good safety school for political science????

<p>in california, my stats are right here along with some of my top, plus other schools im interested in ---> <a href="http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/what-my-chances/1637015-chance-recommend-me-please.html#latest"&gt;http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/what-my-chances/1637015-chance-recommend-me-please.html#latest&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p>

<p>but lately i've been getting really nervous, my friends and other who i considered had very high stats have been getting rejected to schools of their choice which i thought they'd get into (as well as me too). some even got rejected by their safeties, so now i'm very nervous as well. i'm the first in my family to be applying and hopefully get into a 4 year right off the bat from high school (first generation mexican-american) so i'm very lost as well too aha. but anyways, my question is- based on my stats, major, and location- what safety schools seem good?
now that i think about it, i have none. my dad keeps forcing cal state fullerton on me, but i have no interest whatsoever so i'm not sure i can consider that a safety?
two of my top choices are kind of like safeties i think??? i'm applying to cal state long beach (some of my friends got rejected, plus they prioritize students in that area), and san francisco state. this being said, i really want to know some safeties that are economically sound, and are good for political science. please help! i always feel bad for bugging the counselors and college advisers on campus.</p>

<p>Willamette offers some very generous scholarships, so don’t rule them out. Was Sacramento State on your list? They are in the state capital, and so they undoubtedly offer good internships with the CA state government. Willamette is the same, for Oregon. </p>

<p>@woogzmama nope neither of them are. although i’d prefer staying in state if possible. in fact, i’m not actually planning on applying to any out of states in all honesty. no, i didn’t even consider sacramento state. i really need to broaden my searches and i will check it out. thanks!</p>

<p>I’d be surprised if you got rejected from UC Riverside. Not only is its poly sci program well developed and other related programs strong, but the massive population increase in the IE has led to a number of major demographic shifts as well as questions about urban expanse, commuting, waste management, etc. </p>

<p>UCSB may be a high match for you but its undergraduate political science program is quite rigorous, and requires students to participate in basic undergraduate research. However Goletta isn’t exactly the most happening place for policy. </p>

<p>Long Beach is an excellent place to study local politics although it’s a much heavier commuter school than CSUF which has recently expanded on campus life. </p>

<p>Cal State San Marcos also has a pretty interesting relationship with some Native American reservations and has helped craft policy for them in the past although I’m not sure if they’ve continued the work or how many general opportunities most political science majors have. </p>

<p>If you’re interested in the environment, and want a smaller private, you may want to check out St. Mary’s College although it’s rather removed from Oakland or other more politically interesting cities. </p>

<p>@whenhen i’m actually really hoping for UCR OR UCSB, if anything. i had originally heard Riverside’s poly sci program was weak, but this certainly has given me hope as well as a push to research some more. additionally my cousin goes there so i could definitely ask her. i wasn’t aware of UCSB’s program either, i feel like i have been too fixated on certain schools rather than investigating more.</p>

<p>i live about 30-40 mins away from CSULB, although 20-30 mins away from CSUF so i’d be given preference over at Fullerton but i like Long Beach more. i’d be commuting if i chose either school.</p>

<p>i had been informed about St. Mary’s, and got a match for it on CollegeBoard, so i’m definitely gonna check it out. thank you!
do you have any knowledge about UC Davis and Santa Cruz’s poly sci programs?</p>

<p>I don’t know much about UC Davis’ pure political science program although the website makes it look pretty awesome. Apparently UC Davis runs an extension campus in Sacramento for those interested in getting an up close look at California politics. It also participates in the Washington Semester, and of course offers the option to study abroad in a non insular capacity. You can find out more information about the University of California Center Sacramento here: <a href=“http://uccs.ucdavis.edu/”>http://uccs.ucdavis.edu/&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

<p>Beyond political theory, Davis is incredibly important in one of the most hotly contested issues in California; water rights. If you’re interested in such topics as well as agricultural rights, communicating environmental issues, etc you may want to check out UC Davis’ Center for Environmental Policy and Behavior although I don’t know how easy it is for undergraduates to participate. If you get into UC Davis and are still interested in the program, you may want to shoot an email to the director to ask. </p>

<p>You may also be interested in UC Davis’ Center for Regional Change as well as its subdivision, the California Civic Engagement Project although this is assuming you get in, certainly not a safe bet given the state of UC admissions!</p>

<p>If you do end up commuting to either Fullerton or Long Beach I’d recommend going to the closer option if only to save some time and hassle. After all, traffic is much better in North OC than LB area during rush hour and you’ll still have to find time to park. That ten minute difference can easily turn into thirty plus minutes of hassle. </p>

<p>@whenhen i will definitely look it up for sure! i have 3 friends going there next year, as well as someone i know that’s already there so i’ll ask them as well,
as for fullerton or long beach, i’m probably going to choose fullerton for convenience. thank you! </p>

<p>For UCR, you can turn it into an admissions safety if you qualify based on the stats listed at <a href=“New Students | Apply | Undergraduate Admissions | UC Riverside”>http://admissions.ucr.edu/whyucr/ourguarantee&lt;/a&gt; , sign up for the guaranteed admission program during June 16-July 31, 2014, and include UCR in your regular UC application.</p>

<p>Of course, you need to check the net price calculator to see if UCR is affordable.</p>

<p>You may also want to look at the list in <a href=“Automatic Full Tuition / Full Ride Scholarships - #300 by BobWallace - Financial Aid and Scholarships - College Confidential Forums”>Automatic Full Tuition / Full Ride Scholarships - #300 by BobWallace - Financial Aid and Scholarships - College Confidential Forums; to give targets to try for the SAT or ACT.</p>

<p>@ucbalumnus this is really great information , thank you so so much! </p>