Major for a kid who wants IR but is average student

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Something like Environmental science will get him a second look by the peace corps. They have a bunch of liberal arts applicants when what they need is engineers (probably not your kid) and kids with useful science degrees (could be your kid)

OP here. This is great advice! Any other non science degrees?

NP. Just tossing this out there, and maybe someone else knows if this is a good path, but what about double major/minor in a language?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Something like Environmental science will get him a second look by the peace corps. They have a bunch of liberal arts applicants when what they need is engineers (probably not your kid) and kids with useful science degrees (could be your kid)

OP here. This is great advice! Any other non science degrees?

NP. Just tossing this out there, and maybe someone else knows if this is a good path, but what about double major/minor in a language?

OP here. Yes, he is bilingual in Spanish and would continue that.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:ED to George Washington?

Read much? She said he’s Towson material. An average student. GW doesn’t qualify.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:My DS loves to travel, has lots of friends whose parents are UN & State Dept. he likes politics but doesn’t want law. Thinks he wants to major in International Relations/Global Studies. Is curious about Peace Corp and will definitely study abroad.

However, he’s not a strong student. His target schools are in the Towson range. Note: we’re in DC so all choices are OOS but wants to stay mid-Atlantic/NE area.

What other degrees would a kid like this look at should he change his mind? We want to make sure when choosing college that he has options if IR doesn’t work out.

And any school suggestions welcome.

don't do it

within public policy portfolios, the IR space is much. more elitist than almost all of the other portfolios.

your kid has a real danger of being under employed.

if he's dead set on it, insist on ROTC/OCS if he is going to do this

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My DS loves to travel, has lots of friends whose parents are UN & State Dept. he likes politics but doesn’t want law. Thinks he wants to major in International Relations/Global Studies. Is curious about Peace Corp and will definitely study abroad.

However, he’s not a strong student. His target schools are in the Towson range. Note: we’re in DC so all choices are OOS but wants to stay mid-Atlantic/NE area.

What other degrees would a kid like this look at should he change his mind? We want to make sure when choosing college that he has options if IR doesn’t work out.

And any school suggestions welcome.

don't do it

within public policy portfolios, the IR space is much. more elitist than almost all of the other portfolios.

your kid has a real danger of being under employed.

if he's dead set on it, insist on ROTC/OCS if he is going to do this

Super risky. Needs of the service and all.

[Anonymous]

I think community college is a great path. He might be able to get into a top program if he thrives at community college. I think it's his best shot because in the end, nobody cares that you spent two years at cc, they only care about the institution where you got your bachelor's degree.

[Anonymous]

Delaware
AU
Marquette
Penn state

Or just do poly sci at Towson

[Anonymous]

OP, I’m going to be blunt. You and your son are dreaming and need to be way more practical and realistic.

Who doesn’t “love to travel?” Who doesn’t want to study abroad? That doesn’t mean a 3.0 student with an eye towards Towson can reasonably plan on a career in international relations and expect to make a living at it. It’s like saying you’re going to be a veterinarian because you like playing with cats and dogs.

One of my daughters was a Peace Corps volunteer in Central America. She had a BS in biology from a top ranked national university and a masters in public health. They’re looking for folks with useful degrees and practical training. They’re not hiring future diplomats.

I have another kid who’s bilingual in English and Spanish, also attended a top 20 school in the US, lived and worked and volunteered abroad for nearly a decade, and has a masters degree in international development with honors from one of the top universities in the UK. Despite all of that, finding a job in the international arena that would have worked for her financially were she a single person or the primary breadwinner (she’s married to a high earner) has been impossible.

This is reality, OP. Average students who go to Towson and have no practical training don’t get invited into the Peace Corps and don’t land jobs in international relations. Sorry. They don’t.

[Anonymous]

Note the tension between "loves to travel" and "wants to stay mid-Atlantic/NE area." I'd push for a little more introspection. "Peace Corps in Paris" isn't really a thing; if you're not generally excited about living in new places, Foreign Service, military, and similar won't be good fits.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:OP, I’m going to be blunt. You and your son are dreaming and need to be way more practical and realistic.

Who doesn’t “love to travel?” Who doesn’t want to study abroad? That doesn’t mean a 3.0 student with an eye towards Towson can reasonably plan on a career in international relations and expect to make a living at it. It’s like saying you’re going to be a veterinarian because you like playing with cats and dogs.

One of my daughters was a Peace Corps volunteer in Central America. She had a BS in biology from a top ranked national university and a masters in public health. They’re looking for folks with useful degrees and practical training. They’re not hiring future diplomats.

I have another kid who’s bilingual in English and Spanish, also attended a top 20 school in the US, lived and worked and volunteered abroad for nearly a decade, and has a masters degree in international development with honors from one of the top universities in the UK. Despite all of that, finding a job in the international arena that would have worked for her financially were she a single person or the primary breadwinner (she’s married to a high earner) has been impossible.

This is reality, OP. Average students who go to Towson and have no practical training don’t get invited into the Peace Corps and don’t land jobs in international relations. Sorry. They don’t.

You are completely wrong.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:OP, I’m going to be blunt. You and your son are dreaming and need to be way more practical and realistic.

Who doesn’t “love to travel?” Who doesn’t want to study abroad? That doesn’t mean a 3.0 student with an eye towards Towson can reasonably plan on a career in international relations and expect to make a living at it. It’s like saying you’re going to be a veterinarian because you like playing with cats and dogs.

One of my daughters was a Peace Corps volunteer in Central America. She had a BS in biology from a top ranked national university and a masters in public health. They’re looking for folks with useful degrees and practical training. They’re not hiring future diplomats.

I have another kid who’s bilingual in English and Spanish, also attended a top 20 school in the US, lived and worked and volunteered abroad for nearly a decade, and has a masters degree in international development with honors from one of the top universities in the UK. Despite all of that, finding a job in the international arena that would have worked for her financially were she a single person or the primary breadwinner (she’s married to a high earner) has been impossible.

This is reality, OP. Average students who go to Towson and have no practical training don’t get invited into the Peace Corps and don’t land jobs in international relations. Sorry. They don’t.

You are completely wrong.

Ha ha, ok. Real useful response.

[Anonymous]

OP here. Let me clarify. I KNOW my kid won't excel in IR, that is why I am asking what OTHER major should someone with this profile look at besides hospitality.
He's not a Stem kid, he has high social intelligence, interested in social justice, and travel, and is a mediocre student but a hard worker and very practical.

[Anonymous]

SUNY EFS (gets to hang w Syracuse kids, sports - a plus)

And Agricultural Development is at the cross section of under-enrolled and hugely important across the globe in this century. So many jobs in intl development + ag dev + climate change space. Plus super interesting! One of those areas were school doesn’t matter as much as major/expertise.

[Anonymous]

This thread is crazy for being a DC area focused forum.

Come on - if you've worked in this space you know that the IR area skews much more t20/umc background than say - public health or housing policy or infrastructure.

there are underemployed SAIS grads in this town.

I cant believe multiple people aren't throwing up red flags on this idea

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My DS loves to travel, has lots of friends whose parents are UN & State Dept. he likes politics but doesn’t want law. Thinks he wants to major in International Relations/Global Studies. Is curious about Peace Corp and will definitely study abroad.

However, he’s not a strong student. His target schools are in the Towson range. Note: we’re in DC so all choices are OOS but wants to stay mid-Atlantic/NE area.

What other degrees would a kid like this look at should he change his mind? We want to make sure when choosing college that he has options if IR doesn’t work out.

And any school suggestions welcome.

don't do it

within public policy portfolios, the IR space is much. more elitist than almost all of the other portfolios.

your kid has a real danger of being under employed.

if he's dead set on it, insist on ROTC/OCS if he is going to do this

Super risky. Needs of the service and all.

If he can get fluency in a niche language spoken in a country where we have a large attaché program (not advisors - that’s sof, not you kid), then he may have a good chance. The risk is getting stationed at a radar station in Alaska when that doesn’t materialize