Middlebury, UMich, or GW for IR?

College Search & Selection
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I’ve narrowed my choices down to Middlebury, U of Michigan, and George Washington. I want to study International Relations with minors in Arabic and potentially Spanish, and I really want to go to a school that will give me an insanely fun college experience, good study abroad options, and the resources/connections to get a good job in DC after school and internships during the year/summer.

In terms of IR, obviously all of these schools are incredible. GW’s Elliott School of International Affairs is absolutely top-knotch and Middlebury is well-known for its incredible language programs and international vibes. UMich, while not ranked as highly in IR as the others, is still an all-around great school, but I worry that the large class sizes and big campus won’t allow me to connect as well with professors.

In terms of extracurriculars, I really want to join a Quidditch team, get involved with local politics, join a sorority, and spend my time hiking, skiing, camping, and going out with friends. I think that’s probably where Middlebury and UMich really stand out for me; their student life is incredible (Middlebury for nature, UMich for like everything lol). I also love tailgating and it would be so rad to go to a school with so much spirit for athletics, so Mich definitely wins on that.

Location definitely matters to me! I LOVE GW because of its location in the heart of DC and its proximity to internships and the monuments, and I’m kind of worried about being in a rural environment like Middlebury with no city life or internships around. A college town like Ann Arbor is fine, because there seems to be a lot to do, and its near the cities of Detroit and Chicago. Middlebury, however, is pretty much in the middle of nowhere.

Diversity is also extremely important to me! As a Latina student, I’ve heard that Middlebury can be fairly homogenous and I definitely want to be in a culturally diverse environment.

Anyway, I’d love any advice or suggestions!! I definitely want to have the best education / college experience possible!! Thank you sm!

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bump

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Is there a cost element to consider?

4

GWU would be your strongest option with the Elliott School being one of the top IR programs out there and with all of the DC internships, opportunities and connections you could make. Our DD is finishing her IR degree there and has made many contacts and developed great relationships w professors. GWU is definitely the most worldy diverse of the three school populations including especially Latin students. DD has had professors/visiting professors from Latin America at GWU.

UMich would be second choice. Great school and will offer a lot by virtue of its size.

Middlebury just too small. It is a great school for a solid general liberal arts degree but is not going to offer the depth of IR opportunities as the other two. There are good language studies but that is not IR.

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PS. And she joined a top national sorority at GWU. There is typical college life to be had though it is an urban campus. Things like apartments and internships and job opening get shared through their sorority listserv.

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Middlebury has one of the top international studies programs in the country. Its graduate scholol–the Middlebury Institute of International Studies at Monterey–is top-notch. It also has the best campus of your choices. Have you visited GW? Much like NYU, there really isn’t a campus–more a mix of buildings spread out over several city blocks.

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arcadia, I am not sure Middlebury’s campus is “better” than Michigan’s. Also, while GWU does not have an actual campus, its Foggy Bottom location may be more appealing to some than Michigan or Middlebury’s cohesive and beautiful campuses.

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It’s a matter of preference, really. Michigan’s law school is incredible. I wasn’t as impressed with the rest of the campus, however.

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“It’s a matter of preference, really. Michigan’s law school is incredible. I wasn’t as impressed with the rest of the campus, however.”

Not surprising. The law quad itself has very few peers anywhere for beauty, if neo-gothic is your thing.