<p>I recently got admitted in to UC Davis as a transfer student and I'm pretty excited for that. After looking in to my major in depth I'm pretty much at a standstill. </p>
<p>I am looking to major in either International Relations, Sociology, or Communications and minor in another.</p>
<p>All three majors interest me but what I want to know is which is the smartest choice. I understand my career choice will make a big difference but truthfully I don't really have an idea. </p>
<p>These are the basic questions that I need help with. Please shed some light. Thanks! </p>
<p>Which major is the easiest?</p>
<p>Which major will be the most beneficial after graduation?</p>
<p>Which minor is most logical paired with the major?</p>
<p>They’re all pretty similar majors with some overlap in fields. You’ll be reading and writing a lot all of those majors. Why don’t you visit those departments and talk to both faculty and students in them. Ask what they like about the program. Ask about internships and career placement services. </p>
<p>1) The easiest will obviously depend on the person. None are know as ‘difficult’ majors though. In fact, many joke that sociology and communications are ‘weak’ majors and those that graduate from those programs have inflated GPAs. Know that IR often requires lots of foreign language courses, and that can trip some people up.</p>
<p>2) It depends what you want to do. There really aren’t many jobs that call for any of those majors. Most jobs you could get with one you could get with another. IR is a bit different, but there are so many entry-IR jobs, if that’s the direction you want to go, you can do so with a sociology or communications degree.</p>
<p>3) Minors really are overrated. No one really looks at them. Do what you enjoy.</p>
<p>Knowing these fields in only broad strokes might make them seem like they blend together a lot. The more depth you gain in any of them, the more distinct the field will appear. Of the two I can comment on - IR and Sociology - I would note that while political science and sociology do share many similarities, it is generally rare for sociologists to do international/cross-national work in any capacity (with a notable exception being globalization scholars.) However, I do agree with blueapple’s suggestion of talking to advisors in each faculty, and to gain more information about these fields before making up your mind.</p>
<p>I meant similar in skills needed and developed, not actual content. They are both heavy on analysis, academic readings, current events, and statistics on the quant side. This is especially true if you compared it to something in the humanities or hard sciences. An apple may not appear to be similar to a banana, but when compare to a steak, they seem more similar.</p>
<p>Glad you qualified your claim; your initial post just said “they’re all pretty similar majors.” Though skills like “reading” and statistical analysis are similarities that are shared with many more fields than just these three.</p>