In college I plan to major in International Relations, and today I was accepted to both the University of Michigan and St. Andrews. Both are amazing universities and I am torn about how to chose.
Michigan is gaining prestige throughout the US and that could be to my advantage, but I am worried I will be a small fish in a big pond.
St. Andrews is much smaller and I was planning on studying abroad in college and figured spending all 4 years elsewhere could potentially help me to stand out in the pool those planning on entering international politics in the US and give me a different perspective on these matters.
Any advice would be extremely helpful!
Giant U vs. a uni the size of W&M. B10 sports and classic college town vs. ancient Scottish traditions in a small Scottish town. Liberal arts education vs. most of your classes in one subject. American style of continuous assessment vs. much more self-study and your grades almost entirely coming down to big tests/essays at the end of the year that would cover the whole year (though you usually get to choose what to concentrate in some).
These schools are pretty different.
Cost is not an issue?
That is an odd comment. Michigan is in the same spot it has been for a really long time. One of the top public schools in the county.
Brutal truth for IR? There are a ton of students doing it, and the ‘industry’ knows it & takes advantage of student interest and desire. Internships are the single best way to distinguish yourself in IR- and they are shockingly stingy.
So, imo your best choice is the one that will get you the best internships and the least debt- b/c taking a great internship on a lousy stipend is much harder when you are having to service college debt as well.
As for UMi or St As, as @PurpleTitan pointed out, the experiences are strikingly different. IMO relatively few students would thrive equally well in both places. Be honest with yourself in thinking about where you are likely to thrive.
@PurpleTitan Cost of attendance for umich is $29,000 vs. st. A’s at tuition+room around $28,000 according to my research. So they are quite similar cost wise and my dad has sky miles he can use for flights to Scotland. So there is not a big enough difference to make cost a choosing factor in my mind
Also, if you are serious about international, building fluency in Russian, Arabic, Turkish (or any of the Turkic languages- Uzbek et al) will differentiate you hugely, as (to a slightly lesser extent) will Mandarin. Ditto a study abroad or internship in Central Asia.
“That is an odd comment. Michigan is in the same spot it has been for a really long time. One of the top public schools in the county”
That is an odd comment. Michigan is in the same spot it has been for a really long time. One of the top schools in the country.
Fixed it for you…