<p>I was lucky enough to be accepted into these great schools, but I am stuck. </p>
<p>Penn is great for everything, and it has alot of placement/opportunities in all fields; however, I am really keen on studying international relations. I really love Penn, and would love to just go there, but I don't want to be making a rash decision. </p>
<p>Tufts and Georgetown SFS are consistently ranked top ten for IR. Penn is not on such rankings, not that the lists really matter, but I just want to know whether it would be hurting me (or not helping me as much) if I choose Penn CAS and study IR there over Tufts/Gtown IR. Which should I choose? I know I would be happier at Penn, but which would be better for me academically?</p>
<p>THANK YOU for any/all advice. It is greatly appreciated, esp. with such a huge decision.</p>
<p>i BELIEV YOU SHOULD GO TO WHERE YOUR MAJOR IS THE STRONGEST. I AM NOT DISCOURAGING YOU TO NOT GO TO PENN BUT IF OTHER COLLEGES HAVE BETTER PROGRAMS THAN GO TO THOSE. THEY WILL PREPARE EVEN MORE FOR WHAT IS TO COME.</p>
<p>what line of work are you hoping to go into? I think this has a great deal of bearing on your decision. Either way though, penn will give you a better network which may or may not help you. sorry I can’t be of that much help considering I don’t know as much about IR as I’d like :(</p>
<p>in traditional rankings, georgetown and tufts i guess have the upperhand in international relations, but overall penn is stronger academically. also, penn would let me take law classes (int’l law and such) at its law school, which is amazing… also i could take like int’l finance/trade at wharton which also is great… and research opps at penn are also realllly great… so i think the flexibility of the program really help w/ IR even though its not as recognized? does this make sense? or would it be more prudent to go by the rankings/recognition of tufts ir/gtown sfs?</p>
<p>GT SFS beats Tufts any day. Rule Tufts out of the equation. </p>
<p>GT SFS locks you into IR, so you must be positive about the decision you’re making. In addition, something else to consider is the atmosphere. GT kids, by and large, are filthy rich, and the campus is located in a wealthy suburb. Money, money. If you don’t have it, you won’t fit in. </p>
<p>Penn offers more as an institution than does GT. It has excellent departments all across the board, and the One University policy really improves the breadth and depth of classes that you can take. In addition, you’re 2 hours away from NYC and 2 hours from D.C.</p>
<p>Don’t worry about graduate school admissions, if that is a factor in your decision-making. If you do well at your undergraduate institution, whichever one it may be, you will get admitted into grad school.</p>
<p>If you are sure you want to do IR then I would go to Georgetown. If you think you may want to change your mind I would go to Penn because overall it has a stronger undergraduate program. It is important to know though what you are thinking about doing post-graduation. If you want to go into foreign service or jobs in the IR field I would pick Georgetown SFS but if you plan to only study IR and go into something like law or international finance Penn would offer better overall placement in those areas.</p>
<p>I really love IR, and I would like to go into foreign service, but I am really thinking about studying international law after undergrad… I think Penn could help with this atleast as much as could Georgetown?</p>
<p>Honestly, I think this is true for most private schools. Penn might not be in a wealthy suburb, but you could just as easily say “Penn kids, by and large, are filthy rich”. The sheer amount of wealth was the biggest culture shock for me last year, and I’m from Canada…</p>