Hi everyone!
I’m looking for some schools to apply to with strong programs in international relations. That is my passion and my chosen major. Knowing this, can anyone recommend universities and colleges that would set me up for a career in that line of work?
STATS
ACT 34
GPA 4.0 UW
AP Exams (5,5,5,4)
Sat Subject (770,780)
Commended Scholar
Intern with the Democratic Party
President, PolySci Club
National-level delegate, MUN
President, History Honor Society
Staffer for first African American Judge elected in county.
My letters are really good (so I’ve been told lol) and I put a lot of work into my essays.
Home State?
How much can you and your parents pay per year?
Specific Geographic Locations?
Large or Small school? Private/Public/LAC/Religious/Rural/Urban?
International relations appears as a subfield of political science/government at many colleges, and may best be considered as being interdisciplinary in nature. However, in terms of available courses in the field, look for schools at which a dozen or more are offered specifically in IR. That said, many students with your interests follow the Washington route when choosing a college. For this, you can seek out schools located there (e.g., G-town, GW) or schools with term-length programs in D.C. (e.g., Claremont McKenna, Hamilton, Dickinson). In the latter case, the availability of a Washington program by itself, whether you eventually avail yourself of it or not, can be used as an indicator of a college’s commitment to the greater field that includes IR.
For small schools, I strongly second merc81’s suggestion of CMC. I’d also suggest looking at Swarthmore (reach), as well as Middlebury, which offers an International Politics & Economics degree. (Middlebury’s Monterrey institute is excellent but is only at the masters’ level). Other good options are Grinnell and Colgate.
If you don’t mind larger and urban, then Georgetown, Chicago, Columbia, American, GW - those first three being reaches.
You might want to look into Oxford College of Emory University. Good aid, in a rural location for the first two years, and Emory’s main campus has a huge number of IR classes to choose from along with an incredible depth of resources.
@futureforce, the first thing you need to do is clarify your eligibility for need-based aid. Many of the colleges mentioned here – and many of the more selectives anywhere – do not offer merit aid. It’s therefore imperative that you run a few net price calculators (found on-line) to get an idea of how much need-based aid you might expect to receive. If the resultant expected family contribution is more than you can afford then you need to start researching schools that are generous with merit aid, which would make a somewhat different list.
I think you’ve had some good suggestions here. I would suggest you look at Williams as well. Their international relations program is an cross-disciplinary concentration called Global Studies, which combines political science, political economics, history and other areas of study focused by geography or theme. In case you don’t know Williams, it’s an academically rigorous small liberal arts college located in the Berkshire mountains of western Massachusetts. Need-based aid only.
For IR, Middlebury has one of the best programs around and will meet 100%of demonstrated need. They have always prides themselves on being a small college with a global feel.
If you want small-medium and rural-suburban, check out Dartmouth, Williams, Swarthmore, and William & Mary. American University is less selective; it’s in a suburb-like area just inside the DC city limits.