<p>Does anybody have any experience with this program? I mean other than the fact that they only accept like 8 kids a year, what are the pros/cons? Also, how does JHU's undergrad IR program compare to that of Georgetown's SFS or other top IR schools? </p>
<p>Tak.</p>
<p>I’m a graduate of that program, and it is fabulous. Basically, you save a year (both in time and tuition) in completing your MA but, even more importantly, you have a SAIS MA at approximately age 23, which can’t be accomplished any other way. SAIS generally does not admit students without a significant amount of work experience (the average age for an incoming student is about 26) so the program is more than just a little head start. </p>
<p>Undergraduate International Studies at JHU and Georgetown are both excellent, but different (note I did not use IR, or international relations, as that is a subfield of political science and is just one of the areas you will study in either of the programs). The Washington based universities for some reason combine undergraduates and graduate students into a separate school (Walsh SFS, the Elliot School at GW, and SIS at AU are all this way.) Most other schools, including Hopkins and the Ivies, believe that a strong liberal arts background is essential before launching into a professional career. That is why SAIS, which is a professional school (akin to law school, business school, etc.), is limited to graduate students only (except for qualified undergraduates who can occasionally cross-register for a course). Fletcher, SIPA and HKS are the same in this regard. </p>
<p>At Hopkins, the undergraduate program in international studies is a multi-disciplinary program run by the political science department of the Krieger School of Arts and Sciences as a separate major. It combines international relations and comparative politics courses from political science, with economics courses, language and area studies, etc. It is, however, a liberal arts curriculum as opposed to professional training. You will need to meet the basic requirements imposed by the Krieger School (such as writing and distribution requirements).</p>
<p>Which is better? It depends upon your point of view. Going straight to professional school may sound sexier when you’re 17 years old, but most top employers I know want their employees to have a solid education first. I think that developing writing skills, critical thinking, and basic knowledge of the arts and sciences before honing one’s professional skills is more important–but other people may differ on that.</p>