<p>Our daughter chose between WFU and AU. Because her primary interests were history and politics, AU became a natural choice for her because of the opportunities to apply her learning in real world settings. For her, I am certain it was the perfect choice, and of course she grew up with WFU, so going there would have been much less of an adventure than going off to DC.</p>
<p>On the other hand, Wake Forest (my alma mater) is a really good school with what seems to me a very good department of Political Science (the department chair, Professor Harriger, is truly outstanding!). Wake also has very unique international programs (it operates several overseas campuses staffed with WF faculty) which might provide unusual opportunities in Political Science.</p>
<p>I will say that AU, perhaps because of its lower ranking, works really hard to make students feel wanted. Service excellence is a powerful part of the culture there. And they do award a fair number of merit scholarships, which are in very short supply at Wake. AU’s application is not hard work (Wake’s, I’m told, is), so even if you’re leaning toward Wake you should probably apply to AU anyway, since the net cost at Wake is likely to be considerably higher unless you are a either at the very top or the very bottom of the acceptance list, or have a lot of demonstrable financial need.</p>
<p>All other things being equal, you will need to decide whether academic rigor, which is found in abundance in almost every department at WFU, is more important to you than opportunities for practical application, which will necessarily be limited in the Triad area of NC. And there is quite a bit of difference in the two campuses, the respective athletics offerings, the social atmosphere, surrounding resources, etc. So visit each place, ask a lot of questions, and trust your instincts about the right fit.</p>