The Student Room Group

Political science and IR society

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Original post by potatopie
hey guys i'm new here and this is one of my first posts! i'm an international student finishing junior college this year and i want to apply for international relations courses in the following universities:

LSE (this is a reach school for me!)
KCL
Durham
Warwick
Exeter.

when i checked out the previous pages in the thread i saw lots of people rec St. Andrew's but as far as I can tell they only offer Masters for IR? am I missing something? also, should i be considering birmingham, nottingham and SOAS?

on a more general note, i have the perception that taking pure IR will give you more flexibility in course choices as opposed to IR+Hist or IR+Sociology. is this true for all joint honours degrees?

also, i was wondering if anyone had any tips for personal statements for joint honours; i've never studied history but not sociology or international relations and I'm not too sure how to craft a personal statement that manages to cover everything.

you guys seem like a super friendly bunch!! sorry for the spam of questions. all the best to everyone! (:



Hey @potatopie

We're fun. We're quirky. We're extremely entertaining.

Oh... and our IR department is ranked 4th in the UK and 35th in the World. So we're pretty good at academics too lol. :headbang:
If you're interested in SOAS, definitely check out our thread and ask me a question on there.

~Mike
Got offered an unconditional for German/Politics at Glasgow!!
Just waiting to hear back from:
Edinburgh for both IR and German/Politics
St Andrews for IR and German
Aberdeen for IR and German
This is so exciting!!
Which is better for BA International Relations? King's College London or Queen Mary University of London? I know KCL has an edge, but I would like to know your views. Also, which is better campus and accommodation wise?I am an international student and your opinions will be of great help! Suggestions for other colleges are also welcome.Thank you.
Original post by pripik14
Which is better for BA International Relations? King's College London or Queen Mary University of London? I know KCL has an edge, but I would like to know your views. Also, which is better campus and accommodation wise?I am an international student and your opinions will be of great help! Suggestions for other colleges are also welcome.Thank you.


This isn't even a question.

KCL ****s all over QMUL.
Hi, I am am international student and I recieved offers for PPE from Kings college London and for polítics and phylosophy from LSE (Also recieved for Econ and philosophy at st Andrews and PPE at Warwick) If I want to work in polítics in The public sector should I choose PPE at Kings or PP at LSE, should I resign economics for The prestige of LSE? I am thinking of making LSE my firm but I am afraid that economics in the degree makes a difference regarding Job offers.
(edited 8 years ago)
Yo, I have offers to study Politics and International Studies at Warwick and International Relations and Politics at Sheffield. Which one do you guys think I should go for? I'm pretty split between the two, so I'm just looking for potential things to sway my mind.
How old is this thread? :O amazing
Original post by Joshrune
Yo, I have offers to study Politics and International Studies at Warwick and International Relations and Politics at Sheffield. Which one do you guys think I should go for? I'm pretty split between the two, so I'm just looking for potential things to sway my mind.


Are the two courses the same?
Any 2016 Applicants?
Original post by pripik14
Any 2016 Applicants?

Yearp!

1. SOAS - Waiting...
2. Birmingham - Waiting...
3. UEA - Offered
4. Kent - Waiting...
5. Huddersfield - Offered - Shan't be going

Can't really decide which of the first four I'd attend, if they all offered me a place... All the varying league tables make the choice a real bitch, and I haven't visited any of them yet.
(edited 8 years ago)
Original post by Juanitor
Yearp!

1. SOAS - Waiting...
2. Birmingham - Waiting...
3. UEA - Offered
4. Kent - Waiting...
5. Huddersfield - Offered - Shan't be going

Can't really decide which of the first four I'd attend, if they all offered me a place... All the varying league tables make the choice a real bitch, and I haven't visited any of them yet.


SOAS has one of the leading Politics/IR program, in my opinion. All the best :biggrin:
Original post by Juanitor
Yearp!

1. SOAS - Waiting...
2. Birmingham - Waiting...
3. UEA - Offered
4. Kent - Waiting...
5. Huddersfield - Offered - Shan't be going

Can't really decide which of the first four I'd attend, if they all offered me a place... All the varying league tables make the choice a real bitch, and I haven't visited any of them yet.


I have received offers from Manchester, Sheffield and QMUL. Waiting for KCL and Edinburgh! (my first 2 preferences)
Original post by Joshrune
Yo, I have offers to study Politics and International Studies at Warwick and International Relations and Politics at Sheffield. Which one do you guys think I should go for? I'm pretty split between the two, so I'm just looking for potential things to sway my mind.


I've received an offer from Sheffield, QMUL & Manchester. Waiting for KCL & Edinburgh. I'd choose Warwick if I was in your position! Good luck :smile:
Hey guys, I'm an international student, got into Warwick and Bath for Politics for the 2016 entry year. The pending decisions are Edinburgh, Exeter and Durham. What would you guys choose from these?
Reply 974
Hey guys, advice if possible, I'm trying to apply for a Masters in IR. My degree is in languages and I got a 2.1.

I have a pretty solid academic record overall and employment history, volunteering, and all of that, I'm generally (I think) a fairly well-rounded applicant.

I don't, however, have any qualifications in social sciences or history. I chose Geography over History at GCSE, and didn't do History or Politics or anything at A-level.

Will I still have a chance, if my application is decent enough? Or would this immediately count me out?
Reply 975
Original post by Joshrune
Yo, I have offers to study Politics and International Studies at Warwick and International Relations and Politics at Sheffield. Which one do you guys think I should go for? I'm pretty split between the two, so I'm just looking for potential things to sway my mind.


I graduated from Sheffield last year, different subject, but I can tell you the university and the general student experience is amazing, and always highly ranked - usually one of the top ranked in the country. I think this is because the city is so cheap but there is so much going on, the students' union is really good, loads of events and stuff.

Warwick, however, is always ranked higher in league tables and I reckon has a better reputation and might generally be the best choice if you're going on academic credibility (not that Sheffield is crap).

I guess you have to weigh up these two aspects of going to uni.

Mind you, side note - I have a friend who did her undergrad in history at Sheffield, followed by a Masters at LSE and is off to do an internship at the UN!

So basically I don't have an answer but there's some anecdotal info that could help you make your decision. Good luck :smile:
Hey guys! So I have chosen to study political science, but then I am also thinking of studying it on top with English Language & Literature. I haven't applied yet but I have these universities in mind and I was thinking if anyone can outline the pros and cons of studying at these places, and maybe which 5 ones should I apply for, as I need 5 UCAS applications and which one would be the best to study political science. I've considered subject ranking, accommodation and student life but these options have all seemed to differ and have done some research about studying political science there and it all seems to say the same. My options are: Warwick, St. Andrews, Durham, Manchester, Edinburgh, Kent.
Thank you :smile: I'm more thinking Kent, Edinburgh and St. Andrew's at the moment but Durham and Warwick and Manchester look great according to where it is ranked in the league table.

Thank you x
Hi, I was wondering if anyone knew of Sheffield's reputation compared to say Bristol's for Politics&IR? I know it's the experience you gain during your degree that is most important and I believe I have enough motivation to gain successful experience from both universities. From what i know, they both rank similarly with Politics. In general, has one university got a better reputation overall for graduate employers? (eg is a graduate preferred from one of them). I studied A-Levels 2 yeard ago and got AAA but went into employment afterwards, have unconditional offers from both universities. Any help/advice would be great - thanks.
Original post by JTFrith
Hi, I was wondering if anyone knew of Sheffield's reputation compared to say Bristol's for Politics&IR? I know it's the experience you gain during your degree that is most important and I believe I have enough motivation to gain successful experience from both universities. From what i know, they both rank similarly with Politics. In general, has one university got a better reputation overall for graduate employers? (eg is a graduate preferred from one of them). I studied A-Levels 2 yeard ago and got AAA but went into employment afterwards, have unconditional offers from both universities. Any help/advice would be great - thanks.


Although I didnt go to either (I went to UWE to study politics & IR), where I will also be studying a Masters degree from September in Journalism. What I will say is, Bristol is an amazing city to live in as a student, and I would recommend living there. On the UoB vs Sheffield question, they are equally as good as each other, and I think the only way youll be able to say for sure which one, you would rather go to is to visit them both. I can answer any question on student life in Bristol however.
Hi guys,
I'm going to start uni in Sept 2017 in the UK (I'm from Hungary) and I'd like to ask you to recommend some unis to study IR. I would prefer to study in London but I'm considering the country as well.Bonus question: are the rankings useful or it's not showing the differences in quality of the unis? (i.e is Queen Mary so much better than Westminster as it is around 35th and Westminster is around 100th)Thanks in advance

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