<p>hey all - sorry if i'm being a bit redundant. i'm sure there's a thread about this somewhere. anyway i was curious about some majors at wes. i'm particularly interested in majoring in Government or the College of Social Studies. I don't know much about either, but I'm fairly certain I want to major in political science, or some variety of it. Can someone tell me about the College of Social Studies? how, really, is it any different from gov't and is there an admissions process? woa there - i suppose i should focus on the wesleyan admissions process first.</p>
<p>css is a major for masochists only. you apply at the end of your frosh year--there are essay questions. no one really gets rejected, though, as long as you take it seriously. css is notorious for monopolizing the wsa (wes's student government) and for generally being world-domination-plotting kind of people.</p>
<p>Errrr :P
Also, CSS is an interdisciplinary major that ties together history, economics, government, and philosophy. One of its highlights is an intensive sophomore year (junior and senior year? Really not so bad) with weekly tutorials every Friday. You have to do a ton of reading, and a paper each week. (Sophomore year, that is). Thus it is sometimes called the "College of Suicidal Sophomores."</p>
<p>The WSA does have a reputation for being comprised of white male CSS majors... however, CSS majors themselves often don't fit this stereotype. People who do CSS tend to be very intellectual but also pragmatic. COL (College of Letters), on the other hand, tends to attract intellectuals who prefer theoretical idealism over practicality ;)</p>
<p>Both COL and CSS are fairly intense and put a lot of emphasis on reading. You also get a ton of advisor interaction. It's also a commitment, because you have to apply to the major your freshman year - and there are people who DO get rejected.</p>
<p>CSS is quite different than government, in both its methods of teaching and the subject matter itself.</p>