<p>I have some questions about Poli Sci at Yale, and am wondering if there is anyone with any knowledge re: undergrad experience.</p>
<p>(1) I don't see anything on the Yale website about a "Semester in Washington" program, or any specific help with getting paid or unpaid Washington DC internships? Are there any Yale in DC type programs? </p>
<p>(2) When students graduate with a BA/BS in poli sci how do Yale grads fare in the job market? I read that Wall Street and Banks recruit heavily at Yale. But what about real political science-related jobs, opportunities with non-profits, research, or work with political think tanks?</p>
<p>(3) With a undergrad degree in political science from Yale, how easy or hard is it to find scholarship opportunities to reduce the cost of graduate school or law school? If not, do students actually take out $75,000 per year loans for grad school? Ouch! </p>
<p>Any other positives, negatives, or things to consider re: Yale political science, or possibly pre-law, but not 100% sure on post-grad part.</p>
<p>(1) I don’t know of any Yale student that did an internship during the semester because I am pretty sure you can’t get credit for it. The department does have some summer funding options and will forward opportunities that it finds. There is a Yale-in-Washington program ([Yale</a> in Washington](<a href=“http://yaleinwashington.com/]Yale”>http://yaleinwashington.com/)) that puts on events for students who have found internships, but that is not an internship program and it is separate from the department.</p>
<p>(2) There is no BS in Political Science, just a BA. Political Science grads fare just as well as all other graduates who majored in areas that are not practical (practical areas being math, science & engineering, econ, etc.). Plenty of Political Science grads work in the various opportunities that you mentioned.</p>
<p>(3) For top research universities, acceptance into a PhD program usually means full tuition + stipend for at least 5 years. Doing well as an undergraduate at Yale will help you get into a good graduate program. Law school scholarships are all about undergraduate GPA + LSAT (save for a few schools such as NYU that have special scholarships).</p>
<p>One other note: I don’t think you have an understanding of what political science actually is. If you’re looking for a practical politics program (like most high school students/college freshmen interested in political science), you won’t find it at Yale and I don’t think you’ll find it any other top research university. That being said, Yale’s Political Science department does have a number of lectures and seminars on more practical politics, so you will have a chance to learn about those topics–they will not, however, be the entirety of your Political Science studies.</p>
<p>there are always Yale undergrads volunteering and working on Alderman’s campaigns, Mayoral, State Legislator’s and U.S. Congress & Senatorial campaigns… both in the summers and during the school year. There are also some summer internships (some even for pay) at city hall. Working on local campaigns is a very common Yale EC - the alderperson for Ward 1 in New Haven is almost always a Yalie - running for that office (or helping someone else win that office) are great ways to get started in electoral politics.</p>
<p>YaleAlumnus did a very good job answering your questions, but here a few additional comments:</p>
<p>1.) It’s probably not as common for Yalies to do term-time DC internships as students from say Georgetown or GW. Yale does not grant credit for any internships, but I do personally know of two students who have taken a semester off to intern in DC. There are plenty of internships available in DC if you know where to look and professors are very receptive to pointing you in the right direction. Also, once you declare polisci as your major, you’ll also get almost daily emails from the department about internship and publishing opportunities and upcoming talks. </p>
<p>2.) As YaleAlumnus said, there is no BS, only a BA. I don’t know about the statistics, but from anecdotal evidence, political science grads go into a diverse range of fields, including all of those you mentioned. It could just be the group of people that I hang out with, but it seems like there’s a large number of students interning (I’m a rising senior) in DC through the State Dept program and the White House program. Besides these large programs, there are a number of other opportunities available, they just don’t have the same well-oiled recruiting process that these programs (and the Wall Street banks) have. </p>
<p>3.) Most top research universities will fund a PhD, but not a masters. Being at Yale will not “qualify” you for any special scholarships, but will help you get into top graduate programs. Keep in mind that the field of academia is very small. If you know what subfield you’re interested in, chances are that the professors you engage with at Yale will know professors at other programs, and could put in a good word for you. </p>
<p>As YaleAlumnus said, political science as an academic field isn’t “politics” per se. There are plently of opportunities to get involved with campaigns and policy work, but not directly through the major. You don’t have to be a “politics” person to be a major, and there are other majors that are well-suited for a future in politics (EP&E, global affairs, history, etc.)</p>