<p>Which college is better for International Relations? I was accepted to both and am trying to decide whether Tulane or Florida Sate University is best for this major. Which one is ranked better/recognized more? Or, based on your personal perception, which do you feel is best?</p>
<p>Any form of help/information/statistics/comments will be appreciated! Thanks!</p>
<p>So, I’m not sure about rankings for International Relations, but I’m also deciding between Tulane/UCDavis/UCSD. Did you get any scholarships for Tulane? If you did, I would definitely choose it because it is a pricey school but they have an amazing amount of resources. I actually visited and was really surprised by the facilities and the general open-nature and friendliness of all the professors and students. I think its a great school and will offer you a lot more opportunities over Florida State.</p>
<p>Do you think you could give me some advice too? I’m looking into Public Health and I know w/ Tulane I could get an MPH in 5 years with their BPH/MPH program. Davis/SD dont have this but going to Tulane would mean going to the other side of the country for me. Its pretty far and I’m close to my family. Do you think its worth going to Tulane if I have a scholarship?</p>
<p>Any one else can feel free to give me some advice to. I’m looking to go into public health and my choices have come down to Tulane/UCDavis/UCSD. </p>
<p>Thanks :)</p>
<p>I am a huge fan of Tulane. Fine school in N"awlins. You have to be disciplined there to avoid the temptations of the city. But its a great school.</p>
<p>FSU is strong academically… but always in the shadow of UFlorida, UGeorgia, Clemson. Its a large state school. Somewhat more conservative than UFlorida. Its got a WILD frat/sorority scene…so again, you have to be disciplined to avoid those temptations. FSU has a tremendous sports heritage that trumps Tulane by a mile. If that is important to you, then perhaps that is your choice.</p>
<p>Google up the IR rankings and see what you can find. IR is a very, very, very competitive major. Only the very best and brightest get into the very best and brightest grad schools (Georgetown, Johns Hopkins, Harvard, Stanford, UChicago) etc. Its very daunting. You can ask those schools how many of their IR graduates get accepted to grad school and where and where they end up finding work: government or private sector or GSE.</p>
<p>Rule #1: For undergraduate work, forget about rankings, prestige, or any similar word. That makes the university sound like a trade school, which is not what undergraduate education is about. DId you know that 70%-80% of students change their major at least once from what they intended when they started? So picking a school based on a field of study you might not even be in when you graduate makes no sense. And it still makes no sense even if you stick with it. 75% of your courses will be in areas other than your major. Life outside of the classroom is a huge part of being an undergraduate. Put those two things together and something like 90% of college life is not related to your major.</p>
<p>So decide where you think you would really like to be for 4 years based on overall academics, size of the school, location, affordability, sports if that is important to you, so on and so forth. In the case of FSU vs. Tulane (full disclosre I am a Tulane alum and current Tulane parent) you couldn’t get two schools much more different except for weather. Huge vs. mid-sized, public vs. private, moderately selective vs. highly selective, big-time sports vs. not-so-much, small city vs. major, unique city. Decide based on those and economic factors, if those are an issue. Then you will be much happier those 4 years, which should lead to better results and a great career in whatever area you decide on.</p>
<p>cookies - Those are all good schools. Much of what I said above is true for everyone. The easiest choice for you should be USDavis vs. the other two. Davis is really rural and the others urban, so first decide which you prefer.</p>
<p>Second, in your case there are some unique factors. Tulane has an unusually strong program in Public Health and as you say, you could come out with a master’s with just a bit more time there. Many people can do it in 4 years depending if you have AP credits. Even if you don’t, 4.5 years is certainly doable.</p>
<p>Third, I do understand being close to family, but then this is a great time to experience life on your own and learn about a different part of the country. I personally think that is very important, but not everyone places the same value on that.</p>
<p>I wish you luck in your decision.</p>
<p>Thank you for the posts! I’m leaning more towards Tulane based on overall academics and the fact that it is out of Florida (from FL and would like a change in scenery). I have yet to attend Destination Tulane but I plan to do so soon. After attending, I should have a much better idea of what sets Tulane apart from other colleges and whether it will be a fit for me.</p>
<p>Again, thank you for your input and advice!</p>
<p>Ditto to both fallenchemist and ghostbuster. Your input really helps!
Fallenchemist: I’m really starting to agree with your third point. I am the kind of person who likes travelling and yes i do feel like if i want to experience new places, now is the time to do it.
Thank you guys so much!</p>