Where to study politics and international relations?

[ShaunaTheSheep]

DC is finalising UCAS this week and has heart set on studying politics and IR at LSE.

He is considering Exeter, Sheffield, Bristol and Loughborough but struggling through lack of open days to get a feel for the cities. Where else should he consider with predicted grades of A* A A ?

Bath great uni good sports and social life.
Daughter currently in London on a placement year despite the pandemic
Is on the politics and international relations degree returning to Bath for fourth and final year in september 2021.

Ds also did PIR at RHUL - John Bercow is a visiting professor there atm. Lancaster, Bath, Warwick possibly? Not sure Loughborough is that well reputed for it.

So many places to consider!

Any thoughts on UCL?

John Bercow is a visiting professor there atm

Not sure that's exactly a selling point, personally...

@MarchingFrogs

John Bercow is a visiting professor there atm

Not sure that's exactly a selling point, personally...

Lol. I believe it is only for one or two modules ! I guess the point is that its proximity to London means you do get lectures from those who are based there. Plus can access the University of London library etc and in theory modules taught in other colleges.

UCL has Politics and IR. It also has European/International Social and Political Studies and a link with Science Po. It requires language study. The latter degree is sought after. When DD looked years ago, the vast majority of dc were European. But it’s challenging. DD was studying 2 x MFL and Politics so it interested her.

Hull due to the work experience opportunities

It’s difficult to see whether work experience actually translates into paid work. Lots of paid political employees are primarily party members and activists. Not work placements from a university. That’s why there’s a diverse range of SPADs from all sorts of universities. I think over promising a career in politics is not helpful when so many other factors come into play. Hull won’t get a student any further than Oxbridge.

"Hull won't get a student any further than Oxbridge."

True. BUT it's a way 'in' that isn't Oxbridge. I think you'd need to pick a party if you want to work politically - whichever uni you come from. And in any case there aren't many political jobs per se. Most people working in Westminster as researchers are young - and most MPs only have one or two Westminster research staff.

Btw the Hull grad I met in Parliament is now running a non-profit (we're in our 40s) but he did stand for election three times (MP twice, MEP once).

I also think who you know is the way most get into front line politics and desirable jobs.

DD has a friend that works for a political think tank. That took years to achieve. It’s not easy. She was at KCL. So I think students have to be self starters and very motivated. You definitely cannot rely on work university placement experience.

A friend of ours has a DC doing a politics MA at Maastricht. Has not bothered with any political experience/work at all so I’m puzzled as to where a political job is coming from. No IR with the BA from the UK university either. There are thousands that want political jobs with this type of qualification but you have to stand out from the crowd. Others we know with this degree are working for charities and similar organisations. So that’s why I said earlier that preparing for work other than politics is very important.

I also think who you know is the way most get into front line politics and desirable jobs.

Glad to hear that they keep the Hull placement oiks away from anyone who might matter. Someone's got to maintain the proper order of things.

Do you doubt that who you know is still the way lots of people get jobs in politics? Since when has it been truly open to fair competition?

We had someone stay with us whilst doing a Parliamentary placement as part of a Hull degree. She was working for her local MP who was sensible Northern rural Labour. No contacts. The University organised it and I assume MPs like people from their constituency. She was about to be offered a full time job after her degree but an election was called. She clearly found the actual process of politics absorbing, and loved her first experience of London. Most of her course mates either found rooms via friends of friends, or via sites like airbnb or some sort of rent a room. She worked through the summer before in order to have extra spending money.

I think you can make contacts. I remember someone turning up at my University who was already very involved in her constituency party (Conservative). There was not a lot of room for Tories in student politics, but she later became an MP, albeit after founding a successful business.

With Exeter check which campus - if he's wanting the BA it's at Penryn, not the main uni.

Ds has just started Politics and International Studies at Warwick and is loving it. His insurance was Loughborough - ABB - he really liked the course there and the year abroad.

Warwick is a great choice, it's ranked 4th in the Complete University Guide, above LSE. Great to hear your son loves it Maladicta.

A year abroad (Loughborough and others) is also a fantastic option.

Aubaine, be aware though that the Complete University Guide table is made up of several indices.

Generally Scottish Universities score well because Scottish Highers are weighted relatively strongly on the "entry standards" section, , whereas London Universities tend to suffer because of relatively low student satisfaction scores. It is worth breaking them down. A student who prefers to live in London than say on a campus outside Coventry and is looking for a research strong University may well be better off at UCL. It is very much each to their own.

UCL has strong international links and recognition. If someone is studying IR to launch an international career, then UCL, especially with a year abroad, would be a good option.

I'm aware Need. I tend to look at all the ranking tables to get an idea, but I used the Complete University Guide for consistency as a PP did.

Obviously it's all dependent on the type of environment/part of the country where a student wants to be, surely that goes without saying. As this is so subjective, that's where ranking tables come is a guideline for where to look at before whittling it down using personal preferences. Oxford and Cambridge are routinely in the top 3 of all tables for this subject, but I'm assuming the OP's DS didn't want to go there.

Fine. However I doubt that tables can suggest whether Warwick is "better" than UCL. Bot are good but the differences matter. Course content, academic staff (really important on a course like politics) and other things. UCL provides a lot of add ons, like studying abroad, a very international student body and being in the capital. But studying in London is not for all.

Need I didn’t say Warwick was better than UCL. I didn’t mention UCL. Why are you fixating on UCL specifically as opposed to other options?

The OP asked for suggestions on akin with those DS has already chosen. Both UCL and Warwick deserve to be mentioned and have been, prior to both of us mentioning them.

Sorry again. I wasn't intending to fixate. Its just that OPs last post asked 'what about UCL' so I thought your post about Warwick related to that. Two good but different Universities.

Of course my post didn’t relate to that need. If it did, I’d have actually mentioned UCL Instead I mentioned LSE.

Other posters addressed the UCL q. I thought it was ok to continue to suggest and support other options in line with the OP.

Perhaps you can do your own superior university ranking system need to teach us what’s what.

i said sorry.

I also said that it was very much each to their own, and that rankings alone were not sufficient. It depends on what is important to an individual.

Need If you genuinely believe it depends on what's important to an individual, why point out that UCL has "add ons" that Warwick doesn't? You say these add ons are being in the capital and having a large international cohort. If those things were most important to the individual concerned - the OP's son - then most if not all of the universities he's considering would be London-based. Instead, only LSE is.

It seems like you're sensitive for some reason about other universities being above some London ones in the rankings.

DS is at Bath doing this subject (actually he's on his placement year, going back for year4 in Sept 2021) and there are loads of international students and lecturers on his course and at the uni. London is not unique in this respect!

Again I was not saying that. Thought the LSE is now up to 72% international which I assume is distinctly higher than Bath.

I studied in London as did my son, and my daughter is there now. I really cannot say a lot about Bath, or Warwick (who rejected DS). There are advantages of studying in London, and disadvantages. So better for some and not for others.