<p>hey guys i searched but i couldnt find a conclusive response to my question...i wanna major/minor in poli-sci and business, havn't decided which with which yet....any prospective schools? im average in all areas...(3.2 UW, 2040 SAT, 150+volunteering...wrestling/track as EC's, Model UN etc...). thanks.</p>
<p>any ideas. =((((((((((((( CC is ignoring me =(((</p>
<p>I was going to major in political science--but I changed my mind. I wouldn't suggest majoring in political science. Major in business and minor in poli sci. The reason I didn't major in poli sci is because I wasn't sure if I'd go to law school afterwards. And there is really no jobs out there for poli sci grads...except perhaps as assistants in D.C.--but the pay is very, very low. Even if you are sure about going to grad school, I still wouldn't risk majoring in poli sci. The market is filled with social science bachelor degree holders and no jobs to fill them.</p>
<p>tinacheo is 100% wrong about career prospects because he/she shares a misunderstanding about the purposes of a liberal-arts degree with many people. These degrees are not vocational like engineering, accounting, nursing, etc. So they don't "prepare" you for a specific job. What you DO gain is a chance to investigate an area of knowlege in some depth, and you indirectly are learning skills valuable to future employers like critical reasoning, writing, ability to learn quickly, etc.</p>
<p>the one thing tinacheo has right is that there are lots of liberal-arts grads each year. In order to gain a leg up in the race to land a job after college, you need to do some things in college. Leadership positions are important, as is being involved in your campus. But the most important thing are internships. Internships give you real-world exposure to the workplace and most students with internships get a job offer from the place they interned, plus it allows you to explain to other employers you interview with why you know you want a job in marketing or finance or whatever because you can list things you did/saw while on the job.</p>
<p>In sum, if you expect your college major to deliver a job to you then you need a vocational major such as accounting, nursing, etc. On the other hand literally millions of people have found good jobs by majoring in something they love AND using their college time to prepare for the working world.</p>
<p>Oh, as to the OP's original question. You haven't gotten many replies because you are doing the search process wrong. Outside of the 100 or so schools in high demand, the rest of the 3000+ 4-year colleges admit the majority if not all of their applicants. So what matters is what YOU want in college -- urban or rural, size of student body, geographical location, type of students it attracts, special programs, etc.</p>
<p>Well, unlike the days in the past, we are in a new era where college must be treated differently, mikemac. It may seem like you can still do whatever you want (career wise) with a liberal arts degree--but speaking from kids in this time and generation--it will be MUCH tougher landing a job these days, despite holding a bachelor's degree. When the notion of "University" came to pass, Universities were for the upperclass, who could afford to go. Taking Liberal arts and sciences were for those in the old days to be taking "liberally". I do think that liberal arts and sciences are an important part of education--that is why I support those colleges who require general education for the first two years of the BA or BS degree. But no, I totally am against taking liberal arts/sciences as a major--for the student's sake. Even 30 years ago, if a man had a BA degree in anything, most likely he would get a good paying job and security. My dad got his degree in Journalism, but ended up now working in magagement at a chemical company. He could even afford his tuition, but in those days it was possible to work part time/full time in summer and afford the tuition. But these are very hard times--especially for college kids. Since education has been pushed for so many kids, there are an abundance of bachelor degree holders--in EVERY major--to compete with. Employers are now able to pick and choose. If a poly sci grad and a marketing grad are going for the same marketing position--they will probably take the marketing grad, because there is less risk involved. And I'm guessing the user who posted the original question would not be happy settling for a job answering phones after getting thier degree in poly sci (not saying that will happen, but I know of many people with liberal arts degrees who work full time where I am part timing, and they wish if they could do things differently, they would!) Plus, tuition has been raised much much higher than inflation of wages that kids our age work for are getting. So, with that in mind, with times changing, college--and the purpose of college, must change as well. College has evolved from a wealthy pastime of the uppercrust of society (I'm talking way back in the past, like the Universities in Europe) to a place that kids can better thier future. And with so much money invested, pick a major that you won't have to be unceratin will provide a good future and career. If you truly want a liberal education, there are better ways to get it than going to college. Read books! That's what I do!</p>
<p>tinacheo makes a lot of good points in the reply above; as the example of his dad demonstrates, until the 70's there were more jobs for college grads than there were college grads so most people could find a good job without too much difficulty. And until WWII and the GI bill college was mostly for the affluent, or for teachers/nurses/engineers and other vocational types in the public college system.</p>
<p>I am glad to see a softening in tinacheo's claims; in the 1st post it says "there is really no jobs out there for poli sci grads" and now at least tinacheo admits the prospect of a good job with sentences like "pick a major that you won't have to be unceratin will provide a good future and career." "Uncertainty" != "no jobs", at least.</p>
<p>However I still disagree with the main thrust of tinacheo's argument, that a lib-arts degree is too risky and in low demand.
[quote]
Employers are now able to pick and choose. If a poly sci grad and a marketing grad are going for the same marketing position--they will probably take the marketing grad
[/quote]
I emphatically disagree! Employers hiring college grads are most concerned with potential, with the ability to contribute, grow, and learn. This is why they recruit at top schools that don't have ANY business or vocational majors. Applying tinacheo's reasoning why would they bother since they have plenty of people with marketing and other business majors applying for their jobs? Take a look at the companies that visit Harvard at <a href="http://www.ocs.fas.harvard.edu/jobsinternships/recruiting/schedules/urls.htm%5B/url%5D">http://www.ocs.fas.harvard.edu/jobsinternships/recruiting/schedules/urls.htm</a> and you'll see some pretty prestigious names. Or take a good LAC; the list of recruiters at Middlebury is at <a href="http://www.middlebury.edu/administration/cso/achieve/recruiting_program/recruitingemployersbyindustry.htm%5B/url%5D">http://www.middlebury.edu/administration/cso/achieve/recruiting_program/recruitingemployersbyindustry.htm</a> So if tinacheo is right why on earth would they be going places like this?</p>
<p>The answer is that employers are looking for talented employees and they know they can find them many places. And that plenty of them will have lib-arts degrees. All too often people take a truth such as "it can be hard for a lib-arts grad to find a job" and turn it into a black-and-white truth that applies to all students, from all schools, under all circumstances. </p>
<p>I pointed out earlier steps that a lib-arts student needs to be competitive in the job market. Lib-arts are not right for everyone. Some people are more comfortable with the perceived safety of a vocational major (ask someone who went into IT or CS during the internet boom how that worked out). Vocational majors are the right fit for some, but that's no reason to advise kids contemplating a different choice that they're on a hopeless path.</p>