I was wondering if anyone could give me some advice on this- I love Michigan in just about every way, but I guess I’m scared about having a very impersonal experience (I understand that it’s obviously a very large school and I’m going to have plenty of large classes, which is fine) but I want to feel like I can still gain a good relationship with professors and have open discussions in class. I’m planning on majoring in political science- is this program still going to be good for undergrads, or taught by many TA’s?? Are there still going to be many small classes? Can anyone answer this or give some insight? I’m debating between Michigan and a smaller school which also has a very good political science/international relations program, and is just geared towards undergrads. I would still love a great, engaging education, but with everything else Michigan has to offer- I guess I’m scared that it would all be big lectures with professors who were just geared towards research and graduates. I would greatly appreciate any insight into this.
Ayyyyy I’m a current polisci major! None of your lectures will be taught by a TA (called Graduate Student Instructors - GSIs), but for intro classes, you’ll be in a 200 person lecture hall with a professor and discussion sections bi/weekly with a GSI in a class of usually 25, where your discussion grade comes from. Michigan doesn’t have 200 level polisci classes here, so when you’re done with intro level classes, the classes get significantly smaller and GSIs are less common. My GSI for my intro class last semester was awesome, the vast majority of them are PhD students so they definitely know their stuff and really willing to help you. I’m taking my first 300 right now with just a professor and no GSI that’s about 50 people, which makes discussion semi challenging but not impossible. Most 300 level polisci classes are smaller than that or would have a discussion section attached if that size, so I think my class is kind of an outlier.
You’re definitely going to have some huge classes your first year, but they get significantly smaller and you can establish connections with the professor during office hours or in discussion with GSIs. I thought I would hate huge classes, but I actually like them because of the independence and accountability on my own part. The sheer amount of opportunities Michigan offers for polisci majors (Michigan in Washington, UN internship) helped me rule out other schools and the professors I’ve had are absolutely incredible in their profession. I love the department and program so far and would highly recommend it.
Hope this helped! Let me know if you have any other questions. GO BLUE! 
UM’s political science department is one of the best in the country. And there are related courses in other departments, i.e. economics, public policy, RC.
@collegestressin thank you SO much. This definitely helped I really appreciate it and I’m very excited for the future!! One more question- would you say that the professors are balanced? I know that as a whole the school is quite liberal, but I truly like a diversity of perspectives and would hope that the professors try to engage students in arguments from multiple viewpoints. What’s your opinion on this?
I’m so glad that I could help!
For my classes I’ve had so far, I’ve experienced very little bias if not no bias with professors. The campus is extremely liberal as a whole, but I’ve always gotten an unbiased perception from my professors. I know of some that are from friends that have taken certain classes (they’ll typically say on ratemyprofessor .com) , but what I’ve had so far is professors explaining concepts/theories/events and you being able to form and defend your opinion from that either in writing or discussion (if that makes sense)
That does make great sense! Thank you @collegestressin . Also, do you have any tips for not being scared to discuss in class? I guess I’m nervous about that, but I really want to engage in open debate/discussion without being fearful of what others might think
I attended an extremely solid regional to national undergradate institution. I’d estimate that 2/3 of the publications which were required reading in my poli-sci classes were written by Michigan professors. When I decided to attend graduate school, there was zero doubt in my mind where I would attend. Michigan is even more of a powerhouse at the graduate level.
collegestressin’s analysis seems in line with what Political Science majors I knew used to say. Large intro classes taught by professors with smaller-small intermediate and advanced classes. The real benefit of Michigan’s Political Science department is the faculty. Not only is it one of the best in the World, it is also very well connected and they can open up all sorts of research and internship opportunities for undergraduate students. Many of the Political Science majors I knew found great internships/jobs in DC and abroad. And now, Michigan offers the PPE major, which also seems awesome.
@Alexandre wonderful! I’m very excited for the program.