you to look at UNC Gen Eds and PWAD on the website. This is my daughter’s major. In the curriculum you have to meet 5 semesters of a critical language Arabic Urdu Farsi Russian or Chinese. She took Spanish in high school and wanted a specialized history degree. Many students are ROTC in the program. You can select international security as a concentration. Studying abroad is encouraged and they have an exchange with King’s College London College of War. My daughter is a sophomore PWAD/Russian double major not in ROTC. PWAD majors often double with Poly Sci (warning econ is a killer at UNC) or Public Policy etc. The major pairs well with many others at UNC. She had an Internship in the NC legislature this summer. Many students apply for the State Department CLS to study abroad. They also have relationships with graduate programs in the field and have a great department website and offer programs with speakers. The major has an alumni chapter in DC and many go on to work in the security field think 3 letters or are commissioned officers. Many attend grad school for law or MBA. Also consider the Global Studies program at UNC.
Look closely at programs. History, government and Poly Sci can be very different. Does he have an idea what region he is interested in? Languages are important in this field as one cannot work in a region unless they are fluent in a language. Most people in this field speak multiple languages or at least languages of the countries in which they specialize. I second the idea of going abroad. NOT as a foreign exchange student for a year but as part of a program with international students not based in the US. He needs to understand things from a different perspective. That will help his career prospects. Have you looked at St. Andrew’s? They have a very good history program. Don’t know about the others as they would be called different things.
Political science majors may be required or recommended to take quantitative methods or statistics courses for their major.
Thanks for the reminder about KCL War Studies, @rphx2nc! Great programs (incl Hx & Ir).
Yes the exchange with KCL War Studies while very pricey would be very exciting. She does not want to miss a semester or year at UNC she loves it. She does want to study in Russia for at least one summer and plans on applying to CLS several times with the hope of getting the scholarship. A long shot but studying is Russia is very expensive.
…for the OP, a 3 year degree at KCL might be affordable 
@rphx2nc Thank you for pointing me in the direction of UNC’s PWAD program. I did not know about it. (Apparent,y, I know little I’m finding out as I read through these replies so I am very appreciative of all these nooks and crannies to explore in this process.)
Is your daughter from OOS? We will definitely plan a return visit to UNC as we learn more about the opportunities which seem plentiful. My son has an affection for learning about Russia (planned a hypothetical trip there for one of his AP European History papers. He then said to us with a big grin, “So when can we go since I’ve done all this planning including flights, places to stay, museums to visit, etc”).
I may pester you more as I learn more if that is okay?
@Happytimes2001 I completely hear you. He needs to differentiate more between history, poly sci and govt. Best ways to do that is by comparing class requirements, syllabi, programs on campuses, right?
Yes, he has an interest in learning languages…he wanted to pursue a summer program immersion study in Arabic in CA a year ago but he was already committed to a different 3 week program and I believe it was pretty costly (and we weren’t.convinced how much he really was invested in the learning) as he gets enthused about anything that is different from what he typically sees and hears others doing. (We also had to put th brakes on him applying for a rotary award that would allow him to pursue a year in Japan I believe…We told him he could travel and live abroad when he’s in college, etc.) but for now we want our remaining time with him in the same house!
Will look at St. Andrew.s later tonight. (Headed to a booster mtg shortly…)
Many thanks for the tips.
Absolutely! Please do. My husband and I are both graduates also and we never left. We are in state about 45 minutes away. She is taking 3 Russians this semester Russian language 3, Russia becomes an empire and Soviet Science Fiction (her favorite) although she thought she would not like it at first. The Russian department is small but PWAD has many more students. The ROTC programs at UNC are great and many PWAD majors participate. Several join ROTC as sophomores especially since the pay bump for critical languages. There are many COM SCI and graduate students in Russian.
Not wanting to be a damp squib, but just a reminder that UNC-CH for OOS is seriously competitive, b/c of the cap on the % of OOS students (18%, including recruited athletes) and their meets-need financial aid policy that includes OOS students.
On stats he is a viable candidate- just don’t take it for granted.
(and yes, the PWAD program is great)
OP - you mentioned S is a skilled presenter (very cool) and enjoys debate. Wake Forest has one of the premier debate teams in the country. They take it quite seriously. The school cares about Debate and Mock Trial as much as it does ACC sports which is a good thing.
My S is a junior (from FL, public school). His roommate did the Wake Washington semester sophomore yr (fantastic). He’s also interned in his Governor’s office and worked on a campaign. They are both abroad in Barcelona this semester as study abroad is very big at Wake. It takes planning as you need to make sure you can fit it in with your course schedule. Their advisors are excellent and very helpful in mapping that out.
@ucbalumnus - So true about quantitative methods or stats courses likely to be part of major in the areas my S is considering. Have to be able to understand how to interpret data, etc. He may be taking Stats next (senior) year and I’ll be interested to see how he likes it, can recognize the value and need for it, etc. (I think it’s physics and Calc, etc that he’d balk at…but I wouldn’t be surprised if he kinda likes stats??)
Thank you for the reminder to look closely at all parts of the different majors’ requirements, not just the core classes and electives.
@collegemom3717 - I’ll have to check tuition etc bc I am assuming KCL is pretty expensive?! But only 3 versus 4 years you said…which I “think” is the custom for European schools? Not sure but will investigate. I know Oxford is 3 but I need to see about the others mentioned in above posts. This is fun but anxiety-producing at the same time!
Edited to add: And the whole Brexit thing might complicate applications?? Regardless, still intrigued.