<p>Hi. Which school has the better International Studies/Relations programme? I know that both schools are very prestigious, but that they have very different settings. Is one school considered stronger? Thoughts? Comments? Thanks -</p>
<p>William and Mary.</p>
<p>May I ask why? (i.e. support). Thanks!</p>
<p>International relations is probably better at Tufts. W&M has more connections in DC, however, if you're looking to work for the state department</p>
<p>International Relations is one of W&M's strengths, which was the overriding factor in my daughter's choice to attend there, over some perhaps even more prestigious schools. Check the following links:</p>
<p><a href="http://www.wm.edu/revescenter/%5B/url%5D">http://www.wm.edu/revescenter/</a></p>
<p><a href="http://www.wm.edu/revescenter/rc/?n_id=50%5B/url%5D">http://www.wm.edu/revescenter/rc/?n_id=50</a></p>
<p>I picked WM over Tufts last year, and sort of regret the decision. For IR, it's a really tough call because both schools are renowned for their IR programs. </p>
<p>It's also a curious similarity that WM and Tufts are both severely underfunded when compared to their peer institutions.</p>
<p>WM's got the low tuition, and the rural atmosphere if that's what you want. (There's NO town here, be warned. It's all a ruse to attract tourists.... nothing for students to do AT ALL. You have to make do with whatever's going on on campus, which is usually a lot, but it can still be confining at times)</p>
<p>I sensed a sort of drug culture at Tufts. There's definitely not one here at WM. If you're caught, you get kicked out. On the other hand, when I visited Tufts, the kid hosting me offered me a joint. </p>
<p>WM's got nice and low tuition, especially if you're in VA. It's still more than $10,000 cheaper than Tufts per year for out-of-staters. </p>
<p>The call is up to you. They come soooo close --- I ultimately picked WM because it was a lot less money, and because I couldn't find any other convincing argument one way or the other. There are times where I definitely regret that decision, but cest la vie..... there's no way to know that things would have been better at Tufts.</p>
<p>Schools with higher endowments usually spend that money on professors who don't teach so it all balances out...</p>
<p>I like the professors at W&M. 4/8 I've had so far have been totally inspirational and brilliant, 3/8 have been typical and only 1 has been a dud.</p>
<p>W&M any day over Tufts. I never heard of Tufts until a couple years ago, because they'll always be considered as a safety of Harvard, MIT, and Williams, maybe even Wellesley and BC too.</p>
<p>Um tufts is quite a bit harder to get into than BC, and about the same as Williams or Wellesley. </p>
<p>However, as far as IR programs go, I think Tufts is better, though I must admit I don't know much about W&M</p>
<p>Tufts is much more difficult to get into than BC, is as difficult as Williams, and much more difficult to get into than Wellesley. WMalum06 - I think the book on Tufts that you were reading is about a decade old; Tufts hasn't been considered a safety school for the Ivies for years, especially taking into account that it's more selective than JHU and Wesleyan, for instance (and w/ a larger applicant pool;). It's easily considered an elite institution now. W&M will probably have better name recognition than Tufts though, due to its age. IR for Tufts is placed w/ GU SFS, as well. Now, this is not to say that W&M isn't a superb school, it is very much so, in fact it was one of my choices.</p>
<p>According to the Tufts website, 28% of all applicants to the Class of 2009 were admitted:</p>
<p><a href="http://admissions.tufts.edu/?pid=121&c=111%5B/url%5D">http://admissions.tufts.edu/?pid=121&c=111</a> </p>
<p>That's pretty much the same for Wesleyan:</p>
<p><a href="http://www.wesleyan.edu/about/profile.html%5B/url%5D">http://www.wesleyan.edu/about/profile.html</a></p>
<p>"6,879 applications received; 1,893 students admitted; 715 students enrolled"</p>
<p>Yes - 28% for Wesleyan (2009). Now, that being said, Tufts received almost 15,400 applications. So, It could select from a larger pool, most of whom were highly qualified. Both school's applicant pools are largely self-selecting (the UChicago situation). Don't worry, the thread wasn't about Tufts and Wesleyan; Wesleyan is a excellent school, and the two schools IMO compliment each other well. I believe that, like Tufts, Wesleyan (among others) deserves more national notariety for its superb offerings. I was just a little surprised by wmalum06's comments, which are completely off the mark.</p>
<p>I am biased for W&M, and yes they were made in ignorance (besides ranking and name recognition). After seeing the stats, I now realize Tufts is a very strong school in its own right.</p>