Safety Schools for International Relations

College Search & Selection
1

<p>Hello All,
My name is Cameron and I'm a senior interested in studying international relations in college. I am half Iranian, half European Jew and I grew up in the Chicago area. I speak 5 languages proficiently: English, Spanish, Persian (Farsi), French and German. I've taken the hardest classes at my high school and my test scores are good (ACT: 33, SAT: 2050 and will take it again). I've played varsity tennis since freshman year and I've been to 21 countries.</p>

<p>That's the good news.</p>

<p>The bad news is my GPA-- 3.5 out of 4 which has not constantly increased since freshman year. I've never gotten a C but my GPA isn't astounding when looking at my list of schools (in order of interest):
Georgetown
Columbia
Tufts
UPenn
George Washington
American
Boston College</p>

<p>All are tough schools-- no real guarantee at any except MAYBE American. So can anyone suggest safety schools? With this roster I could never feel comfortable without a decent backup.</p>

<p>Thanks for your help,
Cameron</p>

2

<p>University of Richmond, Occidental.</p>

3

<p>Macalaster could be a safety and is always mentioned for international studies/relations. Middlebury would be almost as hard to get into as Penn and Columbia but is great for international studies.</p>

4

<p>The College of William & Mary may not be a safety school, but you should definitely take a look. It seems like you would have a good chance of getting in. If you’re interested in getting involved with policy or research, you should consider it as almost every IR undergraduate does some kind of work with the faculty.</p>

5

<p>Northeastern University, NYU, Fordham, Syracuse</p>

6

<p>Wisconsin-Madison</p>

<p>[International</a> Relations](<a href=“http://polisci.wisc.edu/fields/ir]International”>http://polisci.wisc.edu/fields/ir)</p>

7

<p>His schools are mostly in the northeast, mostly in major cities. Not sure he wants to spend 4 years in Wisconsin.</p>

8

<p>Yes why would kids from there go to a UW. OH, this is why</p>

<p>[At</a> UMass, top rung remains out of reach - The Boston Globe](<a href=“http://www.boston.com/news/education/higher/articles/2010/09/05/at_umass_top_rung_remains_out_of_reach/?page=1]At”>http://www.boston.com/news/education/higher/articles/2010/09/05/at_umass_top_rung_remains_out_of_reach/?page=1)</p>

9

<p>I think you’ll get into American. also…Fordham or Northeastern</p>

<p>Will your parents pay for whatever school you get into?</p>

<p>You have 2 Catholic schools on your list…is that ok with your parents?</p>

10

<p>Macalester is a good complement to the others but cannot be considered a safety for the OP’s stats. I’d say it’s a solid match.</p>

11

<p>Thanks for the suggestions everyone! So to clarify on a couple things–

  1. I am looking at schools on the East Coast because I’d like to have access to internships and opportunities pertaining to my major. That’s why my top two choices are in New York and DC.
  2. My parents’ willingness to pay is directly proportional to the reputation of the school. I know it sounds superficial but that’s how it is. For that reason, a safety school will probably need to be cheap or generous with merit based aid.
  3. The environment I’m looking for is a school close to a big city but in itself detached. Columbia, I feel, is the best example of this of the schools on my list.</p>

<p>Your thoughts?</p>

12

<p>^ Agreed…</p>

13

<p>*My parents’ willingness to pay is directly proportional to the reputation of the school. I know it sounds superficial but that’s how it is. </p>

<p>For that reason, a safety school will probably need to be cheap or generous with merit based aid.*</p>

<p>Well, if that’s true…would they pay $50k+ for American U, Northeastern, or Syracuse?</p>

<p>If not, then those can’t be safeties for you. </p>

<p>for a school to be a true safety, then you need to KNOW that you have funding for it…either because of ASSURED scholarships or family funds. ** If your parents won’t pay for a safety and you don’t know if you’d get a scholarship, then how can it be a safety for you???**</p>

<p>Your safeties need to have ASSURED scholarships for stats.</p>