I was thankfully accepted into both UChicago and Princeton. However, I am currently struggling as to what school to choose. I’m interested in studying Intenrational Relations. I know Princeton has the Woodrow Wilson School, but UChicago also has the School of IR in which if I applied and got selected, I would receive a masters degree in IR my fourth year of college.
I pay relatively the same amount at each school with the only difference being that UChicago gave me a merit award of $4K to pursue an academic pursuit of mine during the summer after my first year.
I’m a person that’s very interested in pursuing study aboard opportunities and volunteering in the peace corps. I one day plan on going to law school after taking a gap year. I’m also entertaining the idea of entering politics.
I think both campuses are really nice. I do however like the nearby city location of UChicago, but the alumni network at Princeton is a huge pool for me especially since I plan to work aboard one day.
Which school would be a better fit for me?
Two outstanding options. Depends upon personal preference.
Princeton
If you are interested in politics Princeton has a lot to offer. Princeton University has educated thousands of individuals who have dedicated their lives to public service, including two U. S. presidents (Woodrow Wilson '1879 and James Madison '1771); three vice president, hundreds of U. S. and state legislators (the House of Representatives, for example, has housed a Princeton alumnus every year since it first met in 1789) and 45 state governors. Princeton has produced a higher number of U.S. Senators, Governors and U.S. Representatives per capita than any other school in the country. Foreign Policy Magazine ranked Princeton’s WWS and Harvard as having the top two undergraduate and PhD programs in International Relations. A great program for students interested in politics is Princeton in Washington Program. https://piw.princeton.edu/ I participated in this program and it enables students to personally meet with cabinet level members of the administration and members of congress. Princeton has active alumni clubs on every continent except Antarctica.
The WWS launched the “Scholars in the Nation’s Service Initiative” (SINSI) to encourage more of the nation’s best and brightest students to pursue careers in the U.S. federal government, especially in the international relations arena. The goal of the SINSI program is to set outstanding individuals on the path toward public service careers in the U.S. government, focusing on both domestic policy and international affairs through academic training that is integrated with work experience in federal agencies. The undergraduate internship fully funds rising sophomores, juniors, and seniors with an eight-to-ten week summer internship at a government agency in their area of interest. Past internships have included positions at the White House, U.S. embassies, the Departments of Treasury, State, Education, Energy, and Justice, the U.S. Agency for International Development, and more. Most SINSI scholars will have traveled abroad during their undergraduate years. Thomas Tasche ’13 GS ’17 said one of the greatest benefits of the program is that it allows its students to enter the world of government much more easily than other students. “By sending you out on Princeton-sponsored internships and fellowships, it lets you build a CV that will open doors for you down the road, while the masters program gives you the qualification needed to take some of the more meaningful jobs in the public sector,” he said.
@simplicityroses - I cannot understand why anyone would choose UChicago over Princeton unless you need / want 1) to be physically in Chicago due to a location preference or 2) Uchicago gave significant merit $$$ and was significantly cheaper. Princeton is not only more prestigious and recognizable on an international level / domestic level but it is even more well known in Chicago where UChicago is. Rankings and acceptance rates don’t tell the full story. I would bet the cross admits between UChicago and Princeton are choosing Princeton 90+ times out of 100. And Princeton happens to be a very undergrad-focused university. This is a no brainer for Princeton.
Not sure if Princeton has higher name recognition outside the US. It certainly lacks the professional graduate schools that UChicago has and is known mostly for the quality of it’s undergraduate program.
Not saying Princeton isn’t a great school but there are numerous reasons why a college student might choose UChicago.
@ILoveUofC Exactly. Like if you wanted to be, oh I don’t know, like a Nobel laureate in economics.
Some posters are blinded by the elusive prestige chase.
It’s an oddly myopic point of view for such educated contributors. But it’s a point of view anyway.
@ILoveUofC - did you by any chance apply to MIT, Princeton, Harvard or Yale or Stanford? If so, did you get into any of them? Do you know any students at UChicago that got into any of those 5 schools without significant merit $$$ because I do not know of one. And I know A LOT of UChicago graduates. However, I will concede that many of them attended the school when the acceptance rate was north of 30% (i.e., less than 10 years ago) and the majority of them did not have a single offer from any ivy league school (not even Cornell) or Duke or Northwestern or JHU. I give UChicago a lot of credit for playing the rankings game but let’s be honest here, do you honestly think that a cross admit with Stanford (ranked now #7 by USN) is picking UChicago without significant merit $$$? Literally no chance. If UChicago got rid of its ED I, ED II and EA, test optional program, and whatever other games it plays, its yield would go back down to 50-60%, aligned with other top tier privates.
Actually I attended both Stanford (undergrad) and Chicago (law and business) and got admitted to professional schools at both places. Chose Chicago mainly because I wanted a change of scenery
Chicago Core is somewhat inflexible. could be duplicated at Princeton, but not required. Some students are not happy with the Chicago Core’s focus on Western Civilization, and writing, but some will like it. @PtonAlumnus gives a really good answer, with details that are compelling about Princeton’s special programming and ties to public service careers. New Jersey is just closer to the action in NYC/Washington DC.
Chicago Core–2 quarters of biology, 2 quarters of physical science, 2 quarters of CS/math/stats , 3 quarters of eastern and western civilization, 2 quarters of humanities, 2 quarters of social sciences, a writing seminar and one quarter of art/music/creative writing, 3 quarters of one world language other than English.
Its a lot of classes , the Chicago Core! One third or more of an undergraduates time at U of Chicago is the CORE!
Princeton is definitely “better known” outside the US than Chicago… though that’s unlikely to be the case when we are talking about people who actually matter for job prospects rather than the person in the street.
That said, from an IR perspective, assuming $$ roughly equal. I would be inclined to choose Princeton over Chicago, both for WWS reputation and location. However, I don’t know anything about the fourth year masters degree at Chicago, which seems to be a plus for the OP - I would wonder though if it would really hold the same weight as a stand-alone masters in IR.
@ILoveUofC
I am from outside the US and Princeton unquestionably has more name recognition. It’s basically “it’s PRINCETON!”.
@privatebanker
Actually, UofC is not really the place to be for econ PhD. It was eye opening when I stumbled on a econ forum where all these people in the know put UofC more like a notch below top-5 places. The PhD training is not as great as you may think. Somehow USN seemed to pick up on that too and UoC is now ranked 7th, tied with Northwestern.
If UofC had a better IR program, I would have suggested OP not to be blinded by prestige. But it turns out Princeton’s WWS is also regarded as the best in the field.
Princeton has significantly more name recognition. People within the US don’t even realize that Chicago (“UChicago”) is a private school. Most probably haven’t heard of it. The ones who have conflate it with UIC.
Princeton is “PRINCETON”. No contest.
Note: Academics will have heard of both. Elite employers will have too. I am referring to the lay person.
I don’t disagree with Princeton as the best choice for the major. But…
Here’s a list of suboptimal reasons to choose or not choose a university OP
—the interpretation of what the mythical “lay person”s opinion” is over employers and graduate schools. Ot the lay persons opinion at all.
—Whether an average person knows if school is private.
—The collective opinion of 2 or 3 friends from outside the USA or reddit subforums debating the nuances of the top 7 rankings for Econ phd programs for ug decisions in USA
—Any time the answer for. Nuanced and important personal decision is boiled down to ‘hey “blank is blank”.
Well, in bigger or even smaller picture, $4k isn’t something worth caring. Basically his COA is same and it’s a wash. P5 v C5
Prestige factor at this level doesn’t matter. Both are well known (at least to those who have any influence) for their prestige, academics and high ranking. P’s IR program is better but U of C is giving one year MA and saving some money there so it’s a wash. P5 v C5
Alumni is fancier at P but U of C is not B grade either. P5 v C4
Location wise P is closer to DC & NY for IR but he prefers Chicago. P5 v C4
For jobs, top IR masters or top law schools, it’s a wash. A good resume from either school will have similar results. P5 v C5
Total P20 C 16
Logic says P but if you consider his preference for Chicago and incentive of a master, it’s a simple decision. He should go where he wants to go and prosper. What a blessed position to be in with two great options within easy financial reach.
Here’s the deal OP. First, never pick a college based on very subjective opinions on CC of which school is more prestigious, especially when its a comparison of two of the most well known universities in the world. Posters who instinctively say “Princeton” or whatever else are projecting and not doing you any favors. Second, the answer will always be: go where you feel comfortable and you believe you can thrive. Both universities have exceptional faculty and will get you to the exact same place if you optimize the resources at your disposal. Do you feel at home on the gorgeous, suburban Princeton campus, or in the metropolis with easy access to a large city like Chicago? Have you met or researched faculty at either with expertise in your area of interest? What kind of social scene are you looking for? Princeton has eating clubs where you end up spending all your time with the same people, for better or worse. Chicago is less fraternity/social club focused and usually ends up being a varied group of friends from all walks.
I was accepted to both of these fantastic universities way back in the day, but my choice was made the moment I stepped on Chicago’s campus. It could be the same for you, or it might take more deliberation. But really think about where you’ll be happier. All else equal, the opportunities at these universities are comparable and you should optimize for your own preferences.
Who cares what lay people think? Surely people don’t attend elite universities in order to impress arbitrary people they might meet in the street.
Back in my day, when I was an econ major on the other side of the world, Chicago undoubtedly and for obvious reasons had a more prestigious reputation among my peers than Princeton. I was first gen at college and the rest of my family had never heard of Chicago though they all knew about Princeton…but so what?
As a more recent IR graduate student I would ”objectively” choose Princeton over Chicago, all else equal, but all else is never equal, even if part of that is subjective feeling about campuses. As others have said OP can’t really go wrong with either.
My D was choosing between Princeton and UofC a couple of years ago with basically the same finances. Ultimately she chose the school 1 hour from home. I think if we lived an hour from UofC she would be attending there. She absolutely loves Princeton and it’s a great fit. If she would have attended UofC I would bet that she would absolutely love it and it would be a great fit. So I’m basically saying you’re choosing from 2 great schools so go with your gut and don’t look back. I’m sure you’ll have a great experience at either one.
re OP:
“I know Princeton has the Woodrow Wilson School, but UChicago also has the School of IR in which if I applied and got selected, I would receive a masters degree in IR my fourth year of college.”
just two thoughts:
- Look into how much of the resources of these two masters programs would be available to you as an undergrad if you do NOT get admitted to a joint master’s program.
FWIW, whether or not you can access the master’s programs, I give you this:
https://foreignpolicy.com/2018/02/20/top-fifty-schools-international-relations-foreign-policy/
- You haven’t so much as taken a single course at either school. It could be that after freshman year you decide IR is boring and you are actually more jazzed about psychology. Or whatever. So don’t make your whole decision based on some hypothetical future major you may well wind up not pursuing.