Oxford-Emory vs. George Washington University

Hi guys! So I am really torn between GWU and Emory right now. I want to study international affairs/political science or Econ. Both schools offered me merit aid so financially the two schools are roughly equivalent. At first I was worried about the small size of Oxford for my first two years, but after visiting both Oxford and the Emory Atlanta campus I fell in love. Nonetheless, I am extremely concerned about the lack of opportunities at Emory for internships in my field (International Affairs/Poli Sci). Does the higher academic standing of Emory and more traditional college feel outway the more prominent GW international affairs studies and internship opportunities? I love the energy of DC and GW, but I also love the more laid-back academia focus of Emory/Oxford. I seriously feel like I could like both schools, so any opinions are welcome, and opinions about general school environment and what not are welcome! Thanks for the help guys, I need to decide in two weeks!

P.S.- I am considering grad school so I do keep thinking I can just do my masters in NY or DC. I don’t know if that is a valid argument though

Emory’s political science is pretty strong but I’m not sure about international affairs. However GW is pretty well known for its Interntaional Affairs/Poli Sci program. If you like the GW atmosphere I would definitely go there.

An MS in polisci? That’s typically not well funded (no stipend support or even tuition waiver) and I wouldn’t want to do one in an expensive city (as are DC and NY). If you wanted to instead get a doctoral degree at a good program that provides decent funding (vs. cost of living in the city) then it would make more sense. I would say that Emory with its new QSS major and things like math/polisci can make you more marketable to graduate programs (can you say fellowship?) and job offerings. See if GWU offers a similar program as opposed to have a more traditional curriculum that is well-reputed. Even Emory’s is well-respected but I find DC/Maryland schools with good programs are viewed more favorably (for obvious reasons) even if there isn’t anything intrinsic to the undergraduate program’s curriculum or opportunities that separate it from other great political science depts).

Bernie12, I was actually thinking either a Masters in Security Studies or something a little more niche if I decided to do so. Or a law degree. But definately not just a masters in poli sci. Honestly though I am trying to just consider my undergrad right now

@Reid1126

George Washington University has had some bad press about its financial aid and admissions policies. GWU shot up in the rankings because of lots of spending on new buildings and other amenities and good PR (sort of the NYU model) but I wonder whether its undergraduate teaching warrants that high ranking.

http://www.forbes.com/sites/joshfreedman/2013/10/22/when-students-are-rejected-for-being-poor-the-george-washington-university-and-the-roots-of-a-troubled-system/#2fb55cde77ec

I have no personal knowledge about GWU but the above might be worth investigating.

As far as internships are concerned, you might want to look into Carter Center (named after former president Jimmy Carter and based in Atlanta) internships:
http://www.cartercenter.org/involved/internship/index.html

The political science department at Emory discusses internships and other special programs on its website:
http://polisci.emory.edu/home/undergraduate/internship_program.html
http://polisci.emory.edu/home/undergraduate/special_programs/index.html

Oxford College’s internship related information is partially contained here.
http://oxford.emory.edu/life-at-oxford/counseling-and-career-services/career-services/internship-and-job-information/

You should contact faculty and find out more.

@MyOdyssey : Well, unfortunately even some top 20 schools (now not including Emory) have followed the same pattern as GWU and Emory obviously had its time as being a school desperate for prestige (the misreporting)/"keeping up with the peers. Admittedly this is different from faking being need blind, but I doubt GWU is the only). I personally do agree more with places like Emory and Northeastern currently, where both (especially Northeastern) are actively trying to enhance academics (and actually advertise these enhancements or get attention for some of them) and not simply fool and woo prospective students with nice amenities and high quality of life. Don’t get me wrong, Emory does that, but nowhere near as heavily as near peers (less strong PR, but still better rep. than GWU). There is much more marketing of the academics (and often many more new programs on the rise and curriculum changes afoot). Point is, GWU has some fairly prestigious examples to justify what it is doing. The only issue is that it gets caught (and already has lower credibility than a school at the level of Emory, which received some embarrassment but was then able to just brush it off as did Claremont-McKenna(sp?)). I wouldn’t be throwing stones from glasshouses.

@Reid1126 : Those are so niche that it likely matters which prestigious program you attend.