NationStates Jolt Archive

So in a couple years, I get to start applying to colleges. Whoohoo.

I just figure that I shouldn't limit myself to just U.S. schools alone.

I mean, c'mon, I've lived in Southern California all my life. This may be my one chance to actually leave the nation and be exposed to the culture and lifestyle of another!

Particularly the UK and Canada, or any other english-speaking nation.

I want to major in Political Science (at the moment), and I've read around that the London School of Economics seems like a good reach school to look to, is that right?

I want to major in Political Science (at the moment), and I've read around that the London School of Economics seems like a good reach school to look to, is that right?
Eh.

LSE is a good place, and their Politics course is supposedly very good, but on the other hand they rejected me, therefore they suck.

McGill University in Montreal is quite good.

I want to major in Political Science (at the moment), and I've read around that the London School of Economics seems like a good reach school to look to, is that right?
The LSE is the best school of the Social Sciences on the planet. But unless you are either loaded, or you get a big cheque from somewhere else, it's probably not for you.
It's better for postgrad stuff as far as I know, so you can go somewhere else first, finish your bachelor and honours, and then do masters and so on at the LSE - if you can afford it.

But which unis are good depends mainly on what field you are going to get into. I suppose in the Social Sciences, the only German university that could be recommended is the one in Freiburg.

Oxford.

The University of Rome La Sapienza.

The University of Istanbul.

Oxford.
You can't actually do Political Science at Oxford; he'd have to take PPE (Phil, Pol, Econ).

Your best bet is to go to a US college. Cali colleges are good, and Berkeley is a superb school. Beyond that, the American University system is generally regarded as the best in the world. (The Economist, November or December of last year) Beyond that life is easier when you speak the language, and you aren't going to have to fly every time you want to see your family.

That's not to say that you wouldn't benefit greatly from going abroad. Don't go abroad for the entirety of your college career, instead I'd have to say a wiser decision is to make use of the plentiful opportunities afforded by your university to spend a semester, or possibly a summer, abroad attending a university elsewhere. Hell, I cannot even begin to tell you the vast quantity of contacts Ohio State has abroad. My one friend is in Brazil right now, another just got back from Dresden, and another friend is in Tokyo. I only wish I could fit the time into my college schedule to pull it off, but LSE is where I'd take my quarter. But I doubt I'd be able to pull that off. So, yeah.

Just my two cents.

There are lots of great Canadian Universities. A few with strong Political Science programs include:

Simon Fraser University
Concordia University
Queens University
Dalhousie University
University of Toronto
York University
McMaster University

I'd do some research online to find what you're looking for and then make more detailed inquiries.

I only wish I could fit the time into my college schedule to pull it off, but LSE is where I'd take my quarter. But I doubt I'd be able to pull that off. So, yeah.
It's a dream of mine to do my Masters there, if it works out that way. Currently I'm doing both a Business Management and an Economics Degree, and I haven't really decided yet in which I will do postgrad stuff. And I still want to fit some basic engineering in there as well, just because I want to get into the car industry.

The problem is that to do Postgrad at the LSE, the requirements are pretty difficult. They don't just want us normal smart kids, for economics you actually have to do math tests where you finish in the top 1% of the whole of Britain, you have to get a very high GPA (6.25 at least with the Australian system where 7 is the highest, BS, BA or JD with a GPA of 3.5 or higher in the US) and then you still have to fork out a lot of money, I believe.

There are lots of great Canadian Universities. A few with strong Political Science programs include:
He said he wants to be exposed to new lifestyles.

Canadian Universities would be a new lifestyle. There wouldn’t be US military recruiters hunting him down the hallways and fraternities aren’t allowed on Canadian Universities (although a few are set up off site). That and Homeland Security don’t jail science researchers for working on materials they consider forbidden.

Canadian Universities would be a new lifestyle. There wouldn’t be US military recruiters hunting him down the hallways and fraternities aren’t allowed on Canadian Universities (although a few are set up off site). That and Homeland Security don’t jail science researchers for working on materials they consider forbidden.
None of that stuff is too drastically different. It wouldn’t effect how you live.
Also, I think you’re confusing a cut in federal funding for a ban that even if it existed wouldn’t be enforced by Homeland Security. Fuck you from making me defend this Congress.

Two of those things would make college less fun. Frats pwn and mocking recruiters pwns.

If you don't think that researchers are being arrested in US Universities by Homeland Security then you're not paying attention to science literature.

http://www.caedefensefund.org/overview.html
http://homelandsecurity.osu.edu/features/biodefenseresearch.html
http://www.sas.org/tcs/weeklyIssues/2004-06-25/editorial/

I remember first coming articles of scientists having their research and labs confiscated and arrested, in Popular Science and Scientific American.

But since the person who started this post isn't doing scientific research that will get him in hot water with Homeland Security, he should be fine studying Political Science just about anywhere. Well, except maybe China or most of the rest of Asia, or the Middle East, or well a whole bunch of places where freedom of expression isn't a good idea.

in the UK i understand LSE, Oxford, Warwick and Cardiff are good for politcs degrees. however i wouldn't recommend cardiff - they boast about being the 3rd best politics school in the country and one of the best in europe but i thought they were shit (i went there for politics... they also boasted about having the best business school in the country as voted for by readers of The Economist, but again i thought it was crap (studying economics then)... maybe its just my annoyance at the pointless world of academia showing through though...)

the LSE is very, very good. but i think Oxford (or maybe Cambridge - i tend to get the two mixed up... hell they are collectively called OxBridge) pips it at the post still for teaching, degrees and image/prestige. LSE is numero uno for research in politics and economics IIRC.

When considering where you go you should think first about what you want to do when you have your degree. LSE has an excellent reputation in all fields as does Oxford or Cambridge but the courses are quite different. So I would say take the time to consider your post education career and then pick a course. There are many good universities in Europe don't just limit yourself to the English ones. There is St Andrews and Edinburgh in Scotland and Trinity College and University College in Dublin as well as the excellent places in mainland Europe.

When considering where you go you should think first about what you want to do when you have your degree. LSE has an excellent reputation in all fields as does Oxford or Cambridge but the courses are quite different. So I would say take the time to consider your post education career and then pick a course. There are many good universities in Europe don't just limit yourself to the English ones. There is St Andrews and Edinburgh in Scotland and Trinity College and University College in Dublin as well as the excellent places in mainland Europe.

Sorbonne in Paris maybe.
UCL in London is very good too.
I've heard good things from Barcelona too.

Trinity College in Dublin is very good for certain things, as is Queens in Belfast.

For Politics in the UK I would recomend either SOAS or Birmingham. SOAS is great if you want to learn anything about African or Asian politics. Huge numbers of specialists there. If you want to focus more on the EU then Birmingham is a good bet. I can't be bothered to advertise them, look around if you want.

Expect to be worked hard at Birmingham though. 6 2000 word assessed essays in the first term and again in the second term of your first year.

So in a couple years, I get to start applying to colleges. Whoohoo.

I just figure that I shouldn't limit myself to just U.S. schools alone.

I mean, c'mon, I've lived in Southern California all my life. This may be my one chance to actually leave the nation and be exposed to the culture and lifestyle of another!

Particularly the UK and Canada, or any other english-speaking nation.

I want to major in Political Science (at the moment), and I've read around that the London School of Economics seems like a good reach school to look to, is that right?
I'm a graduate of Politics from the University of Bristol (UK), and would certainly recommend it; not just for the university (which is one of the best in the country) but for the city itself - it's a great place to live and study.

in the UK i understand LSE, Oxford, Warwick and Cardiff are good for politcs degrees. however i wouldn't recommend cardiff - they boast about being the 3rd best politics school in the country and one of the best in europe but i thought they were shit (i went there for politics... they also boasted about having the best business school in the country as voted for by readers of The Economist, but again i thought it was crap (studying economics then)... maybe its just my annoyance at the pointless world of academia showing through though...)

the LSE is very, very good. but i think Oxford (or maybe Cambridge - i tend to get the two mixed up... hell they are collectively called OxBridge) pips it at the post still for teaching, degrees and image/prestige. LSE is numero uno for research in politics and economics IIRC.

Christ, Bradford has a better taught business and management school than cardiff in terms of what the marks given by inspectors were but, having experienced it for myself, the politics is awful.