Beida grad school, majouring IR. What do you think?

[Hyejeong Kim]

Hello

I'm studying Chinese in general and will be graduating next year. I'm thinking of going to Beida grad school to read International Relations. Most people said US(Tufts, Columbia...) or UK(LSE, Oxford...) would be better to get a degree. Honestly, I'm agree with them at some point. However, I'm more keen to live/study/interact with Chinese people. So as fas as I concerned, Beida is the best choice I can make.

Although, I want to hear what people think. Any opinions/ideas/advices would be appreciated.

Thanks!

[feihong]

The American and British schools you mentioned seem harder to get into than Beida. You should apply to those schools, in addition to Beida. If you aren't accepted to any US or UK institutions, then go to Beida. You can always move to China after getting a fancy degree in a Western country. And most likely, that fancy Western degree will command a higher starting salary.

[Hyejeong Kim]

Thanks. That was very helpful. You've made your point. Of course I can always move to China after that. Although, I wonder start from China isn't such a good idea. I would like to continue improving my chinese skill before I got any older. lol US or UK institutions are much harder, better, obviously, can get me a fancy degree. But somehow I feel like China is the place where I should start studying IR. I just heard that high ranking Chinese institutions, even Beida or Qinghua, don't guarantee a high quality of education. Have you heard of it?

[gato]

Take a look at this post:

http://www.chinese-forums.com/index.php?/topic/20647-hsk-questionsuniversity-study/page__p__167057#comment-167057

Wushijiao Fudan Interational Relations

[yialanliu]

If you are going to study IR in China, I'd suggest the dual degree program from Johns Hopkins and Nanjing University.

You take your classes in Nanjing and your roommate will be a chinese student. At the same time you come out with both a JHU IR degree along with a NJU IR degree both of which are top 10 in their respective countries.

[wushijiao]

I would second Yialanliu's suggestion to go to Nanjing Hopkins. I've known a few people who have done it, and they highly recommend it. I think that it would give you the advantages of being in China, while also having the rigor and seriousness of an American university.

As far as Beida, I once went there for a 2-week intensive course in IR for a degree that I did at HKU. My (extremely) brief time there drove home the point that different professors have very different standards. Also, it might be worth noting, many profs can be very ideologically biased. Moreover, as I stated in the post that Gato linked to, I'm not sure to what extent you'll learn about Chinese foreign policymaking or political process at Chinese universities. (On the other hand, you'll be in the heart of the rumor mill, and lots of great speakers and lecturers will inevitably pass through).

[Hyejeong Kim]

Wow! You guys are surprisingly helpful! Wushijiao's post makes me think it over though. Thanks Gato. That really helps me to be objective. Well-- I just briefly took a look at the dual degree programme from Johns Hopkins and Nanjing university and found it very interesting. Also, I have found the dual master degrees from LSE and PKU. Is there any more that you guys have heard or have done? I might seriously have to think about the dual degree programs.

[wushijiao]

Also, one thing that dawned on me while at Fudan in IR is that nearly all of the Chinese IR students probably were hoping that they might make it into the Chinese government in some capacity. This means that they might be reluctant to share any thoughts in class or even in private that deviate much from the Party line. Of course, Chinese foreign policy makes sense in many cases, but I wouldn't expect a lot of free wheelin' discussions. (Although, I could be wrong, and if any current IR students are out there, please fill in the gaps).

Then again, I wouldn't want to dissuade you too much. Before you do a degree anywhere, however, I'd suggest making a list of pro's and cons's, and a list of what you hope to achieve with the degree. If you have a set plan going into the degree, you'll probably get a lot more out of it!

[jkhsu]

I've also heard good things about the IR program at UC San Diego. The weather is perfect over there and they have a Masters of Pacific International Affairs which might fit well with your goals. http://irps.ucsd.edu/programs/master-of-pacific-international-affairs-mpia/

[Hyejeong Kim]

@ wushijiao; I see your point. From my experience in Beijing, PKU students are pretty open to discuss about what they really think. Things are changing, mebbe? We shall see though. Thank you for your valuable advices. I shall really make a list to figure things out!

@ jkhsu; haha Thanks. I know they've got great IR programme with good reputation in US. But, I'm currently only looking at the programmes which are held in China or doing double degrees.