<p>Im a high school senior and I've applied to 6 schools so far. </p>
<p>Indiana University
University of North Georgia
Purdue University
New Mexico State
Virginia Military Institute (Applied ED)</p>
<p>My current plans are to be a PolSci major, possibly with a minor in a foreign language, and later attend a top law school, to specialize in government or constitutional law. Which of these schools is the best "launching pad" for my goals, or has the best overall PS program for undergrads?</p>
<p>Calvin College has a great political science program. Students are offered the opportunity to spend a semester in Washington DC and many have continued on to work in the government.
[Political</a> Science - Majors, Minors and Programs - Academics - Calvin College](<a href=“http://www.calvin.edu/academics/majors-minors/political-science]Political”>http://www.calvin.edu/academics/majors-minors/political-science)</p>
<p>Calvin also has a great foreign language program. The professors are great and there are also many study abroad opportunities to further your language education. </p>
<p>[Calvin</a> College - Minds In The Making](<a href=“http://www.calvin.edu/]Calvin”>http://www.calvin.edu/)</p>
<p>OP, be aware that Calvin is a college with a strong religious affiliation, in case that matters to you either way.</p>
<p>I don’t think of any of these schools as poli sci powerhouses, honestly. Guessing Indiana may be the strongest of the bunch, though.</p>
<p>I know none of them are “PoliSci powerhouses” but I almost prefer that. If I go to a school with mostly engineers (Purdue), I think it will be easier to get a place in student government.</p>
<p>“I know none of them are “PoliSci powerhouses” but I almost prefer that. If I go to a school with mostly engineers (Purdue), I think it will be easier to get a place in student government.”</p>
<p>Actually, Indiana U is a political science powerhouse.
US News ranks its department at #25—higher than Penn, Maryland, Virginia, Geeorgetown, JHU, and Brown.
The National Research Council ranks it at #11—higher than MIT, UNC, Wisconsin, Cornell, Chicago, UCLA, Brown, Penn, Virginia, Geirgetown, Nortwestern, and JHU.
Its public policy school is ranked #2.
These are graduate rankings, so they may not tell you much about the quality of undergraduate teaching, however. They do give you some idea of faculty strength.</p>
<p>If you are interested in international studies, Indiana has breath and depth in that area that relatively few schools can match.</p>
<p>As for your comment about getting a place in student government at Purdue, you should know that Purdue is not just an engineering school.</p>
<p>Honestly, if you liked VMI enough to apply ED there, many of the schools that people are likely to list may not be a good fit. Political science is a field that is extremely over saturated with phDs. That means that even the guy with a doctorate from Harvard is praying that he gets some tenure track position, any tenure track position, regardless of what the school is. I know at both my LAC in rural Georgia, and my new state flagship in Oklahoma, many of the poly sci professors were brilliant with outstanding credentials.</p>
<p>Check out American University, they have a great polisci program. On the other hand, Indiana U has a great law school so there would be many advantages to attending that in undergrad (they know how to prepare their prelaw students well).</p>
<p>Would Top 15 law schools look favorably on a VMI degree? It’s definitely a unique school with a lot more hardships than most college students have to deal with. Could it make my application stand out a little bit more?</p>