<p>Please try to be unbiased! And this might be useful for anyone (already admitted or desiring to be admitted) who is SFS-minded. And, no comments about how I might not get into the other four schools. I know that, but I'm being hypothetical so I can prepare for the worst AND the best.</p>
<p>The question: Where do Stanford, Harvard, Princeton, Yale, and Georgetown rank on a 1-10 scale for international relations? (Let's assume #1 is the worst and #10 is the best; use the intervals to denote degrees of "better.")</p>
<p>So, tell me what you all think! This is very confusing, and the more of these schools I get into, the harder it will be to make a decision. But when I do, I want to make it count.</p>
<p>True - but HYPS are considered the "big dogs" in all-around education, and I didn't apply to those three for various reasons (JHU is weak on undergrad IR; Columbia is in NYC, which would kill me; Tufts struck me as UChicago-esque but with less of what I want in other areas).</p>
<p>I think Columbia/JHU/Tufts are more known in IR for grad school, for which they are at the top, as is GWU's grad school. I believe a big part of the difference is practical experience vs. theoretical classroom stuff. It all depends on what you want. If you're looking to go into real politics and diplomacy, I think Gtown would be the perfect choice for that because of the location and, like you said, so many go into IR jobs. If you're wanting an international background but maybe as a springboard into law school or some other field and the practical experience isn't as important to you, HYPS would be fine choices.</p>
<p>If you're not exactly sure what you want but are thinking about IR at a great school, go for a HYPS education because at least it's somewhat flexible as far as switching your major. At Georgetown, however, I wouldn't go to SFS if I'm unsure because, while you can transfer out, it's a school for those with very focused interests in IR. </p>
<p>Rankings are also not all they're cracked up to be, so be careful with that. A lot of factors go into it which you may or may not find important, and they might not impact overall quality of the program for you. <strong>Personal opinion</strong> I applied to SFS as my first choice (admitted :D) because, while Harvard and others are higher in rankings, their schools are not as known for IR and they're not as dedicated to it. For me, I'd rather go to a school that has an entire school dedicated to foreign service than to H/Y which don't even have and IR undergrad major. It's int'l. studies, which is similar but not the same.</p>
<p>If you actually want to do somethng career wise in international relations- in intelligence, the state department, a think tank, a policy job supporting elected officials, in an international organization, in the World Bank etc., Georgetown is without question the best place to study.</p>
<p>If you view IR as an academic interest-you have an interest in, for instance, comparative government, or development economics and you want your career to be a more conventional track to law school or a Ph.D. then the Ivies are as good.</p>
<p>there is a post in major section talking about IR program.I remember sb's comment,which I think was really accurate,"for graduate school,major rank is really important.However,for undergrad,overall prestige is more important."
I've been heard recently that SFS is overated,I dont know if it's true or not~</p>
<p>I think the program is so highly esteemed because it is unique and so successful at getting people into real government jobs as opposed to academia. There are no other schools that I can think of that have an entire college devoted to international studies, that focus, DC it self, and the faculty make the program different. For me as an incoming student, I am also attracted to their breath of study abroad programs (qatar, turkey, very few schools have programs in the middle east). It also is just the feel I am looking for. Just my two cents. You can't go wrong with any of the schools you listed.</p>