I am currently deciding between George Washington and the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. I plan on double majoring in political science and philosophy with the intention on attending law school. I am instate for Chapel Hill, so it would be a little cheaper. However, the cost is not a factor in my decision. I plan on having fun and studying hard at the same time. My future goal is to live in DC and potentially work for the federal government. Which school do you think would be the best fit for my future goals?
A lot of students think they should major in political science if they want to attend law school. This is not the best major for law school. Schools only care about your GPA and LSAT scores. UNC has a reputation of grade deflation so that could hurt your GPA However, if you are instate at UNC I recommend you go there and save your money for law school. My son majored in political science at UNC and graduated BU law last May. Looking back he is sorry he didon’t go elsewhere undergrad. He was out of state for UNC.
if money is not a factor for you, and you want to work in dc in government, i think gw is the obvious choice. north carolina simply cannot compete with the professional and networking opportunities you’d get in DC. and you’d have a hard time topping the 7th best school for political science majors: http://college.usatoday.com/2014/08/26/the-top-10-best-colleges-for-a-major-in-political-science/
I concur with @Zoidberg93 : if you want to work in DC then the internships available to GW students should be a HUGE driving factor for you to attend. I also agree with choosing something other than poli sci (unless, of course, you love politics). There’s a lot of facets of law, so if you majored in something related (business, economics, environmental studies, etc) and something you’re passionate in, you’ll potentially score a higher GPA which will help with law school admission.