I’m going to enroll in a cc this fall and ultimately transfer to UCLA, I want to major in Political Science, but at the same time I’m thinking about also doing Economics, can anybody give me their two senses on the subject? Do I need to complete both the major requirements on assist.org before transferring? Should I minor in one of them instead of majoring? in that case, which one? and how? Are there options to maybe study economics after receiving BA in Poli Sci? Graduate school? What are the requirements? HELP! Thanks!
BTW, When do I need to start using the transfer admission planner tool on the UC website? when do I need to start worrying about the TAP/TAG applications?
TAP is determined by your CC, so talk to the program coordinator. TAG is submitted in September.
the september before transfering?
Yes. And you must match the same major on the UC Application which is submitted in November
You don’t have to double major to study them both. You can minor in one or the other. Graduate schools generally don’t care whether you double majored, they primarily care about your GPA and stuff. Admittedly, I don’t really know anything about getting a masters degree in anything business related, so I can’t help you there.
Honestly, you’re just starting out, so don’t be too worried about a double major and/or minor, unless you know for certain that that is what you want to do. Opinions and desires generally change after your first couple of semesters. I originally wanted to have a second major as English (because I enjoy literature). It was very short-lived.
Take Political Science courses as well as Econ courses to see if you still are interested in either. They fulfill IGETC requirements, so even if you change your mind, it won’t be a big deal. Other than that, try to take courses in any discipline that you find interesting. You may have a change of heart.
My main worry is seeing that a lot of people say a poli sci degree is almost useless and that having a economics degree along with it can making finding a sustainable job that makes a decent wage. And the fact that economics is so intertwined with politics along with philosophy, anthropology, psychology,etc…I have mapped out course plans for all of the latter so I don’t know which course to replace with economics…And since UCLA’s business major is so highly selective, there’s going to be a lot of people trying to transfer who need those economics classes, wouldn’t it be hard to get a economics classes?
Well, if you plan to go to graduate school, it won’t matter if you have a so-called useless degree. Law schools particularly like Political Science majors, philosophy majors score the highest on the LSAT, and so on. It’s not about the major itself, it’s about how you market yourself to employers. If you have a Political Science degree alone, sure it won’t do much for you unless you’re proactive. You could get into Harvard Law, for example, and that of course changes the entire value of the degree. You’re looked at as particularly interesting if you don’t have a run-of-the-mill degree. Bottom line, college shouldn’t be a trade school. Study what you like, and try to make yourself marketable to future employers and/or graduate schools.
And yes, Econ is impacted at UCLA, but that shouldn’t dissuade you from pursuing it if that is what you’re interested in.