Best Universities for Politics and International Relations

Hi,

I need some advice for my Uni application for entrance in 2017. I am intending to do Politics and International Relations and I have made the following shortlist of universities which are ranked high on league tables but also have a relatively good reputation and good student satisfaction:

- Warwick
- LSE
- Durham
- Exeter
- King's College London
- Queen Mary's
- Loughborough
- Birmingham

I was wondering if anyone has any opinions on what is the best university for my course from these options, and what five universities I should apply to.

I'm aware that LSE has the best reputation and good employment prospects, but I'm put of by the fact that it has such a low student satisfaction rate and that it is a city university as opposed to being campus based. I have gone to visit Warwick and I really like the campus and found that it has a friendly atmosphere, however I'm not quite sure about employability.

Also, I have been predicted AAA for my A-Levels.

I appreciate the help :biggrin:

Reply 1

jelly1000

21

Original post by ZakiTheTory

Hi,

I need some advice for my Uni application for entrance in 2017. I am intending to do Politics and International Relations and I have made the following shortlist of universities which are ranked high on league tables but also have a relatively good reputation and good student satisfaction:

- Warwick
- LSE
- Durham
- Exeter
- King's College London
- Queen Mary's
- Loughborough
- Birmingham

I was wondering if anyone has any opinions on what is the best university for my course from these options, and what five universities I should apply to.

I'm aware that LSE has the best reputation and good employment prospects, but I'm put of by the fact that it has such a low student satisfaction rate and that it is a city university as opposed to being campus based. I have gone to visit Warwick and I really like the campus and found that it has a friendly atmosphere, however I'm not quite sure about employability.

Also, I have been predicted AAA for my A-Levels.

I appreciate the help :biggrin:

Rankings aren't everything, you need to look at course content, location, facilities, campus vs city to see what YOU like.

Reply 2

Snufkin

Universities Forum Helper

21

It always amazes me when people talk about 'the best place to study IR' and not mention Aberystwyth. :lol:

But I agree with the above poster, course content is key. Every university will offer slightly different modules and many will specialise in particular areas of the world. There's no point going to a "top" university if the modules bore you to tears.

Reply 3

jelly1000

21

Original post by Snufkin

It always amazes me when people talk about 'the best place to study IR' and not mention Aberystwyth. :lol:

But I agree with the above poster, course content is key. Every university will offer slightly different modules and many will specialise in particular areas of the world. There's no point going to a "top" university if the modules bore you to tears.

Think it doesn't help that their aren't rankings for IR and Aber doesn't rank well overall and as you can see not everyone looks beyond the rankings.

(edited 7 years ago)

Reply 4

HangeeTw

10

LSE --> Durham/Warwick --> Rest

Reply 5

returnmigrant

21

Original post by ZakiTheTory

shortlist of universities which are ranked high on league tables but also have a relatively good reputation and good student satisfaction:

This is no way for any intelligent person to choose a Uni.

League Tables are simply a marketing tool paid for by the Universities and designed to promote the newspapers that sponsor them. That is ALL.

'Reputation' is a totally nebulous concept that falls apart as soon as you start to think about what it means or how you could possibly measure it.

Student Satisfaction? With what? These surveys are self-interested bits of nonsense generated by the Universities. All it can tell you is what a bunch of total strangers decided to reply to a survey about a course they started at least 2 years before you will. The course will have changed/been restructured, tutors come/gone and in any case, what they thought about a course will not tell you ANYTHING about whether or not its right for you or if you will enjoy it.

The way for an intelligent person to decide which Unis to apply to is to read the course descriptions in careful detail (which optional units would you actually choose - and why) and go and see those Unis at Open Days. Where are you going to feel comfortable? Which course is going to hold your interest for 3 or 4 years? No statistical table can possibly tell you this.

How to Avoid 5 Rejections : http://www.thestudentroom.co.uk/content.php?r=20445-how-to-avoid-getting-five-university-rejections

Reply 6

Loughborough University

Official Rep

16

Original post by ZakiTheTory

Hi,

I need some advice for my Uni application for entrance in 2017. I am intending to do Politics and International Relations and I have made the following shortlist of universities which are ranked high on league tables but also have a relatively good reputation and good student satisfaction:

- Warwick
- LSE
- Durham
- Exeter
- King's College London
- Queen Mary's
- Loughborough
- Birmingham

I was wondering if anyone has any opinions on what is the best university for my course from these options, and what five universities I should apply to.

I'm aware that LSE has the best reputation and good employment prospects, but I'm put of by the fact that it has such a low student satisfaction rate and that it is a city university as opposed to being campus based. I have gone to visit Warwick and I really like the campus and found that it has a friendly atmosphere, however I'm not quite sure about employability.

Also, I have been predicted AAA for my A-Levels.

I appreciate the help :biggrin:

Hey!

Great to hear that you're considering Loughborough :smile:

If you have any specific questions about the course or life here at Loughborough more generally, just shout.

Teresa

Best Universities for Politics and International Relations

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