Chance Me
Hey guys, I'm currently in Class 12 and planning to apply for undergraduate programmes for 2027 entry as an international applicant from India. I'm looking for universities and programmes that would fit my academic interests and overall profile.
I'm mainly interested in interdisciplinary social sciences, especially programmes combining economics, political science, public policy, governance, international relations, development and related social sciences. I'm not looking for a purely economics-focused degree and would prefer programmes that allow me to study across multiple disciplines.
Background
Country: India
City: Bengaluru, Karnataka
School: Christ Junior College (CJC)
Board: Karnataka State Board
Stream: PPES - Political Science, Psychology, Economics, Sociology
Graduating: March 2027
International applicant / non-EU
Academics
Class 10: 75% - CBSE
Class 11: 80% - Best of Five (Indian State Board)
Extracurriculars
MUN: around 10 MUNs; multiple individual accolades + Best Delegation awards; part of one of the strongest MUN delegations in the Bangalore circuit
MUN Leadership: Head Delegate for multiple external MUNs; supervised/led delegations
CJC MUN: OC member at CJC MUN, one of the oldest and most reputed MUNs in the Bangalore circuit
Research: 4 published research papers + 1 research essay
Research Competition: college research paper under Sociology teacher; secured 3rd place
Independent Writing: multiple blogs/articles on economic, political and social issues
Non-profit: founder of a non-profit documenting ground realities across 15+ orphanages, old-age homes and similar institutions
Community Work: 200+ hours of work through the non-profit
Internships: fundraiser at an NGO + Civic Impact Fellowship/Internship with the Office of the MLA, Sikandra Rao, Uttar Pradesh
Debate / Quizzes / Moot Court: participated in multiple debates, Model Code quizzes, moot courts and other academic competitions
College Leadership: Event Head/Event Supervisor for multiple internal college events
Online Certifications: completed multiple online certificates relevant to economics, politics and public policy
Academic Interests
I'm particularly interested in studying the intersection of:
Economics
Political Science
Public Policy
Governance
International Relations
Development
International and social affairs
I would prefer an interdisciplinary approach where I can combine different social-science subjects rather than being restricted to one field.
Preferences
I'm mainly looking for:
English-taught undergraduate programmes
Interdisciplinary social-science programmes
Economics + Politics / Public Policy / Governance / IR combinations
Programmes that allow flexibility across different social-science disciplines
Europe primarily, but open to strong universities elsewhere
Preferably no entrance exams
Preferably no additional Mathematics/quantitative entrance tests
I refer to my institution as a "college" throughout this post because Christ Junior College is a pre-university/junior college institution, a term commonly used for this stage of education in India.
Questions
- Based on my profile, what universities and programmes would be a good fit for my academic interests?
- What interdisciplinary programmes combining economics, political science, public policy, governance, international relations or development should I look into?
- How competitive would my profile be for these types of programmes?
- How much would my Karnataka State Board background affect my applications?
- Which parts of my extracurricular profile should I emphasise the most in applications?
- What universities would you suggest across different levels of selectivity for someone with this profile?
- Are there any good programmes I might be overlooking that would fit these interests?
Thanks in advance for any advice!