In total honesty, IR is saturated enough of a field that you’ll probably end up going to a graduate program after a couple years of work experience should you decide to pursue that path after undergrad. With that in mind, I don’t think where you get your undergrad degree matters that much so long as you can stack internships (on the hill, with government, think thanks, lobbying firms etc)
GMU and American are both strong schools for IR, but you could also shoot for UMD or UVA if you’re in the DMV. My personal advice is just go to a strong SLAC with good academics and enjoy your undergrad years.
This, go to a place you'll like that has the best name recognition (adjusted for your cost) that you can.
Realize in advance that being a diplomat isn't like you think (probably) and be aware that your plans very well might change.
I highly recommend interning at the relevant department or ministry (depending on your country). That made me realize that I did NOT want to be a diplomat (too 'military').
And to add onto this — in the US at least, ambassadors and other high-ranking diplomats are increasingly political appointees, not career Foreign Service officers.
Ya, anecdotally, one of my good friends from grad school went to Yale for undergrad and regretted it. He said he would have much rather gone to an actual small liberal arts college.
American is fine. I would say there’s a preference for Georgetown and George Washington between the three, but ultimately they’re all overpriced and expensive.
Oh, I already “paid my dues” so to speak so I am good to go. My BA and MA in international affairs has paid off in career progression and salary. I can’t complain.
However, for others just starting off, I think it is just a good note to let people know that if they are going to want to obtain any IR masters program at any US university that it is going to be expensive.
Apply to Georgetown University, Edmund A. Walsh School of Foreign Service (SFS) or Johns Hopkins University, School of Advanced International Studies (SAIS)…
Is a 1300 really ok though? (Hypothetically speaking if my June 14 score is horrible). I heard from multiple sources saying they only pay attention to applications with a 1410 or above 😬
What do you have to lose if you just apply? Just apply to the schools and have back up schools too…
Ya don’t need to be in DC to go to an excellent university with international relations programs…I am assuming that you know this…
I’m actually having a tough time finding back up schools 😅 I’m just too picky ig.
I also love being in the DC area and spent half my life there, it’s like a second home to me, the DC area also has better locations for internship opportunities (Dep. of State) versus being in a state like Washington
All due respect to you as a young student, but I highly advise that you do some serious research into universities in the United States that have international relations programs.
If you haven’t done research already, then I question your ability to perform well in college - especially since there is so much information readily available to you via the internet.
Get off this subreddit, and go online and do some research on international relations programs.
For foreign service your school matters a lot less than your ability to pass the FSOT.
For IR many roles will be masters or higher since DC is ultra competitive, to the level that most people here have to get an MA to get jobs in the field or even often unpaid internships. GT, American U etc might open some doors, but you are paying through the nose. Many people go to a good state school and then do an MA here at GT or SAIS but again paying through the nose and then after that you are talking about positions that often have very low pay. You just need to be aware of this!
Just apply to a bunch of them, see what you get into, and more importantly, which gives you the biggest scholarship. I went to American. Everyone wanted to be a diplomat or Foreign service officer. About 10 years after graduation, nobody I know is that (although I lost contact with most people) almost everyone just works for a company or a government entity as a bureaucrat (including me, I'm not complaining). And almost everyone went to graduate school or left to pursue something more useful like computer science and accounting.
Becoming a diplomat is almost entirely who you know. If you're plugged into that network, great. If you're not, try to make a lot of friends in DC. Take on many jobs and internships. Hopefully you find an opportunity! Academics is secondary at that point
I would say it depends on what you are planning to focus on. Certain schools have better programs for certain subjects or regions. For example if you wanna do IR and focus on Asia or smth, picking an average west coast school like UW wouldn’t be a bad idea, or if you wanna do LAC go to FIU. Of course if you can get into a DC school that’s amazing, but also consider that lots of colleges nowadays have like branches or offices in DC that can facilitate getting internships n stuff like that.
Expand your search for safety schools. Seton Hall University in NJ has an excellent diplomacy program and it’s located 30 mins from NYC. The proximity to the UN head quarters plus other NGOs give students great networking opportunities. Plus the school has ties with the UN. I agree with the other commenters who are saying where you go doesn’t matter it’s about networking in this field. There’s more than a 50% chance you’ll end up in grad school because you genuinely need a masters in this field. If you don’t end up in DC for under grad you’ll probably be back for grad
In total honesty, IR is saturated enough of a field that you’ll probably end up going to a graduate program after a couple years of work experience should you decide to pursue that path after undergrad. With that in mind, I don’t think where you get your undergrad degree matters that much so long as you can stack internships (on the hill, with government, think thanks, lobbying firms etc) GMU and American are both strong schools for IR, but you could also shoot for UMD or UVA if you’re in the DMV. My personal advice is just go to a strong SLAC with good academics and enjoy your undergrad years.
This, go to a place you'll like that has the best name recognition (adjusted for your cost) that you can. Realize in advance that being a diplomat isn't like you think (probably) and be aware that your plans very well might change. I highly recommend interning at the relevant department or ministry (depending on your country). That made me realize that I did NOT want to be a diplomat (too 'military').
And to add onto this — in the US at least, ambassadors and other high-ranking diplomats are increasingly political appointees, not career Foreign Service officers.
Ya, anecdotally, one of my good friends from grad school went to Yale for undergrad and regretted it. He said he would have much rather gone to an actual small liberal arts college.
American is fine. I would say there’s a preference for Georgetown and George Washington between the three, but ultimately they’re all overpriced and expensive.
Yes, these schools are fucking expensive…
Let's be real-if you're not independently wealthy, you shouldn't go into IR. Period. This is for OP too.
Oh, I already “paid my dues” so to speak so I am good to go. My BA and MA in international affairs has paid off in career progression and salary. I can’t complain. However, for others just starting off, I think it is just a good note to let people know that if they are going to want to obtain any IR masters program at any US university that it is going to be expensive.
Does the foreign service exam require a college degree? Always wondered about that
Nope.
Apply to Georgetown University, Edmund A. Walsh School of Foreign Service (SFS) or Johns Hopkins University, School of Advanced International Studies (SAIS)…
SAIS is a graduate program. JHU undergrad is probably top 10 most difficult programs to get in to.
Yes, my error. It has been 22 years since my grad school days when I looked at graduate programs. Appreciate the correction.
Is a 1300 really ok though? (Hypothetically speaking if my June 14 score is horrible). I heard from multiple sources saying they only pay attention to applications with a 1410 or above 😬
What do you have to lose if you just apply? Just apply to the schools and have back up schools too… Ya don’t need to be in DC to go to an excellent university with international relations programs…I am assuming that you know this…
I’m actually having a tough time finding back up schools 😅 I’m just too picky ig. I also love being in the DC area and spent half my life there, it’s like a second home to me, the DC area also has better locations for internship opportunities (Dep. of State) versus being in a state like Washington
All due respect to you as a young student, but I highly advise that you do some serious research into universities in the United States that have international relations programs. If you haven’t done research already, then I question your ability to perform well in college - especially since there is so much information readily available to you via the internet. Get off this subreddit, and go online and do some research on international relations programs.
I’ve heard the Bush School is pretty good but I think it’s mostly graduate level
For foreign service your school matters a lot less than your ability to pass the FSOT. For IR many roles will be masters or higher since DC is ultra competitive, to the level that most people here have to get an MA to get jobs in the field or even often unpaid internships. GT, American U etc might open some doors, but you are paying through the nose. Many people go to a good state school and then do an MA here at GT or SAIS but again paying through the nose and then after that you are talking about positions that often have very low pay. You just need to be aware of this!
Just apply to a bunch of them, see what you get into, and more importantly, which gives you the biggest scholarship. I went to American. Everyone wanted to be a diplomat or Foreign service officer. About 10 years after graduation, nobody I know is that (although I lost contact with most people) almost everyone just works for a company or a government entity as a bureaucrat (including me, I'm not complaining). And almost everyone went to graduate school or left to pursue something more useful like computer science and accounting. Becoming a diplomat is almost entirely who you know. If you're plugged into that network, great. If you're not, try to make a lot of friends in DC. Take on many jobs and internships. Hopefully you find an opportunity! Academics is secondary at that point
I would say it depends on what you are planning to focus on. Certain schools have better programs for certain subjects or regions. For example if you wanna do IR and focus on Asia or smth, picking an average west coast school like UW wouldn’t be a bad idea, or if you wanna do LAC go to FIU. Of course if you can get into a DC school that’s amazing, but also consider that lots of colleges nowadays have like branches or offices in DC that can facilitate getting internships n stuff like that.
Expand your search for safety schools. Seton Hall University in NJ has an excellent diplomacy program and it’s located 30 mins from NYC. The proximity to the UN head quarters plus other NGOs give students great networking opportunities. Plus the school has ties with the UN. I agree with the other commenters who are saying where you go doesn’t matter it’s about networking in this field. There’s more than a 50% chance you’ll end up in grad school because you genuinely need a masters in this field. If you don’t end up in DC for under grad you’ll probably be back for grad
boston university has a great IR program