<p>I'm just curious about the difficulty level of the classes needed to be successful for a political sci major. I already gave up my decisions to attempt going to med school since i'm goood at math. </p>
<p>Any info would help,</p>
<p>Thanks!</p>
<p>As a poli sci major, I’d say the material is easy enough and interesting. But you can do med school pre-reqs and still do poli-sci 
There’ nothing stopping you from trying!</p>
<p>Some/most poli sci classes are kinda subjective… so sometimes the grading may feel unfair. But usually, it evens out. Like in one class, the GSI (grader) really likes your style and gives you a good grade for a mediocre paper, and in another class the GSI really hates it etc etc… :S And you end up with different grades despite the same understanding etc. Also, there’s no evening out between GSI, so some sections end up being a lot easier than others.</p>
<p>Poli sci is essay and argument based, so this subjectivity is natural. But if you write a good paper, there’s a limit to how bad a grade you can get ^_^;;</p>
<p>Depending on which classes you take, you will probably be writing more papers than taking exams if you choose Political Science. Most of the classes I took were mostly graded by paper assignments, or entirely by paper assignments (112 theory series). Political Science 3 and 136C (Game Theory) will involve more problem set assignments if you are into that kind of stuff.</p>
<p>Completing the major is not difficult if you have your priorities straight. In 3 years I finished the major, as well as my undergrad requirements fro graduation.</p>
<p>Do most poli sci majors finish a little earlier or have trouble filling all requirements within 4 years? I just checked Berkeley’s graduation rate within 4 years and it’s pretty low(44%). And also, how good of a writer do you need to be successful in this major?</p>
<p>A pol sci major only requires 12 courses. I think most pol sci people tend to minor/double major because they do have lots of room in their schedules.</p>
<p>Edited to add:</p>
<p>I’ve only done one Pol Sci essay and three Pol Sci essay-based midterms/finals, but in all of them, you need a clear thesis with evidence to back it up. You don’t have to use big words and have a strong handle of pol sci lingo, but you need to show your understanding of the course material.</p>
<p>
Your writing ability is probably the largest determinant of your success as a PoliSci major.</p>
<p>As a Senior PS major, I have 70-80 pages to write in the next 4-5 weeks. However, it’s not the writing that I’m dreading, it’s the research. If I didn’t have the ability to write well, the time needed to both research and write capably would in all likelihood prove too much.</p>
<p>It’s pretty easy to graduate Poli Sci in 3 years The hard part is getting the upper div poli sci classes and they fill up really really fast T__T</p>
<p>Usually, you can only get 2 PS courses per sem (2 classes @ 4 units = at 10.5 phase I cap)</p>
<p>The lower div PS classes can be fufilled in 1 sem. And after declaration, you just need 4 sem to get all your upper divs done . [near impossible to get PS upper div classes if not declared] </p>
<p>PS lower div classes, on the other hand, can be Phase II’d :)</p>
<p>ektaylor, what’s your specialization?</p>
<p>and is it true that Ps 1-5 are the hardest to get through because you don’t get to specialize in what you’re actually interested in? because i have a hard time getting through one PS class’ work because it’s just so damn boring.</p>