<p>So at the end of the college admissions tunnel I find myself with absolutely no idea which college to choose. I never really thought it would come down to these three and I’m not exactly sure what I think about them.</p>
<p>The colleges are: Bates College, Boston University, and Northeastern.</p>
<p>I’m pretty that I want to go into International Relations and always pretty much saw myself in Boston, but Bates seems beautiful and the student body is supposedly amazing.</p>
<p>Is anyone able to compare them in terms of international relations?
Does anyone know a lot about the schools or have any advice?
Anything would be much appreciated.</p>
<p>If you did International Relations at Bates it would probably be through their Politics major. You can look as well at the General Education concentrations on the on-line catalog—you pick two of these to do as well as your major—a bunch of IR-related choices. Asian Studies is strong. Pluses for Bates: very small, seminar-type classes; senior thesis; close relationships with faculty. Lots of feedback on your work. Classic small college scene (traditions, grassy quads with old trees, almost everyone lives on campus). Easy access to skiing, kayaking, etc. Well-regarded by grad schools.<br>
BU has by far the largest range of course offerings in International Relations; several tracks within International Relations to choose from; big undergrad classes; urban environment; you compete with grad students for faculty attention. Diverse student body, not all super academic. Close to clubs, theatres. Lots of students live off campus.
Northeastern has more limited course offerings in International Relations; more of a collection of courses from different disciplines (econ, history, etc.) Student body is becoming more competitive but less academic on average than your other two choices. Very urban campus like BU (streetcars run through the middle of both these schools) with easy access to downtown Boston. Most diffuse social scene—lots of people live off campus, many commuters. Close to museums, public transportation. Not much of a center to the campus.</p>
<p>Bates is probably more remote than you’d like. It’s also very small and the course offerings are necessarily more limited. Northeastern is good if you like coops and think they would help you develop some post graduation employment opportunities. If coops aren’t important to you, I think BU would have more of what you’re looking for than either of the other two schools.</p>