Which uni for IR/Politics

French student doing a BFI (International BAC) with estimated final grade of between 16 and 17 out of 20 which in most schools is (I believe) an AAA (and in some cases perhaps an A*AA.

Fluent in English, French and German and would like to spend a year in Germany. Preference for being in England (so not Scotland and also not London). So far Warwick, Cambridge, Durham are on the list. Any other suggestions?

Reply 1

salvatore06

Original post

by chiapet

French student doing a BFI (International BAC) with estimated final grade of between 16 and 17 out of 20 which in most schools is (I believe) an AAA (and in some cases perhaps an A*AA.
Fluent in English, French and German and would like to spend a year in Germany. Preference for being in England (so not Scotland and also not London). So far Warwick, Cambridge, Durham are on the list. Any other suggestions?

I’d definitely say Cambridge and Durham. If you’re from abroad i really wouldn’t recommend Warwick since it is basically in the middle of nowhere in a small city on the outskirts of Birmingham. You should definitely have a look at bigger cities. I’d recommend University of Manchester, Exeter and Cardiff (In Wales).

Reply 2

threeportdrift

Careers Forum Helper

Original post

by chiapet

French student doing a BFI (International BAC) with estimated final grade of between 16 and 17 out of 20 which in most schools is (I believe) an AAA (and in some cases perhaps an A*AA.
Fluent in English, French and German and would like to spend a year in Germany. Preference for being in England (so not Scotland and also not London). So far Warwick, Cambridge, Durham are on the list. Any other suggestions?

For IR, St Andrews, Aberystwyth, Oxford instead of Cambridge - though you may not be on for the grades, look at Exeter, Sussex, Kings, UCL, Bristol, see if you like the modules on their courses.

Reply 3

erin11

Volunteer Team

Sheffield, Manchester, Bath, York

Reply 4

McGinger

I would also suggest Bristol, Sheffield and Sussex as Unis very strong on social sciences.
Not Bath as its main focus is Engineering and Management courses and it has no reputation for Politics.

Reply 5

LHU-Daisy

Official Rep

Original post

by chiapet

French student doing a BFI (International BAC) with estimated final grade of between 16 and 17 out of 20 which in most schools is (I believe) an AAA (and in some cases perhaps an A*AA.
Fluent in English, French and German and would like to spend a year in Germany. Preference for being in England (so not Scotland and also not London). So far Warwick, Cambridge, Durham are on the list. Any other suggestions?

Hi there,

We offer Politics and International Relations, and it is a very popular course amongst our students who really enjoy it.
We are in the suburbs of Liverpool so in a quite and green area but equally the city is 20 minutes away so you get the best of both worlds. We also do offer study abroad options in your second year with our partner universities.

Liverpool is a great student city and cheap as well. I will leave a link here for you to read more about our course!

I hope this helps and good luck with your search!
Daisy- Graduate Advocate 🙂

Reply 6

Havermelkelite_

Original post

by chiapet

French student doing a BFI (International BAC) with estimated final grade of between 16 and 17 out of 20 which in most schools is (I believe) an AAA (and in some cases perhaps an A*AA.
Fluent in English, French and German and would like to spend a year in Germany. Preference for being in England (so not Scotland and also not London). So far Warwick, Cambridge, Durham are on the list. Any other suggestions?

Have you applied to German unis? Probably cheaper tuition fees.

Reply 7

type-negative

By all fairness? Since you are French, well, it ain't a great deal to study in UK after Brexit, specifically I'm talking about fees. Apply for Cambridge/Oxford, LSE and UCL. Sincerely, would not recommend anything else. IR degree is (unfortunately) not considered as extremely prestigious in EU (if you are planning to ever be back), and considering SPO existence, well, Durham/Warwick/anything RS and non-RS simply will not make it easier for you to get a job. In fact would make it harder.

I know that you do not wish to hear about London, but truth to be told, everything related to politics and international relations happens in London or Oxbridge. The holy three places where you can realistically have guaranteed good networking, which is more than necessary with the current oversaturation of the market. If you are supposed to pay so much money for such a degree then it is quite pointless to never be able to make it back or even be able to pay the loan.

Reply 8

chiapet

Original post

by type-negative

By all fairness? Since you are French, well, it ain't a great deal to study in UK after Brexit, specifically I'm talking about fees. Apply for Cambridge/Oxford, LSE and UCL. Sincerely, would not recommend anything else. IR degree is (unfortunately) not considered as extremely prestigious in EU (if you are planning to ever be back), and considering SPO existence, well, Durham/Warwick/anything RS and non-RS simply will not make it easier for you to get a job. In fact would make it harder.
I know that you do not wish to hear about London, but truth to be told, everything related to politics and international relations happens in London or Oxbridge. The holy three places where you can realistically have guaranteed good networking, which is more than necessary with the current oversaturation of the market. If you are supposed to pay so much money for such a degree then it is quite pointless to never be able to make it back or even be able to pay the loan.

Thanks for the feedback. Fees are not an issue as there are homefees in England for people living in the EU with WARP until 2028 and I won't need loans. I plan to do graduate school in Europe or law school after in the USA. I am not considering the USA now bc of the current political environment but I will be applying to McGill and potentially University of Montreal as well. Frei Universiteit is also on the list.

Reply 9

chiapet

Original post

by Havermelkelite_

Have you applied to German unis? Probably cheaper tuition fees.

Considering Frei Universiteit and maybe Stuttgart or Heidelberg.

Reply 10

type-negative

Original post

by chiapet

Damn, then close call! My best friend actually did a very similar path, ending at law faculty of McGill. I have asked him to reply closely to the case, as myself I'm in law school (but British one). If you are planning any law school, then perhaps go straight to law school instead of IR? If you graduate in UK, you can quite easily pass bars in US and Canada. For Canada; NCA tends to dgaf, they might ask you to do 6 additional courses before passing the bar, but it's only half of the year and nothing comparable to undergrad + law school. For US; depends on State, but I assume you would rather be interested in NYC, California or Texas, which actually make money, so your path would be basically sitting a bar after graduating. All of them less hectic than the other way.

Getting law degree sets you up further in the run, even when it comes to IR. I'm talking from perspective of seeing people in the sector, as I have been working for past years as intern, and further on as employee, in the state and international organisations. It is easier to teach lawyer IR, than teach IR international law details. Unfortunately, it is not competitive degree anymore, to the point, that plenty of diplomatic schools and international relations fields actually prefer law/economics degree than any politics/international relations. So, it is worthy ot remember.

Same with commercial sector of law. Companies prefer people specialised in very narrow undergrads, such as certain languages (especially Chinese and Arabic), engineering, STEM, psychology. IR is just very basic degree for all of the law schools in US and UK, what does not make your application competitive, neither later on is competitive. However, if you will do a background in any solid subject related to very specific field, then a lot of LS will look at you better, and same with companies. With a specific range of work you are looking as someone who can be later specialised easily in finances of particular region, patent law, discussion regarding ethical doctrines.

I would think about it twice. I know, subjects like IR are very interesting, but unfortunately there might be a bit more stable (and shorter) way of succeeding. Consider all of the factors, since alternative paths might be for you and in long run might be way more benefctable. But then, again, I have no idea what sector of law you want to particularly specialise.