Any college programs that support an international relations major?Answered
Hello!
I’m trying to find college programs that would look good on my application (currently a Junior). Does anyone know of any affordable programs that would look good for me?
I’m really interested in international relations, and am in the North NJ (fairly close to NYC) area.
If we’re looking further into the future, I’m down to hear summer programs too!
Thanks :))
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3 answers
A good website for online courses from top schools is edx.org. I just signed up for Early Childhood Development: A Global Implementation sponsored by Harvard. Its seven weeks, self paced and cost $99. They have thousands of courses sponsored by all the top schools covering many topics. The content is great. I am a junior also so I recommend taking courses marked introductory as students from every level (up to doctorate) utilize this site so the content can be quite tough if you go above that level. You get a certificate at the end. I am sure you can find something you are interested in so its not just a case of taking a course just to take it. Good luck, I hope this was helpful.
Hi there @KenanB,
While there are tons of programs out there for high schoolers to explore their passions over summer, many of them at colleges themselves, this essentially serves as a filler program of sorts unless the program is unique in some way. If you're able to establish a college GPA or gain credit, or complete published research, these could definitely set you apart from other candidates.
You want an extracurricular that allows you to have some sort of output or demonstrate a tangible skill. This doesn't necessarily need to be a college program; rather, you can start a self-driven activity in an area of interest of your choice. This could be starting a YouTube series or blog with your opinion on current international events. Or, you could partner with global non-profits in order to expand your diplomacy efforts over the summer. Whatever you choose, as long as you can demonstrate proof and interest, it should look "good" on your CommonApp - and probably better than you just marking down some program you did to look like a good candidate.
If a pre-established program is the route you want to go down, I've linked a couple of articles you may find helpful when searching for a program!
https://blog.collegevine.com/most-prestigious-summer-programs-for-high-school-students/
While I don't know too much about this topic, I would first advise against doing stuff just to "look good on [your] application", because high school is meant to explore your interests, not to look perfect for college. If you are passionate about IR, I would consider joining Model UN nations, starting your own club/chapter if your school doesn't have it, joining student government and/or taking IR courses at a local community college through dual/concurrent enrollment, and/or doing online courses.
Also: https://www.collegetransitions.com/dataverse/summer-programs-law
Hope this helps!
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