College 3 by 5: Three Things about Five Colleges

International Relations Programs

Compiled by Emily Standish

As the world becomes smaller and smaller, with immediate internet access to global culture and political developments, teenagers are keenly aware of interconnected world events. The number of colleges and universities that have majors in International Relations continues to grow. Programs in International Relations are multidisciplinary curricula that encompass history, economics, and political science combined with languages, anthropology, geography, law, and human rights. Here are five colleges with well-respected majors in International Relations:

American University, Washington, DC, www.american.edu

·         AU students have the opportunity to choose internships from forty countries and 900 private, nonprofit or governmental institutions

·         The Global Scholars Program is an accelerated program within the School of International Service that awards the BA degree in three years and the MA degree during the fourth year at AU

·         By the numbers: 44% acceptance rate, ACT mid-range: 26-30, 37% of students receive merit aid

Bucknell University, Lewisburg, PA, www.bucknell.edu .

·         Nearly all International Relations majors study abroad in their area of concentration and most IR majors become fluent in at least one foreign language

·         Students can choose to live in Residential Colleges such as Global College, Languages and Cultures College, Social Justice College, Humanities College, and more

·         By the numbers: 27% acceptance rate, ACT mid-range 27-31, 10% of students receive merit aid

Claremont McKenna College, Claremont, CA, www.claremontmckenna.edu

·         Beyond required courses in government and economics, CMC students may take elective courses within a thematic or geographic focus.

·         Summer internship opportunities abound, at world-wide locations such as the United Nations, The Carter Center, Doctors Without Borders, and the CIA

·         By the numbers: 14% acceptance rate, ACT mid-range 30-33, 7% of students receive merit aid

George Washington University, Washington, DC, www.gwu.edu

·         At the Elliot School of International Affairs at GW, students begin with a core curriculum in the humanities, social sciences, sciences and foreign languages, then focus on an internationally oriented major

·         The summer seminar “US Foreign Policy in a Global Era” allows undergraduates to participate in discussions with graduate students and professionals from around the world

·         By the numbers: 33% acceptance rate, ACT mid-range 27-31, 43% of students receive merit aid

Macalester College, St. Paul, MN, www.macalester.edu

·         Macalester offers many majors with an international focus, including Human Rights and Humanitarianism, International Development, International Studies, and Community and Global Health

·         Macalester’s Model United Nations delegation routinely wins awards at National MUN

·         By the numbers: 35% acceptance rate, ACT mid-range 28-32, 10% of students receive merit aid

There are dozens of other colleges and universities in the US with strong undergraduate programs in International Relations. Check out Earlham College (IN), Davidson College (NC), Dickinson College (PA), Georgetown University (DC), Johns Hopkins University (MD), Lewis & Clark College, and Tufts University (MA), or search “international relations” at www.collegenavigator.gov.

The Supreme Court Ruling (or Non-Ruling) on Race and Admissions

Since the decision by the Supreme Court a week ago to remand the case of Fisher vs University of Texas at Austin back to the Fifth Circuit Court, many of us involved in college admissions have been trying to figure out what that means and how it will effect the students we work with.

Here, in a New Yorker article by Louis Menand, is the best analysis I have read. It's really worth reading the whole article, but if you won't, here's my favorite part:

"People often talk about affirmative action as strictly a benefit to the minority student. But it is equally a benefit to the majority student. It puts that student in intellectual contact with people who come to college with very different experiences and viewpoints and expectations from life. Dealing with that contact is one of the ways people learn how to think. Discussing “Huckleberry Finn” in an all-white or all-non-white classroom is completely different from discussing it in a mixed-race classroom. So is discussing race-conscious admissions policies."