<p>Okay, CC parents, I need some advice. D is currently a high school junior and we, like most h.s. junior families, have been shopping colleges. Her interests (she's just 16, though, so I realize this could change ... possibly a hundred times!) are international relations, political science and linguistics. We have visited the following schools: Rhodes (loves it, talks about it a lot); Emory (loved it, but doesn't really talk about it); Sewanee (didn't care for the isolation); UT (her heart is there, but her head says otherwise - lifelong Vols fan); WKU (only because it's my husband's and my alma mater). We will be visiting Centre for Junior Days on April 30th. She has asked if we could also visit William and Mary, UVA, NC at Chapel Hill, and Davidson. She thinks she would prefer a small school, but isn't opposed to the larger ones if they are tops in the fields in which she is interested. She does prefer warm weather and the closer to home, the better for her father and me! She's our one and only. Ranked 13/400 with a 4.3-something g.p.a. (weighted). She's been involved in:
9th Grade<br>
CHS Swim Team; Volunteer Coach for Neighborhood Swim Team; Served as a Volunteer at the NHL Draft<br>
10th Grade<br>
CHS Swim Team; Habitat for Humanity; Youth Leadership Franklin; Boys & Girls Club Tutor/Volunteer; Team Co-Leader for Amercian Cancer Society Relay for Life; Williamson County Teen Court; International Club; Volunteer Coach for Neighborhood Swim Team
11th Grade
National Honor Society; Williamson County Teen Court; Young Democrats; Mock Trial; Volunteer for Local Democratic Office; American Cancer Society Relay for Life; Served on Jury for Vanderbilt Law School Mock Trial; Part-Time Job; Piano Lessons; Freshman Mentor; Coach for Neighborhood Swim Team; Presented and Implemented Idea for Mock Presidential Election; Will be Attending 2005 Volunteer Girls State; Will be Attending 2005 Governor's School for International Studies
There is always such fabulous information here that I was hoping we might get some suggestions on other schools she might consider. Thanks for any input!</p>
<p>Tops in International Relations would include:</p>
<p>Georgetown School of Foreign Service. Worth a visit.<br>
American. Small school in a semi-suburban area of Wash DC.
GWU. Probably too big for a girl who loves Rhodes?</p>
<p>There is a bit of a disconnect between a girl who wants to study Intl Relations and a girl who loves Rhodes, isn't there? Intl relations implies an interest in the bigger world, a desire to participate in the global scene. </p>
<p>Memphis is bigger than Frnaklin? But is it on the global stage?</p>
<p>Have you considered Macalester in Minnesota? Or is that too far north for your daughter's taste? I'll be interested in hearing your feedback about Centre!</p>
<p>(I'm missing our little community on the Rhodes board!)</p>
<p>I can predict the theme of your D's application! She's done well to really dig into her political ECs this year. What's on the agenda for this summer? She can really solidify her theme by grabbing a great summer internship. </p>
<p>I don't know much about schools in the field of your D's interests. My S loved GWU and wound up accepting a spot at Penn, so urban schools suited him. Sounds like your D likes something different. Either way, lock into something for this summer and make it count! Best wishes.</p>
<p>I'm thinking William and Mary could be the ticket. It is definitely warm, and a girl with her interests would thrive there. It is rigorous academically and has international relations built into the government department. It is a very well-respected department and there are many internship opportunities in DC and elsewhere. Williamsburg is charming and safe and not too far from TN.</p>
<p>If she is a Young Democrat she might appreciate a more liberal environment than some of the schools you mentioned. For the 'not one of the herd' factor, it would also be good, since you live in TN, to visit schools in the northeast, northwest, etc.</p>
<p>Might be a bit far but it definately has the warm weather: Claremont McKenna College in California has one of the nation's best political science and international relations programs (that is the specialty and focus of the school). Her grades would make her a likely candidate. </p>
<p>Another good possibility would be Johns Hopkins, which actually has a very strong rep for international relations.</p>
<p>A few other suggestions of schools with very strong international relations/poli. sci. programs located in the south: Southwestern (TX - if she liked Rhodes, I suspect she make like this great LAC too), U of Miami (Florida), Stetson (Florida), University of Richmond (Virginia), Tulane, Dickinson (PA), Eckerd (FL), and, as already mentioned, William and Mary. If she doesn't mind an all female school, she might take a look at Agnes Scott in Atlanta.</p>
<p>Splashmom, Your daughter's rank, grades, and EC's are very good. Does she have any indication of her SATs yet?</p>
<p>I would think that she could add a few more selective schools -- even super reaches -- to her list. Dartmouth, Brown, JHU, and Tufts come to mind for her areas of interest. With the exception of JHU, these are bigger schools with small school atmospheres. The environments are mixed with Dartmouth being bucolic and JHU very urban. Tufts is probably the closest to the atmosphere that she envisions.</p>
<p>For reach LACs she should take a look at Amherst, Williams and Swarthmore for an excellent liberal arts education. All have reasonably good IR and political science offerings, but less in linguistics per se. Language study and study abroad opportunities are certainly available though.</p>
<p>I know these all counter her inclination to stay south, but at this point she might as well venture out a bit. It's early in the game. Good luck and keep us posted.</p>
<p>Splashmom, from your screenname and with swimming being a first line activity, your D is possibly a college swimmer? Am assuming you have compared her times with those on some of the colleges rosters. Don't know whether she is D-1 or D-3, but both Hopkins and Emory are top D-3 swim schools where a call to the coach could make for a powerful hook. </p>
<p>Carolyn's int rel/pol sci progrograms that she mentions at her recommended schools look like a great list to me, and it looks like your D has a good start on her list. Good luck and have fun checking out the schools.</p>
<p>Thank you all for the great suggestions!</p>
<p>cheers - Good point about Memphis not necessarily being big on the global stage. I may have made it sound like she's afraid of a big campus, but I believe her desire to attend a smaller school stems from her belief that there will be much smaller classes with more individual attention. Also, I believe her father and I are holding her back. I am a bit farther along in the "acceptance" stage than H is at this time, but we need to let her know it's okay to spread her wings and look beyond our region. </p>
<p>fireflyscout - I have a feeling Minnesota would be out of the question for D. She has mentioned several times that she just can't really do the cold weather thing. My husband was once offered a fabulous job in Minnesota and D and I sobbed for hours. I'm sure it's very nice and some people like cold weather, but I just can't imagine living someplace where I need something called a "roof rake" for the snow. I miss our chats on the Rhodes board, too, and check it daily to see if there's any new activity. How is your D? Is she narrowing her list?</p>
<p>momsdream - Her criminal justice teacher encouraged her to apply for an internship he was told about at the office of immigration, but she's already got a full summer ... attending Volunteer Girls State for the first week and then heading to Governor's School for International Studies for the following five weeks. There are so many things she wants to do!</p>
<p>pattykk - She is very much looking forward to visiting William and Mary. We have heard great things about it. The location, though farther from home than I prefer, would be nice for her. With DC so close, you're right in that she could possibly get some opportunities for good internships.</p>
<p>yulsie - Thank you for the suggestion. She's pretty determined to go someplace where the weather is fairly mild.</p>
<p>carolyn - Agnes Scott is a no-go based solely on the fact that it's an all girl school, but I am definitely going to show her the list of others you suggested. Thanks so much!</p>
<p>momrath - She is scheduled to take her SAT May 7th. Her PSAT score of 1400 (verbal and math) put her in the 99th percentile with a selection index of 213. We were so hoping she would be a national merit semifinalist, but the index number jumped from 213 to 216 last year in Tennessee, so we've pretty much resolved ourselves to the fact that it won't fall to 213 again this year. Thanks for more school suggestions. We'll add them to the list of possibilities.</p>
<p>jamimom - Although D is a great swimmer, the most she wants to do in college swimming is intramural or recreational swimming. Her nickname, Splash, came from her apparent love of water when she was just weeks old. That love of water continued and she swam year round and summer league for several years. Unfortunately, she didn't have time to continue swimming for her high school, and she hasn't swam (competitively) since the end of her sophomore year. :(</p>
<p>Thanks again, all. I really do appreciate the feedback. There's always such great info here. I feel I am the student and y'all are the teachers. I look forward to the day that I, too, can share helpful information with other parents here. BTW, I forgot to mention in my original post that D plans (again, she's just 16 ... plans change) to attend law school after her undergraduate work. We are keeping our fingers crossed that she can get some decent merit money for undergraduate so we'll still have some money to fund graduate/law school.</p>
<p>To Carolyn's list, I would add Austin College. In our area, it is highly regarded for academics. I believe they have a strong International Relations program & their Model UN team is highly competitive. It is small (approx 1200) students and in a very small town (Sherman, TX - 45 min from Dallas/Ft Worth). A common refrain about Austin College is "Every person I have ever met who graduated from Austin College is an awesome person." It's definitely worth checking out.</p>
<p>You might want to look at UGA. It has an excellent Honors program, and a wide variety of majors. Its graduate program in public affairs (combining both the poli-sci and international affairs aspects) is ranked 3rd in the nation. It's in the area of the country you're interested in, has plenty of sports to give your D options, and so on. My S was admitted to the Honors Program there, and seriously considered it. He also likes politics, international relations, and linguistics. He ended up chosing Penn as a better fit, but we were impressed with the programs at UGA.</p>
<p>For the record, he is graduating this year from Penn, with a degree in economics, and a minor in German. Has taken a variety of other classes that fit his interests, including poli-sci, public policy, and linguistics! You might want to get your D to look at Penn, too. It really isn't that cold!</p>
<p>Splashmom--I'm worried that the list your D is looking at is predictable. She'll be in the same applicant pool/pile at many of these schools -- competing against the same subset of applicants. There is a study or study that shows that students who apply to school A are also likely to apply to XYZ etc. I'm familiar with your list because it was my daughter's (C' 08) list. You may need to break out of the regional loop to find a safety or money.</p>
<p>International studies need not mean coastal, and I think that she would find herself well prepared by the excellent faculty at Rhodes. The classes are small and the faculty is extremely committed to excellence.</p>
<p>One thing that she might want to investigate before committing is the availability/variety of study abroad programs. My nephew did a wonderful semester abroad at the London School of Economics, and he wasn't attending a coastal school.</p>
<p>Attending a Division III school may make her attractive as a swimmer. If the school is "mellow" about athletics, she may find being on the team is not overwhelming.</p>
<p>Good luck!</p>
<p>Splashmom,</p>
<p>Wow! Your D is looking great! I left you a post on the Rhodes thread, but want to mention here that along with the counsel of our CC community, I believe she will have some great ideas to consider when she comes back from Governor's School. I suspect from talking to students who have gone in the past, she will be working with some wonderful faculty, and I would think it would be great for her to check this out with them. Can't wait to hear how she likes it!</p>
<p>Splashmom--</p>
<p>Momfothree and I agree on so many things, and this is one of them. When my D was at Governor's School, she called and asked me to set up a visit with a school that had not previously been on her list. So many of her new friends at Governor's School thought that she would be an ideal fit on this campus. We visited. She applied. She was accepted with great merit aid, and as the first year is ending, she is still thrilled.</p>
<p>By the way, she doesn't seem to fit the social profile of the school. It's an undefinable quality about the student-faculty interaction that made her fellow travelers think that it would be a good match for her. Out of the mouths of babes!</p>
<p>Do encourage your daughter to compare notes with others at Governor's School. Governor's School was a great experience, and I hope that your daughter enjoys hers as well. My D's group stays in touch and has reunions!</p>
<p>Thanks, mamacita! D is very much looking forward to Governor's School. I'm sure you and momofthree are right in that she may just come home with a few new school names on her list of places in which she has an interest. I'm so happy for your D. It sounds like things worked beautifully for her. I hope my D will have some of those same experiences. This has all been very helpful. Thanks for the input, all! :)</p>
<p>BTW, momofthree, saw your message on the Rhodes board. Thank you!</p>
<p>Your D sounds a lot like mine - did Duke TIP Global Dialogues Institute, won State Citizen Bee, etc., and she applied to the same schools as most of the kids who had an interest in IR did. Check our American she would be one who gets great merit aid there, and they have a terrific swim program bothe EM and IM. If she wants to do model UN, the U of Chicago has one of the best teams around (won championships). Amherst is part of the 5 college consortium and she can get liberal arts along with an IR certification. Georgetown, of course.</p>