I was lucky enough to get accepted to a number of good schools EA including my top choice, Georgetown SFS, as well as a few safety schools with large scholarships. Ideally, I could be done with the college application process, but my parents and counselor are insisting that I apply to more schools RD in order to make sure I have options. For my parents, I think it has something to do with prestige since most of my family has never heard of Georgetown, so they want me to get into a more well known school so they can brag.
I made a list of planned RD applications earlier this year but that was under the assumption that I wouldn’t get into Georgetown so I would aim for less selective schools. I was planning to apply to Tufts, George Washington, American, URichmond, Macalester, and Dickinson.
After I was shockingly accepted into Georgetown SFS, I was told to aim higher and add more reach schools to my list while cutting out some of the match schools. However, I never did much research into reach schools beyond Georgetown and Tufts, so I’m not sure where to look. I was hoping this forum would be able to help me find some schools to add to my list. Thanks in advance!
Stats
GPA: 3.93 UW
ACT: 36 Composite + 34 in Writing
SAT II: USH-800, English Lit-800, Bio-740, Math II: 780
NMSF
Oops, I forgot to include what I am looking for in a college.
-Major: International Relations or similar major, hopefully with an option to concentrate in a specific region of the world
-Location: Urban or suburban, definitely not rural; any area of the country is fine
-Size: I’m not a fan of most tiny LACs, so at least a couple thousand people would be nice; I don’t mind large universities though
-Financial Aid: Definitely a concern since my family is low income, but I will run the NPC for any suggested colleges to determine which ones will be affordable. Suggestions for colleges with good financial aid would be appreciated
If you want to study IR, you could hardly do better than Georgetown SFS. There isn’t really higher to aim. Okay, there’s Harvard and Princeton, but those are pretty close to Georgetown in IR (though more famous), so apply there as a “just in case” IF you really think it’ll make your parents happy. But seriously, relax, congratulate yourself on getting into your top choice, and enjoy the holidays! Kudos.
Congrats on your acceptances! Gtown would be a great school for your area of interest. With your stats you could have a shot anywhere. I’d read up on the Ivy schools since they are generally very good with financial aid and pick whatever feels right to you.
Is Georgetown affordable? Have you received your FA award from them? Did you run the Net Price Calculator there?I agree with others that this is pretty much the top school for your interests, but if it’s not affordable then an acceptance doesn’t mean you can attend.
Just to qualify my previous comment: Georgetown supposedly meets 100% demonstrated need, so if you’re low in come you should be able to go almost for free. However, if it’s not offering you that, or you still can’t afford it, then yes, apply for some other top schools that meet full need. Stanford, Princeton, Harvard are all good candidates.
^^Georgetown is not known for being all that generous. Stanford, Princeton and Harvard are extremely generous but are longshots for everyone, including the OP.
OP, if you have a safety that you know is affordable and that you’d be happy to attend, then go for it, but affordability should be your number 1 concern here.
Most of the Ivies have good IR programs and great financial aid. Georgetown SFS is definitely one of the best programs for IR. If it is likely to be affordable, I think you can probably apply to a few schools for fun if you really want to, but relax since you have already been admitted to a great program. Congrats!
@suzy100 Georgetown won’t give me a financial aid award until March, but I have run the NPC and it should be affordable. The NPC placed my family’s costs at about $2,500 which we would be able to handle. Our financial situation is pretty straightforward, so the NPC should be relatively accurate I think.
I’ve heard that Georgetown is pretty generous since they meet 100% of need, so I was hopeful that the money aspect would work out. Of course, I can’t be certain of that since I haven’t actually received the financial aid yet which is the main reason why I agreed to apply to more schools and made this thread to look for options.
I do have both an affordable safety and match that I would be willing to attend if Georgetown doesn’t work out, but obviously that wouldn’t be ideal since Georgetown is my top choice. Would you suggest a different plan for RD applications rather than focusing on ‘lottery’ schools?
Congratulations on your acceptance to Georgetown’s most prestigious school. A friend’s daughter went there, picked up a third language and spent her junior year in Brazil studying global health. If you’re being forced to apply more widely, Johns Hopkins also has a terrific IR dept. and hasn’t been mentioned yet.
@BusyNapping use this list to look for schools that offer 100% demonstrated need, since your family’s finances are straightforwardly low income (I presume you qualify for the Pell Grant?), there shouldn’t be any surprises. Most elite schools, including the Ivies, tend to provide very good aid to low income students. You have a shot at most of these. Chicago is another good option. Also Pomona though it may not have the name recognition your parents want. You should look at the IR websites of some of these colleges to see which ones have a focus that appeals to you.
Have your parents get online and research Georgetown. They will be happy to find that it’s one of the best schools in the country for your interests. If they want you to apply to Harvard et al then go for it, but they need to understand that you have been accepted to a top school already
Thank you for all the suggestions! I’m trying to show my parents what a great school Georgetown is, but it may take a while to convince them of that fact. In the meantime, I agreed to apply to more colleges and have only 10 days to complete applications, so I’m hoping to finalize a list of a few schools soon.
I have another question. Earlier in my college search, I was very interested in women’s colleges, and I still really like the idea of going to a single sex school. I was most interested in Wellesley and Barnard, so would anyone be able to tell me which one is stronger in international relations?
Does your Georgetown NPC estimate include loans? You could google schools that meet need without loans (there are about 15 or so), compare that with the list mentioned above on IR schools, and see if there is a school or two that would cost even less than Georgetown, be great in IR, and possibly be more prestigious.
Really, you should probably just go to Georgetown. But a school that had at least some advantages (particularly cost) might be worth considering.
So based on everyone’s suggestions, the main reach schools I am considering applying to are Johns Hopkins, Wellesley, and Tufts. I ran the NPCs for all of them, and they should be affordable. Actually all of their NPCs showed more generous financial aid than Georgetown, so now I’m a little worried about Georgetown’s affordability although its NPC was still doable for my family.
I know a few people mentioned Harvard and other Ivies, but I think those schools are a little outside my realm of possibility. More suggestions are welcome!
I think if Georgetown is your favorite and you can afford it, you’re set already – you’re playing with house money. It’s pretty much at the top of the IR pile.
But if you want to try a few apps just for the heck of it, I’d say the Ivies, Stanford, and Johns Hopkins would be pretty good reach schools for IR, and they’re all pretty generous. JHU’s program has been mentioned several times (that i’ve seen) on this site.
I don’t know if MIT, UChicago, Duke and Northwestern have IR programs, but if they do, they’re also obviously excellent schools that are a bit reachier than Georgetown.
Just popping back in to say thanks to everyone for the great advice! I also wanted to give some updates on how the process is going for me.
I got my financial aid package from Georgetown a couple of weeks ago, and it is actually affordable! My biggest concern was about affordability, but Georgetown only expects us to pay ~2.5k a year which my parents can definitely afford. I’m really excited about this amazing opportunity! Earlier today, I also got a likely letter from Columbia University. My parents want me to visit Columbia and any other colleges I get accepted to before I make my final decision, and I’m willing to go along with their wishes. Georgetown SFS is still my absolute top choice though, so I have a feeling I’ll be a Hoya in the fall!
Congratulations on two amazing acceptances!
Georgetown SFS is pretty much “Harvard for IR” :). I’d say only Princeton Woodrow Wilson MIGHT be ranked higher. Columbia would be less prestigious although it’s an Ivy. That’s how big a deal Georgetown is in your field.
And for 2.5K! Wow!
Yes, go visit colleges: if anything, you’ll get to travel a bit (since you are lower income, ask colleges about reimbursement for visits, if they haven’t offered.)
Update: I was accepted to Johns Hopkins University with a scholarship and a financial aid package that means it will cost me absolutely nothing to attend! I plan on visiting campus during my Spring Break which is pretty exciting.
Georgetown has been my dream school for so long that it is difficult for me to seriously consider other colleges, but I’m going to do my best to go in with an open mind.
