<p>Undergraduate IR Program.
Discuss.</p>
<p>Both are excellent--you can't make a mistake either way. On the undergraduate level, I'd rate them to be equal. On the graduate level, I'd give Hopkins (SAIS) a slight edge over Tufts (Fletcher).</p>
<p>As an institution, I'd give Hopkins a considerable edge over Tufts. On almost any meaningful measure (number of top ranked departments, faculty awards and productivity, Nobel Prizes, endowment, physical facilities,etc), Hopkins wins. BTW, I've had this conversation with very senior administrators at Tufts and they agreed with this assessment.</p>
<p>Hopkins' proximity to Washington is also a not insignificant factor. Throw lacrosse into the mix and the decision is done :)</p>
<p>Be prepared for serious competition at hopkins</p>
<p>Nobody falls in love with Baltimore. The Boston area is much better</p>
<p>I'm not sure what you mean by "serious competition." Hopkins is surely a competitive place. If by "serious" you intend to raise that old bugaboo of Hopkins being "cut thoat."--I hope you know that that myth is a lot of bull****. In any event, it's usually aimed at pre-meds. International studies is for serious students at Hopkins--but if you talk to students you'll find that they are very cooperative and supportive of each other. </p>
<p>That "nobody falls in love with Baltimore" is also incorrect. I won't argue that Baltimore is as nice a city as Boston. It's not. But Baltimore, while it has its share of problems, also has some truly wonderful areas and a quirky, non pretentious personality that many find endearing. And Tufts is not in Boston--its in Medford. I'll take the neighborhood around Homewood over Medford anyday. Yes, Tufts is near Davis Square (in Somerville) and that is a great spot for young people--but with the recent changes in Charles Village and Hampden--the area around Hopkins competes quite nicely.</p>
<p>but for pre-med, hopkins is considerably more competitive than tufts</p>
<p>Milkmagn, the competitiveness of the individual pre-med curricula is relevant how? The OP asked about IR departments.</p>
<p>Of course, its not relevent at all. There are some people (usually, but not always, people who applied to Hopkins and were denied admission) who love to spread the rumor that Hopkins (particularly for pre-meds) is a cut throat place. It is almost completely a myth. After all, Hopkins draws its students from the same pool of high school students as every other top rated university or college. Yes, in general Hopkins students are high achievers and the Hopkins faculty sets very high academic standards which require students to work hard. That does not mean that students don't cooperate or help each other out. The vast majority do. Of course, there are always some jerks around but that is true of every place.</p>
<p>The two schools are going to be pretty much equal on an undergraduate level. I'd say it's a matter of fit.</p>
<p>My own school doesn't even exist on IR radar, but it's a great fit for me and my niche of interests.</p>