I’m blessed to have been accepted to all 9 schools I applied to. I have narrowed it to the top four. All are within budget and I will list pros and cons. My major is security studies/intelligence with a goal of being an analyst for fraud/terrorist financing or one of the alphabet agencies.
Coastal Carolina University , Honors College, Presidential Scholarship - major is Intelligence and Security Studies. Pros: Lowest cost of all, major exactly what I want. Cons: Not a great reputation, very low graduation rate, don’t love the area.
East Carolina University, Honors College, finalist for Brinkley Lane full scholarship. Security Studies major. Pros: Second lowest cost, major what I want, love the area, love the Honors college community (very competitive) and the HC has a high graduation and job placement rate. Cons: party reputation, haven’t met many out of state students on the accepted student forums and worried about being alone on weekends.
James Madison University, Honors College, Second Century Scholarship. Pros: great school spirit, great alumni network, students seems really happy there. Cons: Major is not direct admit, you apply sophomore year and its super competitive. Did not like the Honors College when I visited, no close knit community, curriculum not great, low attendance. Don’t love the split campus.
University of Maryland, College Park Scholars, Information Science major. This is in state for me. Pros: Highest ranked, great school spirit, close to DC. Cons: Doesn’t have my major so I had to pick something similar. Really don’t want to stay in state. Feels like an extension of high school.
I am really leaning towards East Carolina but my counselor and friends are getting in my head about giving up UMD or JMU for a much lower ranked school. Would really appreciate any help. Thank you.
This area is not my strength. As a former math major, it is my understanding that some forms of “security” use a lot of mathematics. One example would be network security that uses some clever mathematical algorithms for encryption / decryption and authentication. I could also imagine using statistics to help to analyze data sets, and some forms of AI make quite a bit of use of math and mathematical algorithms.
I do know that UMD is quite good for mathematics, and quite good overall. I would not worry about it being “an extension of high school”. From an academic point of view it will be a significant jump up from high school. From a social point of view, assuming that you live on campus, it will be almost like living in a different world compared to living at home with your parents. It is a very good university.
I think that you might want to take a close look at what courses are required to graduate from each university on your list. Look at both the major-related courses, and the general overall university requirements for graduation.
I won’t try to dissuade you from going to ECU, since it sounds like you would be happy there and that’s what counts. But a couple of thoughts about JMU’s Intelligence Analysis program… And granted my S was a freshman 7 years ago this fall…
The Major is not direct admit, but have you asked directly how competitive it is? It was not that difficult 7 years ago. There were 55 seats and around 100 (I think) freshman. However, as the Dean at the time told me when we toured, most drop out before the end of freshman year, because they didn’t realize what the program was about. I think most who were there at the end of freshman year made it in. But again, this could be out of date.
Honors College - my S agreed and did not even apply. He had no interest taking courses in subjects he didn’t care about. He did a dual enrollment program (plus a lot of AP) in HS and wound up going in with 50-60 credits, so he got to register early despite not being in Honors College.
Not close knit? Not sure how to address this, but the IA program has only 55 students per year (or it did). They all get to know each other very well! But my S’ friend group he met freshman year in his dorm and they are still tight today. But your experience may vary.
Curriculum not great/low attendance? Not sure where one gets this/evaluates this…
Split campus - a lot of people don’t like this. Mine didn’t care, but if it’s a sticking point for you, then it’s a sticking point for you!
My S loved his time at JMU and the IA program. I’m so happy he chose it over UVA (his second choice. We are in-state), because he completely flourished. That being said - note that he chose JMU over UVA. Most people would think that was crazy. UVA is ranked higher, blah blah blah. Do what you think is best for you. So if that’s ECU - so be it. Good luck!
I don’t think you have to have an intelligence / security studies major to work in that area. Plenty of students get hired who have different skill sets - whether it’s the data analytics and computer science students getting hired for their skills, or the international relations students hired for theirs. The main key for those positions is an ability to analyze information and present conclusions, and often to think creatively. So if you liked JMU or UMD, the lack of the major isn’t a huge deal (and really, Information Science is a very much in demand major, so if you liked the courses in that, I wouldn’t call that a downside at all.) The benefit of the VA/MD schools is really that it’s just closer to DC. Closer to the place that you’ll want to have summer internships, and closer to potential visiting lecturers on topics that interest you.
The agencies you want to work for don’t have to go out and do recruiting visits, people come to them. And perhaps if you go to ECU the major gives you good experience that you can talk about. If it’s a solid program, no one is going to fixate on it being a “party school”, they’ll instead look at your major and see that you are dedicated. I think you can be successful at any of these schools. The greater challenge for an ECU is maybe more personal - if the party vibe is strong, you need to not get sucked in. What WILL derail a career in this area is failing the background check. Don’t get arrested. Don’t get in trouble for drinking or drugs. It doesn’t matter if you get straight As, there will be another student with great GPA and a hiring manager will pick the easy to clear candidate.
I think you are right to be concerned about ECU. 84% of students are from NC. They are also mostly known for health science majors, especially on the grad level, and not for your major.
FWIW, I would listen to your counselor and focus more on UMD and JMU.
That’s a line of work that implies a career based out of the DMV instead of the Carolinas. I’d expect you’d have far greater likelihood of crossing paths with adjunct professors in the poli sci or history or Econ departments with a background in that field.
Do some digging into where grad schools like Fletcher or SFS or Kennedy or similar tend to get their entering classes. Same with data on recruiting by government agencies or companies in the contractor space.
I totally get why you’d not want to go to Maryland as your instate flagship, but it’s probably the very solid choice for this particular career path. FWIW, and obviously this is a long time ago, I had to make similar geographic decisions for my advanced degree to really open doors for the niche field I wanted to be in. I understand the draw but would encourage Maryland and JMU based in my experience.
I feel like you may be being swayed by ECU’s honors and the “prestige” of that … The thing is, after, I don’t think anyone will be all that impressed, as a hiring manager from someone (admittedly not in this field), I would be more impressed to see Maryland than ECU’s honors college…and ECU is going to be little known outside the region, unlike a state flagship. I also think an IS major is great prep for LOTS of things too, including security/intelligence, honestly, better IMO than “security studies” from a low-ranked school.
That said, your GPA will have some influence post-grad, and your happiness DOES matter, it does. So if you will be miserable at Maryland, that matters. I do think you can avoid all your HS people is my guess, it is a big school no?
I think you should study the curriculums - because all aren’t the same.
I would choose the best fit, not UMD is better than ECU, etc. There will be successes from ECU and failures from UMD. And UMDs curriculum isn’t close to the others if security studies is what you seek.
You might also ask each department for career outcomes.
Specifically for what you want, UMD would be excellent (in terms of academics but especially location/contacts). Many people come from OOS to study at UMD for your field of study.
Although the IR BS w/Information minor sounds like what you’re looking for (rather than Information). Could you pivot during freshman year, unless the Umd Major turns out the right fit? Did you get into ACES at UMD?
Otherwise, sounds like among the 3 other choices ECU matches your wishes best. Look into the opportunities for Honors College students, contact professors in your field of interest and ask what internships juniors got, where graduating seniors are working or attending grad school.
OP- make sure you don’t slice the bologna too thin.
The CIA hires linguists. The FBI hires accountants (to trace assets, money laundering, other global financial crimes which is how terrorism gets funded). The NSA hires mathematicians and computer scientists. Interpol hires people who majored in history. Many security agencies have specialty units- the FBI’s art historians are renowned for their scholarship– art crime– another money laundering technique. Some of the most highly regarded hostage negotiators at the FBI were psych majors (no surprise there).
I’m not advocating any of these fields for you– just reminding you that the security agencies don’t hire based on the nomenclature on your diploma. They hire for skills. When they need fluent Farsi/Korean/Russian speakers and readers- that’s what they look for. When they need cryptographers and cyber experts- that’s what they look for.
Don’t get lulled into assuming that the name of the major is what will get you hired- it won’t. You need the right combination of skills, personal attributes, hustle, etc. And a squeaky clean reputation– so if you are tempted to post photos of yourself doing questionable things with questionable people, keep your eye on the prize. Security clearance.
And nobody is getting hired for key roles nowadays without a solid grounding in history. Understand the Pakistan/India partition- and where does Bangladesh come into the story? Study China/Taiwan. Go deeper than just “NATO countries are our allies”. And distinguish yourself with your nuanced appreciation for Sunni/Shiite or “why is South Africa’s racial history so complicated”.
Our son thoroughly enjoyed the IA program, and his time at JMU. The professors have real world experience and make it a point to treat students like professionals, with the expectation of professional behavior and performance. They require a minor in conjunction with the degree. The capstone projects are about real world situations and the final products are comprehensive. Below is a story about a capstone that reached far beyond JMU.
I’m going to reiterate what @blossom said above. I have a family member in the field and when asked by a young person they stated that while all kinds of hires are made - by far the toughest ones to find (resulting in the easiest ones to be hired) are language experts and forensic accountants. This was a few years ago and doubt they have become less in demand. I do think computer science/cybersecurity has grown since then so another field to consider. I would urge you to think about what aspect is most interesting to you and look at the school that will give you best opportunity to to develop and grow those skills vs any particular major listed on the diploma. Best of luck to you.
The hostage negotiators at the FBI are a “mishmash” of social sciences. The area experts on Cuba, Yemen, North Korea, Syria are a “mishmash” of both social sciences and humanities. The folks who hunt down human trafficking on the Dark Web are a “mishmash” of social sciences, humanities and computer sciences. The CIA is still recruiting students at colleges which do not have “intelligence studies”, but teach history, foreign languages, economics, political theory, etc.
OP: Please consider the advice regarding security clearances. Very important if you want a career in this field. Security clearances are required for many federal government positions as well as for those employed by private firms with federal government contracts.
Yes thank you everyone I really appreciate all the responses. I don’t drink, I don’t like parties and my social media is very boring and basic, really just go on to follow my clubs and organizations.