IR

[Joe]

Iv aplied to St Andrews but still waiting for offer. How good is IR at St Andrews? Compared to LSE for example? How did eople fid it when they started the course? Any suprises that they did or didnt like?

[fran]

can't really tell you how IR in St Andrews compares to IR at LSE as only someone who's experienced both unis would be able to judge. But St Andrews is No. 1 in most rankings, I think. I know some people who've applied to LSE but didn't get in, but they had straight A's, so I'm not to sure why they weren't accepted. Surprises? Well it's far more international than I thought it would be: In my tutorial there's no one who hasn't at least lived in three different countries so far. Tons of Americans. Many kids whose parents work for International Organizations like Red Cross and UN. Apart from that, I was also "surprised" about the student-staff (lecturer/ tutor) "relationship": it got so out of hand that the IR department even had an open letter to all the staff on their black board, stating that although they approved close relationships between students and the staff, the staff had misunderstood this and taken it to far. LOL...

[Guest]

Well i applied for economics originally but i'm going to switch to IR. It's the best subject i'm doing out of that,econ and management and it's the one course where lecturers are actually enthusiastic. My tutorials are so good i actually look forward to going to them and you do meet loads of different people from tons of different places. plus the talent is probably better here than in london so if i was you i'd pick here as first choice.

[s]Unregisted User Joe wrote on 11:45, 18th Dec 2004:
Iv aplied to St Andrews but still waiting for offer. How good is IR at St Andrews? Compared to LSE for example? How did eople fid it when they started the course? Any suprises that they did or didnt like?

[jayaker]

I agree with the person above - I actually enjoy tutorials! And if you make the mistake of doing anthropology as well, you will realise what a blessing that is.

IR is great. Great course, great tutors, great lecturers and a great place. Bit smaller than London though!

[hr]"They misunderestimated me" Bush, Nov 6, 2000 "I think anybody who doesn't think I'm smart enough to handle the job is underestimating." Bush
April 3, 2000

[Bread Roll]

Completely off the topic but WHAT?! Oooooh, scandal. Life is that little bit more interesting thanks to that snippet.

[s]fran wrote on 20:27, 22nd Dec 2004:
Apart from that, I was also "surprised" about the student-staff (lecturer/ tutor) "relationship": it got so out of hand that the IR department even had an open letter to all the staff on their black board, stating that although they approved close relationships between students and the staff, the staff had misunderstood this and taken it to far. LOL...





[hr]
'Anyone who is capable of getting themselves made President should on no account be allowed to do the job.'

[Guest]

personally I love IR at St Andrews although the department does take a rather realist view of world politics as opposed to a liberal one.

I have a friend who applied to LSE though and was rejected despite good grades, - and by rejecting people uni's always make themselves more appealing. My friend reckoned that it was due to the fact that he was a member of the communists, but personally i reckon they just had too many people.

St andrews is a good place toio live thoug, totally polari opposite to london.

[fran]

Okay, now I'm really baffled and curious:
Who of the IR staff is supposed to be realist?!?
All that I know are extremely liberalist and even said that they disliked teaching Realism and found it ridiculous.

[annonymous1]

a classic example of a good realist...deny everything until you casn deny no more - which is never, esp if you're in a position of power (such a being a tutor)....


although any good realist would, of course, deny this!

[Bee]

Quoting Bread Roll from 19:17, 11th Jan 2005
Completely off the topic but WHAT?! Oooooh, scandal. Life is that little bit more interesting thanks to that snippet.

[s]fran wrote on 20:27, 22nd Dec 2004:
Apart from that, I was also "surprised" about the student-staff (lecturer/ tutor) "relationship": it got so out of hand that the IR department even had an open letter to all the staff on their black board, stating that although they approved close relationships between students and the staff, the staff had misunderstood this and taken it to far. LOL...

Oooh, do tell, though I suppose most people in the IR department have heard rumours about various member of staff.

[little headache]

I thought it was only one member of staff who was um, pupil-ly inclined... Must be more though, as they wouldn't put up a whole notice just for one lecturer.

*intrigued*

[Bread Roll]

But which member of staff? I must say I have my suspicions...

[hr]

And as I was picking me teeth out of the gutter St Peter hisself appeared to me and said, "Sean, you wanker" he said.
"Repent yer evil ways or sod off". The he gobbed in me face and turned back into a lampost.

[Delilah]

Isn't one member of staff actually going out with a student officially? And at least one other has a reputation, though I'm not sure it's deserved, for being very...um...close to his students.

[Cain]

how do you officially go out with somebody? And as for staff/student relationships, I thought everybody knew that the way to get ahead in IR was to flash some cleavage.

[hr]

I hold an element of surprise

[Delilah]

By officially I mean an actual acknowledged-known to the department-nobody's going to be facing disciplinary action type relationship.

[steerpike]

Hm, about the sleazy IR lecturer, to my knowledge there is only one. it seems he only hits on the post-grad females - i know this from talking to one of them. She also complains that some post-grads are put in the nasty position of either sleeping with him and getting the good grades, or not sleeping with him and working up on your own merit.

For the sake of the post-grads, i sincerely hope it's all untrue.


[hr]

Nothing is easier than to condemn the evildoer, nothing is harder than to understand him.

F.Dostoevsky

[andy]

LSE is an undergraduate 'meat market', meaning there's very little student-tutor contact. StA has a good system in that way. BUT if what you're in it for is to hear about interesting new/alternative ways of thinking about R, StA ain't the place for you (then again, neither is LSE).

Better Departments are placess like Sussex, Keele, Sheffield, Manchester.

Quoting Joe from 12:45, 18th Dec 2004
Iv aplied to St Andrews but still waiting for offer. How good is IR at St Andrews? Compared to LSE for example? How did eople fid it when they started the course? Any suprises that they did or didnt like?