<p>Both are typically ranked top 15-10 in the nation for their respective fields of study (IR vs. Business). </p>
<p>Comparing an International Relations degree to a Business degree may be apples to oranges, but which would be better in terms of job and grad school placement (specifically, law school?) </p>
<p>I love International Relations, but I've heard Business is the safety net. I can't choose.</p>
<p>If you’re going for law school, the one that will get you the highest GPA.</p>
<p>Plus, consider Austin versus Washington…Austin is the ish for kids our age but D.C. might be best if you want a life in politics.</p>
<p>Highest GPA huh? hmmm… dunno which one that is honestly. </p>
<p>FYI UT is super duper cheap. American U is affordable thanks to scholarships and grants. how does that play in?</p>
<p>The finances completely depend on you. Personally, I would go with whichever is cheapest. Don’t buy into prestige for undergrad, unless you’re doing IB or something. If one school is a lot cheaper than the other and you plan on going to law school, its a no-brainer. You’ll be racking up debt in law school, minimize it now.</p>
<p>Double major in the Kogod School and IS?</p>
<p>IB = International Business? Well UT is prestigious and cheap for business. But business isn’t something I want. </p>
<p>AU has what I want. UT’s the cheaper option though.</p>
<p>IB also refers to investment banking. Which could be important for undergrad, because top schools recruit jobs in said field from prestigious business schools. But if you don’t care about business, as said above, don’t worry about prestige.</p>
<p>Back to your original question, American has solid law school placement. I would say more so than UT.</p>
<p>Really? where can you even find stats like that? O.o</p>
<p>All those stats indicate are how many people go to a university that has a good mind for the LSATs and strong work ethic to make super-superb grades. The university itself has absolutely nothing to do with their entrance into law school (other than perhaps having been the “right fit,” encouraging them to make those super-superb grades). Top law schools care nothing about the name of the school from which you came. All they care about is your cumulative GPA and your LSAT scores (and at this point, your mind either has developed LSAT-friendly or it has not, college is not going to change anything - only studying the LSAT will help now).</p>
<p>Go with UT Austin they have a very well known business program that can make it a little bit easier in getting a job than IR. I don’t know too much about American U, but being in D.C. might allow you to take on some internships there that could lead to a lot more later on for you.</p>
<p>^ You are not going to get a job in IR unless you are studying IR or something close to it (Poli Sci, Int’l Studies), hombre.</p>
<p>Not sure how you dwindled it down to those two choices. For law a philosophy/econ double major seems optimal. English and history would be two other good choices to pair with a philosophy major.</p>
<p>Here’s what I decided. I’ll got to UT Austin McCombs despite it not being my current passion. TOTAL expenses (yep, including room, board, food, etc.) are less than 12k a year, and McCombs is one of the best business programs in the nation. If I realize I don’t like business, I’ll suck it up and get the BBA anyway (I’m good a sticking with things and getting the most out of them to the end if I can see a benefit in the big picture). I’ll apply for either grad school (phD in IR) or law school for a JD. I’ve saved myself HUGE money, which could be used for grad school now. </p>
<p>@Inmotion12: I want law now, but things could change. I’m only 18. And actually, for law your undergrad degree doesn’t matter very much. A good GPA, great networks, and excellent LSAT is what matters. In fact, many successful lawyers I’ve consulted think both business and IR are excellent degrees to complement the JD.</p>