How hard are the Political Science Classes?

Colleges and Universities A-Z University of California - Davis
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<p>How hard are the social science classes? And specifically, how hard are the political science classes and what’s the average GPA of the students?</p>

<p>Does anybody have the graduation and admission rates going to law school for students who go here?</p>

<p>As well, can you take law school classes at Davis and do a lot of ppl intern at the Capitol? If you do or know anyone, what positions have you taken? And would you recommend the political science dept and opportunities over the following schools (UCSB, UCLA, UCSD, UCD, UCSC, UCB)?</p>

<p>Thanks.</p>

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<p>I am a 4th year International Relations major, Track II (Peace and Security), so all of my classes are social science and the bulk them are political science. </p>

<p>For me, UCD's Poli Sci classes take effort, but I've gotten A's or A-'s in all of them. I wouldn't call them hard, but I would call them work. I've found that most professors give you the grade you deserve, so if you work hard, your grade should reflect it. If you don't, your grade also reflects it. Now, a lot of people brag about how they can BS their way to an A, but I've noticed that when the Dean's Honor List is posted, their names aren't on it. If you don't understand something, all of the poli sci professors I've ever had have been very accessable, and you should visit them during office hours. Since it sounds like you're thinking about law school, you should visit them during office hours anyway. You will need recommendation letters sooner than you think. Amazingly, I've only had one bad Poli Sci professor (Siracusa, if you're wondering). Your grade, particularly during your lower division classes, will be very dependent on your TA. Fortunately, most of UCD's poli sci TAs are brilliant and are willing to go the extra mile to help you. </p>

<p>Since I'm not planning on going to law school, I don't know much about law school prep at UCD. I know there is at least one professor who feels it's his duty to prepare his students for law school, but I forget who he is. He runs his class like a law school classroom however; from the first day you are given a seating assignment (yes, in college!), and he takes roll on the basis on which seats are filled, not by name. I think students find him helpful though. </p>

<p>As for internship opportunities, LOTS of students intern at the capitol. I know one right now who works in Arnold's office. I would definitely recommend interning; you'll need it to go anywhere after college, and it will help you decide on your career path. The reason I know I don't want to be a lawyer (or at least a trial attorney anyway) was because I interned with one after high school, and discovered I didn't like the work as much as I thought. That revelation freed me to find something I do love -- International Relations -- and I'm actually applying for an internship with the State Department for next summer. So, DEFINITELY intern. </p>

<p>UCD also has a number of programs and activities for students planning to go on to law school. I'm afraid I don't pay much attention to them since I'm not interested, but they exist. I know last Spring, interested students were actually able to take a class at UCD's law school in order to get a feel for what it's like. Talk to your advisor, and he or she will tell you where to go to learn about what UCD has to offer in this regard. Also keep an eye on the campus newspaper; some of these events are announced there. </p>

<p>As for social science classes in general, most are very good at Davis. I've had a lot of Econ and History, and I can tell you that their quality is very professor dependent. A good way to learn about the quality of professors is through <a href="http://www.ratemyprofessors.com%5B/url%5D"&gt;www.ratemyprofessors.com&lt;/a> </p>

<p>Finally, the student body in the social sciences is very supportive. There is competition, but it's not ruthless. If you get sick and need notes, someone will give them to you. There are lots of people who want the top grade, and they will keep you on your toes. But no one will hurt you in order to get it. If you need help, even the most competitive of people will sit down with you and try to help you understand. It may seem intimidating your first quarter (it was to me), since it seems like everyone already knows everyone else, but if you sit down and start talking to random people, you'll discover how nice everyone is. It's a great environment, and one I'm proud to be part of.</p>

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<p>Wow, SSV, you sound really knowledgeable about this subject. I'm a rising senior and UC Davis is one of my top choices for college next year. I'm also planning on majoring in Political Science, International Relations, or American Studies. As of right now, I plan on going to Law School, or are there any other careers you can suggest with those majors listed? Also, how difficult is the International Relations major at UCD? Or American Studies? What is the average GPA and would it be possible to graduate in less than 4 years in any of those majors? Thanks.</p>

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<p>LOL, the only reason I know anything is from a complete willingness to allow myself to look stupid and having my advisor on speed dial. :-) </p>

<p>For possible careers, all the majors you are interested in teach students how to analyze and communicate. Since the ability to analyze is not subject specific, you can do virtually anything. Each major description in the UCD catalog will give you a tedious list of common careers for that major (<a href="http://registrar.ucdavis.edu/UCDWebCatalog/catindex.html)%5B/url%5D"&gt;http://registrar.ucdavis.edu/UCDWebCatalog/catindex.html)&lt;/a>, but I think you’re better off exploring a subject you love for awhile before deciding on a career. I think it keeps your mind open to opportunities that you might miss out on if you’re set on one specific thing. Besides law school, I’ve seen people go into journalism from the majors you’ve listed, psychology (political psychology is extremely fascinating), teaching (all levels), business – it’s a known fact that multinationals prefer social science majors to students who have spent their college career studying accounting and finance and such because social science majors are taught to communicate. A lot of people take government jobs – CIA, Dept of Defense, and the state department, for example. I’m seriously considering the foreign service. Many students work for international organizations, such as the UN or NATO. There are a wide variety of positions in those organizations, from organizing food relief in disaster-struck countries to negotiating conflicts. A lot of people also work for non-governmental organizations (NGOs), of which there are thousands, and you can spend your life fighting the international slave trade or saving whales. You can do just about anything. </p>

<p>I’m afraid I don’t know much about the American Studies major at UCD (I’ve never met anyone majoring in it), but whether IR is difficult or not depends a lot on you. First, choose something you’re interested in. UCD’s IR has four tracks: World Trade and Development, Peace and Security, Global Environment, Health, and Natural Resources, and Peoples and Nationalities. (In addition, all IR students are required to study a minimum of two years of a foreign language, and complete an area studies requirement, in which you study a region of the world in-depth.) If you loathe numbers and graphs, then the World Trade & Development track will probably be more difficult for you (this is not to say it wouldn’t be valuable, however). Second, work on your writing skills. As your college career progresses, so will the expectations of your writing. I see a lot of Freshmen come in from high school and outshine their classmates, but then they stagnate, and then one day they’re in upper division classes writing like Freshmen – and they get nailed for it. If you’re not constantly improving your writing, you will find it increasingly difficult to do well. Finally, particularly in the subjects you are considering, life will be very difficult for you if you do not keep up on your reading. That is the one piece of advice that everyone gets and no one heeds until after they’ve tried to read 500 pages the night before the midterm. But if you stay on top of things, constantly try to improve yourself, and work hard, IR isn’t difficult and is very rewarding.</p>

<p>I don’t know what the average GPA is for any department… LOL, I don’t have time to worry about anyone’s GPA but my own, and neither will you once you start college. If you’re very concerned, you can look up the departments on UCD’s website and contact an advisor, but it’s too hard to learn anything from an average departmental GPA anyway. Everyone has a different situation; one of my very dear friends is a single dad putting himself through school, and sometimes, with school, work, and spending quality time with his sons, something has to give. His GPA is lower than he would like it to be, but it doesn’t reflect how intelligent he is or how good a student, or how hard classes are or how professors grade, but rather that every now and then he gives up an evening that could be spent studying for a test to play ball with his boys (for which I respect him far more than his GPA). EVERYONE has their own story, whether it’s my friend who’s planning her wedding and can’t concentrate on anything else, or the guy who sits in the corner who has no job, no responsibilities, and no friends, and can devote more time to his work than anyone else. Because of this, in my opinion, departmental GPAs are meaningless with regard to any information others can interpret from them. </p>

<p>As for graduating in less than four years, you could, but it would depend on how much sooner you're talking about, and it would require careful planning. Students can take up to 28.5 units a quarter (one might need permission after a certain amount), but it would be suicide. Most take 12 to 17, depending on the difficulty of their classes. Personally, I could easily complete IR in three years and two quarters, but I am choosing to add an extra year because there is too much left I want to do. To graduate from the College of Letters and Science, you must have 180 units (64 must be upper division). If you took 20 units a quarter during the school year, or if you took 17-18 during the school year and 8 during the summer, you could graduate in three years. The average social science class is 4 units (the major exception being some seminars and languages, which are 5 units), so you'd have to take 5 classes a quarter, which isn't terrible, but would still leave you with little free time and serious headaches during midterms and finals. It would also make it hard for you to find time to intern (almost a necessity in these majors), and if you wanted to study abroad, you would have to pick your program very carefully to make sure you earned enough units. It's your call; it can be done, but whether you want to do it is another question. </p>

<p>I’m really sorry for such a long post, but I’ve answered your questions the best I can, and I hope this helps! :-)</p>

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<p>Oops, the end parenthesis got caught in my link. The link to the UCD online catalog is:</p>

<p><a href="http://registrar.ucdavis.edu/UCDWebCatalog/catindex.html%5B/url%5D"&gt;http://registrar.ucdavis.edu/UCDWebCatalog/catindex.html&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p>

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<p>Thank you for your long reply SSV, it really helped me. The reason that I want to major in American Studies is because I really love American history, something I'm actually passionate about. Politics have always interested me, and I heard Political Science is a very well-respected major at any school, so thus I'm also interested in majoring in Political Science as well. As for International Relations..... I really have no idea what that major is about but it sounds really really, really interesting. But my brother who currently attends UCD said IR is one of the hardest majors there at Davis, can you verify that? </p>

<p>I have faith in my writing skills.... Lol, and I rarely ever procrastinate on readings either. Something else I'm considering is a History major. Do you know much about History majors? </p>

<p>All these units stuff is really confusing to me. My brother tried to explain them to me, but he didn't do a really good job (he's a Design major). He keeps saying it would be impossible for me to graduate in less than 4 years because I would have to fulfill my GE requirements too. Do you think it's possible to graduate in less than 4 years even with the GE requirements? Say in any of those majors I listed above, and suppose I took many classes during the summer too. And do you think it's possible to take that many classes and still maintain a high GPA? </p>

<p>Sorry for so many questions, but I'm really anxious. Thanks!</p>

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<p>I totally don’t mind questions, so ask away! </p>

<p>I’ll start with units. This will be long, so bear with me. There are four basic sets of requirements to graduate: University requirements, the General Education Requirement (or GEs), College requirements (College of Letters and Science in your case), and major requirements. I just checked my catalog and College of Letters & Science students are limited to 21 units a quarter, except for their Freshman year, in which they’re limited to 17. But that doesn’t change anything, you can still graduate in three years, especially if you take classes in the summer. </p>

<p>University Requirement:
The University is only interested in two things academically; it wants you to be proficient in English and have somde knowledge of American history. You can fulfill the English requirement by passing the Subject A Exam (which most people take before entering UCD), and if you’ve taken American history or government in high school, you’ve already fulfilled the American history requirement. The other University requirements have to do with units, residency, and scholarship. You must have 180 units to graduate, you must spend 35 of your last 45 units on the UCD campus, and you must have a minimum of a 2.0 to graduate.</p>

<p>General Education Requirement:
There are three topical areas at UCD: arts & humanities, science & engineering, and social science. In addition, some classes are classified as social-cultural diversity and writing experience. To full the GE requirement, you must take 3 GE-approved courses in each of the two topical areas that do not include your majors. Since you are looking at social science majors, that means you will have to take three in arts & humanities, and three in science & engineering. In addition, you have to take 1 GE-approved course in social-cultural diversity, and 3 GE-approved courses in writing experience. If a class is GE-approved, under its description in the General Catalog, you will see one or more of the following: ArtHum, SciEng, SocSci, Div, and Wrt. The cool thing is you’re allowed to double or triple up requirements, so long as you take the 6 topic breadth requirements. For example, if you took History 142A, History of the Holocaust, you would receive GE-Arts & Humanities credit, social-cultural diversity credit, and writing experience credit. A lot of people can complete their GEs in six classes this way. At an average of 4 units each, this means only 24 units. The worst case scenario is 40 units, which out of the 180 you need to graduate, isn’t too bad. </p>

<p>College Requirements:
Some colleges require more units to graduate than the University minimum, but it is the same – 180 units – in the College of Letters and Science. 64 of those units must be upper division. The CLS has its own residence and scholarship requirements, but if you meet the University’s, you’ll meet those of the CLS. You must also fulfill an upper-division English Composition requirement, which you can do by passing the English Comp exam or taking two approved English classes. You must fulfill an Area Requirement by taking a “mini minor” of three upper division courses in a program not your own, or any three art, music, or drama courses. The CLS also has a foreign language requirement, which you can test out of or fulfill by completing 15 units in one language. It will take, at max, 35 units to compete the CLS requirement, but if you test out of English, you’ll only have to take 27 units, or the Foreign Language, 20 units, or both, you’ll be left with only 12 units. </p>

<p>Major Requirements:
These are the specific classes you have to take to complete your major. You can look at the catalog to see which courses are needed. American Studies require 68 units, Political Science 74 units, and IR, depending on which track and how much language you’re taking, 67 – 97. (Mine totals 77, not including the first 15 units of my foreign language, which are covered by the CLS requirements) </p>

<p>There’s actually a point to this very long post, I promise! If you take the maximum possible units everywhere (I’m using my 77 since it’s about average of IR majors), you end up with 77 (major requirement) + 35 (college requirement) + 40 (GE requirement), which adds up to 152 units, meaning you still get to take 28 units of your choice to fulfill the unit requirement to graduate. And from my earlier post, you’ve already seen that you can do 180 units in three years. </p>

<p>To answer your question about whether you can take five classes a quarter and still maintain a high GPA, I would have to say I don’t know. I know people who have earned excellent grades by taking five classes for one quarter, but I don’t know how feasible it is to keep it up over time. I honestly think it can be done, but you would have to give up a lot of stuff. Part of the college experience is one’s social activities, and I don’t mean partying and getting drunk, but the friends you make and the life experiences you share. If you’re willing to accept that you won’t have time to do a lot of that stuff and get top grades, I think you could do it. You can actually get a start on it now, by taking some of your GEs at a local community college now (it is fairly easy to transfer credit and they let you do it as long as you’re over 16), and then you can start taking classes at the university the summer before your Freshman year. It would lighten the load a little and would allow you to at least alternate between 4 and 5 classes each quarter. Most people can handle 4 classes just fine. </p>

<p>If you have a passion for American history, you definitely should consider majoring in history with a concentration on U.S. history. UCD has a very respectable history department with some very brilliant professors. The nice thing about history classes is they’re usually more organized than a lot of other subjects. Due to my major, most of the history classes I take are of an international nature, but I’ve met some American history professors and TAs, and have been very impressed.</p>

<p>Is IR one the hardest majors at Davis? Well it’s a matter of perspective. In my opinion, Aeronautical Science and Engineering, Biophysics, and other things along those lines, would be some of the hardest majors. Since you seem to gravitate toward the social sciences anyway, I don’t think IR would be particularly hard for you. But I can see how for some people, with the language requirements, all the writing, and the fact that there’s never a real, solid answer, IR can be terrifying. For example, a test question all IR majors will get at some point or another will ask what kind of world order is the most stable. There is no “right” answer; you’re graded on your argument and the evidence you use to support it. The top grades usually have completely different and often opposing answers. Further, the examples one must come up with are not necessarily given in class. It’s an upper division test question, and while the theory will be given to you in class, the author would expect you to draw on all your lower division classes – history, economics, political science, and so on – in order to give the examples needed to support the theory. This drives a lot of people crazy. But, a lot of other people get off on it. Whether it’s difficult or not depends on which group you fall in. </p>

<p>Well I seem to have topped my last post in terms of length; I hope something of here is of help to you. If you have any other questions, feel free to ask!</p>