I think it makes sense to want to go to a school that is well-known in IR circles. But as a practical matter, people in the US study IR all over, and then do internships and such in major IR centers like DC or so on. So it can be a convenience to be in such an IR center already, but it is very much not required.
Personally, I would suggest you check out this Foreign Policy article:
This is much better than the normal generic rankings, because they break it down in all sorts of ways. In your case, you can focus on Undergrad programs, and then you can also look at the different lists available for Faculty, Policymakers, and Think Tank Staffers.
If you already applied SCEA to Yale - you will know your results in one month. Your SAT score is low for an early admissions pool of applicants and for the regular decision one. At Yale a lot depends on your essays and recommendations, so these things are hard to factor in during the âchance meâ conversation. I recommend looking at the Yaleâs Common Data Set (CDS), that can give you a little more context to their admissions data and admissions decision process overall. Good luck!
