What are some schools to consider if I want to become a Political Strategist?

College Search & Selection
1

<p>thanks in advance</p>

2

<p>Georgetown, GWU, and Princeton come to mind.</p>

3

<p>Franklin and Marshall college’s Government is very strong and there are many alumni in Washington. Easier to get into that Georgetown and Princeton of course.</p>

4

<p>thanks guys</p>

5

<p>I know several political advisors who did not go to any of the ‘usual suspects’ (Georgetown, GWU, etc) – they simply went to excellent schools and got involved in their school/local politics and parlayed that experience to getting jobs in the field. That said, keep in mind that most advisors/strategists have graduate degrees as well.</p>

6

<p>do you guys know of any schools that offer degrees in public policy?</p>

7

<p>bump…</p>

8

<p>I’d definitely focus on Washington, DC. While the previous poster was right that you can go anywhere, getting your foot in the door working on campaigns and knowing professors and such in the mix of the federal chaos can’t hurt. There’s really nothing like DC if you love politics.</p>

<p>I believe American University has a good public policy program. </p>

<p>Just because I know the school, I know Cornell has a respected Policy and Management program in the Human Ecology school, but that’s not in DC and I don’t know how it compares to similar programs (though there’s a HUGE Cornell network in DC).</p>

9

<p>

Yeah, don’t get hell-bent on being in D.C. if you can’t find the right school there.</p>

10

<p>Tufts if you really care about foreign policy.</p>

11

<p>Where did Karl Rove go?</p>

12

<p>don’t know where he went, but pretty sure where he’ll go – to hell</p>

13

<p>According to wikipedia, he went to the University of Utah.</p>

14

<p>How do you even get to be a political strategist?</p>

<p>This primary season has made me want to do the same…lol…looks fun.</p>

<p>But do you just go put up a sign “Political Strategist for Hire” or what?</p>

15

<p>American U. will open the door to internships in the field while you are still an undergraduate.</p>

16

<p>Claremont McKenna</p>

17

<p>In 2006, the John Glenn Institute for Public Service and Public Policy merged with the Ohio State University School of Public Policy and Management to form the John Glenn School for Public Affairs–it is a very highly regarded program and provides wonderful internship opportunities.</p>

18

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<p>Save your bias for the off-topic forum</p>

19

<p>Having worked for a top consultant for awhile, the most important thing by far is not where you went to school but that you have experience. Going to DC would be a good place to collect some of that. Figure out what kind of personality you are too: a pollster, a spin doctor, lobbyist, etc.</p>

20

<p>Well, there is the idea of practical internships in DC… for that reason American University would be a good option.</p>

<p>Beyond that, what skills are necessary to this position? Good critical thinking, leadership, marketing, advertising, sales, psychology, sociology, statistics – basically equivalent to brand marketing in business. It has very little, if anything, to do with actual political thought or ideology.</p>

<p>Where do business brand managers come from? Business school is one place. Another is top 20 universities, where critical thinking, leadership, etc. is already screened for in the applicant pools.</p>