<p>Hey so I got into Tufts and George Washington University's Elliot School of international affairs. I want to study international affairs at Tufts but my parents need a little convincing. They say that just because Tufts doesn't have a school specifically designed for IR then it can't be as good as GW. Plus they say the advantage of DC beats everything else.</p>
<p>Can anyone help give me some points to win them over with Tufts?</p>
<p>Thanks =)</p>
<p>First, I don’t buy the notion that a university must have a dedicated school, which is often nothing more than a generous benefactor’s name attached to a program, to excel in that field.
Second, one of the main reasons that Tufts started the IR major 30 years ago was because of the unsurpassed reputation of The Fletcher School (originally a joint Tufts-Harvard venture, now all Tufts’), its graduate school of international relations and international law, and the demand for an undergrad program to parallel it. Check out the Fletcher school and I think you’ll find that it has put Tufts University at the forefront of this field for decades.
Third, I don’t think that GWU’s reputation for IR is on the same level as that of Tufts, which is in the very top tier - which is occupied by Tufts, Georgetown, JHU and (I think) Columbia (at least of the eastern schools). GWU just isn’t there.
Fourth, and most importantly perhaps, it is always possible that an 18 year old high school senior might find new interests in college, and ultimately pursue a major different from that originally anticipated. That happens a lot, and that is why you should pick the best school. Again, on that factor Tufts and GWU simply do not share the same reputation; Tufts is WAY ahead (basically, Tufts is pretty much on the same level as Georgetown, which also enjoys a reputation far above that of GWU).
So if you actually LIKE GWU more, then go there. But if you actually like Tufts more, and you think you are interested in studying IR, there is no way you should be going to GWU over Tufts.</p>