<p>As an international student I got into both, and will be studying int'l politics at the SFS or Political Science at UPenn. Which one do you think is better? Opinions from current students would be much appreciated. If you could outline some specific differences, that also would be great. Thanks in advance,</p>
<p>Answers would be of much help!</p>
<p>I do not like bumping this, but if anyone could help, this may be well-worth the bump.</p>
<p>Go ask this in the main thread. No one comes to the specific class threads.</p>
<p>I can say this: have you visited? I hated Georgetown’s campus (it’s on a hill?) plus it’s really hard to get from Georgetown to the rest of DC bc there are no metro stops in Georgetown. Though I think a lot of people do think it’s pretty…I didn’t like it and didn’t apply after visiting. I have many friends there, many of whom love it, but one friend was miserable her first two years until she got a bike, which gave her a lot more freedom. It’s also a Jesuit school, and I’m not sure how much influence that has on things. Like, I’m not really sure how the party scene/drinking policy is there–I know there are off campus parties (I went to one at a friend’s last summer actually) but I don’t think you’re allowed to drink on campus.</p>
<p>I actually would recommend Penn’s International Relations program, which is the ‘equivalent’ to SFS–you take a lot of political science classes, as well as history, econ, etc. (it’s very interdisciplinary). It’s also a really good department. [International</a> Relations @ UPenn](<a href=“http://www.sas.upenn.edu/irp/]International”>International Relations)</p>
<p>Georgetown’s good, but I think Penn’s a lot better. Obviously I’m biased. If you’re really interested in DC, there’s also a program where you can spend a semester interning and taking a few classes (from Penn professors) in DC and meeting really cool people who work in all sorts of different fields in DC (or you can just intern in the summer and participate in the summer events). It’s called Penn in Washington if you want to google it, by the way (I did it last summer).</p>
<p>Like I said, go ask this in the main thread, and ask this on Georgetown’s forum as well.</p>
<p>Thanks a lot, I’ll also ask this in the main thread, but your answer is also very informative.</p>
<p>If you are concerned about reputation and opportunities for international relations, Georgetown is better. Georgetown has D.C. at its fingertips and many professors have connections in the Capitol. I feel that it would be much easier to get involved in international things at a school like Georgetown. Plus, Georgetown SFS is considered to be the premier international program in America. UPenn is great for a better education and a stronger academic rigor. Penn has an edge as far as education, but Georgetown has a better edge as far as opportunities.</p>
<p>Thank’s a lot for your answer! I think although I am ready and up for a rigorous education (which I would get at UPenn), political education is also of extreme importance to me. Thank you very much for this answer once again!</p>
<p>I would actually argue that Georgetown’s location is really terrible. Like, it’s in a really pretty place, and it IS technically in DC, but it’s not actually “in” DC. You can’t just walk off campus and go somewhere (I mean, you can, but you’ll be walking at least 40 minutes before you really hit anything) and buses to Georgetown aren’t that convenient. I really don’t know if you can say it has a better edge as far as opportunities. Many students just stick to campus because it does require a lot of effort to get out.
Penn also has a lot of connections to the Capitol (and we do have Fels and part of that is Penn in Washington). I also don’t know that I’ve ever heard SFS as having a better reputation than Penn…I actually really haven’t heard anything about SFS since I looked at applying two years ago, and that’s despite spending last summer in DC (now, that could just be me, but…Idk). A greater majority of the students at Georgetown will be interested in politics and policy than at Penn, I’m sure, but it also makes it harder to stand out…and that doesn’t mean there aren’t a lot of interested students at Penn, either.</p>