<p>Hello everyone. I've narrowed down my list for studying IR/econ to Stanford, Yale, Brown, Tufts, and Columbia. Here's what I think of each, if anyone has more opinions they would be greatly appreciated.</p>
<p>Stanford-Great IR and economics program. Very prestigious school obviously(not that that's my most important factor). Very far away from where I live (NC) so that could be good or bad but definitely scary. I love the school culture.</p>
<p>Yale-Very good at econ and has highly ranked International Studies program that's only offered as a double major. I'm thinking of double majoring anyways but it's still a negative that I would HAVE TO at Yale. However, still a good top choice.</p>
<p>Brown-Again very good at IR. I'm not sure how I feel about the open curriculum but am willing to give it a try. I really like the laid back feel that I've perceived from it.</p>
<p>Tufts- Obviously very well known for IR which is great. I love the campus but am struggling to decide whether to go to a good school with great IR (Tufts) or a great school with good everything including IR. (All of the others on my list).</p>
<p>Columbia- Very interesting school w/ very unique urban campus and core curriculum.( Just like i'm not sure how I feel about Brown's open curriculum, i'm also not sure about Columbia's core. I would feel more comfortable with something in the middle.) Also, Columbia doesn't have an IR major which is negative but I could focus on IR and major in Poly Sci. (Not my best option but still a possibility.)</p>
<p>Sorry for the long post but any help would be great. I realize that I made some generalizations and I apologize, they're just my perceptions so far. I realize that it would be very difficult to get into these schools but I'm just staying optimistic. :)</p>
<p>Well, I’m really leaning more towards an interdisciplinary major in IR as opposed to political science so that obviously takes a lot off of a possible list. Also, I don’t really see myself studying in DC. I’d eventually want to go into business not really international policy.</p>
<p>Brown 2014
ED applied: 2847
ED admitted: 567 (19.9%)
ED rejected: 400 (14.0%)
ED deferred: 1880 (66.0%)
RD applied: 27289
Total RD pool: 29169
RD admitted: 2237 (7.67%)</p>
<p>Columbia College 2014
ED applied: 2495
ED accepted: 485 (19.4%)
ED rejected: 1261 (50.5%)
ED deferred: 749 (30.0%)
RD applied: 19252
Total RD pool: 20001
RD accepted: 1320 (6.60%)</p>
<p>If you’re thinking my point is that you need to add more matches, you would be correct. UNC would make a good safety or safe match if you’re in-state and have a good shot at the above schools. Have you considered Johns Hopkins?</p>
<p>I was going to mention Hopkins for IR as well, or Richmond. Georgetown is a little removed from the really DCish part of DC (no metro access, for example) and it really is the best, but if you don’t want to have to specifically apply to an ir school it makes sense to look at places more like Columbia or Tufts.</p>
<p>Thanks everyone, warblersrule, that’s so funny that you mentioned UNC because i’m definitely applying there. I love the campus. Also, I felt like Tufts is more of a match school too. I have checked out Johns Hopkins and it does look good, just a little more poly sci oriented than I would prefer.</p>
<p>Here<em>to</em>help, thanks! I’ll definitely look into William and Mary!</p>
<p>However, I really like the schools that I put on my list so if anyone could talk about those… lol</p>
<p>The main difference, if you are absolutely positive that you will be majoring in IR, is the location and feel of the universities on your list. What else are you looking for in a College? Are you looking for intellectual camaraderie? My friends at Brown say it is laid back, but they also say there are many students who don’t try very hard. Do your surroundings and housing matter? Everyone says the gothic architecture at Yale is gorgeous (and I do agree), but a block or two away from the university and New Haven gets pretty bad pretty quickly. Every college has its trade offs that need to be balanced.</p>
<p>U of South Carolina has the number one international business school in the nation. I’m not sure if that carries over to international relations </p>
<p>with your list of schools you probably think every school south of the mason dixon line sucks
but you should check it out all the same.</p>
<p>and btw, USC’s campus beats any of those other school’s campuses any day of the week!</p>
<p>LOl mattscoggs I’m from North Carolina so I still have lots of respect for schools in the south. I would definitely consider USC for the future because I plan on getting an MBA in international business after my undergrad. Thanks for the post!</p>
<p>I know this shouldn’t be an issue, but prestige-wise (I would try to get into a good business school afterwards), which of these schools would be at the top?</p>
<p>Prestige wise (not sure how much it factors into MBA acceptance, though, or any peculiarities with how they view prestige) would probably be
Yale/Stanford
Columbia
Brown
Tufts</p>
<p>just curious, what about princeton? it has the wilson school of international affairs.
anyway, i also want to major in international relations. what are some good LACs?</p>
<p>if you’re interested in business and IR, look into the Huntsmann Dual degree program at Penn. Wharton + international studies from CAS. The only problem is that it’s very hard to get into.</p>
<p>If you look at Penn, their IR program lacks academic superstars but offers unparalleled breadth compared to its peers thanks to the “one university” policy of Penn–you can take international law courses at the law school, international business courses at wharton (like “politics and the multinational firm” which is political enough to warrant a dual-listing under PSCI), and lots of other internationally flavored subjects in schools ranging from education to nursing (such as global hunger economics) to communications…</p>
<p>Alright. So now I’m also looking at UPenn and at Chicago University. UPenn really excites me because I would be able to take some classes at Wharton (thanks for the advice ilovebagels!) and Chicago is also very good at economics as well as international relations.</p>
<p>I would say overall, my colleges from most preferred to least are:</p>
<p>I’m not sure where you are obtaining your information. For many years now, those in the field generally consider the top five programs in international studies to be Georgetown, Johns Hopkins, Princeton, Columbia and Tufts. Brown, while obviously a fine school, is not even on the radar. The Watson Center at Brown is underfunded, not strongly supported by the administration, and has no notable stars. What criteria are you looking at?</p>
<p>I’m really looking at interdisciplinary IR programs. I’m trying to avoid political science programs or government programs because I’m mainly interested in international studies as I want to eventually go into international business after an MBA. That kind of takes off Princeton, Columbia, and Georgetown from serious consideration. From what I’ve researched, international relations is very popular at Brown and I’ve only heard great things about Watson. I also really loved the school when I visited. Finally, I’m also looking at the overall reputations of the schools not just in international relations because I want to make sure I’m at a good school if I happen to change my mind about my future.</p>
<p>What I would suggest to keep in mind is that while it’s great you know your preferences and all the advantages/disadvantages about each school, in the end, it’s the school that chooses you, not the other way around. While you may be extremely fortunate and get into your top choices, still be prepared and open about the possibilities at all the schools, even if the particular IR program is not an exact target to what you’re looking for (ie Princeton, Columbia, Georgetown as you mentioned), as these are all fantastic schools that perhaps have better reputations overall than the other places that may be slightly more on track to what you’re seeking. Also keep in mind each school’s unique opportunities, such as Columbia’s proximity to NYC leading to year-round internship possibilities, etc. Good luck!</p>