<p>I was wondering if anybody could tell me a bit more about the Political Science major in Stony Brook. I know poly sci isnt what Stony Brook is known for, but will I at least get a good enough education to get into law school? Im a hard worker and Im not worried about fishing in the grades, but what I am worried about is that good graduate schools wont look at me because of where I studied. Thats not to say Stony Brook is a bad school, but its known for its sciences and not anything else.</p>
<p>Ive become very limited in my options, its either Stony Brook or I place myself into debt by going to Fordham.</p>
<p>Stony Brook may be best known for natural sciences and engineering, but a lot of our social sciences, humanities, and arts departments are really fantastic too. I’m not a poli sci major, but I know a decent number of them (since they’re disproportionately represented in the politically active groups on campus, understandably!) who are all really happy with the department. The poli sci electives I’ve taken were interesting and well-taught, and the political science buffs I know have all had great research and internship opportunities. I know a few poli sci graduates in law school now, and a few working for activist groups and non-profits.</p>
<p>From what I know about law school admissions, your LSAT and GPA are more important than any other factor–major, school, whatever. So I certainly can’t imagine going to SBU would be “held against you” in any way. I know a bunch of people from all different majors who ended up at great law schools after SB, and a few more who seem to be on their way. Our pre-law club is fairly new, but very on the ball in terms of programming and events, so you should definitely check that out if you decide to come here.</p>
<p>If you’re planning on law school, Stony Brook seems like the obvious choice to me–good department for your major, plus you get to stay out of debt which gives you more options after graduation.</p>
<p>Thanks very much for taking the time to write such a detailed and helpful response ( :</p>
<p>I think that Stony Brook is becoming the clear choice for me. I have one more question, maybe it will be answered here so i dont have to post a new thread. I visited the campus and it seems to be “in the middle of nowhere”. Would I be able to find a room to rent outside of the campus? Is there a specific location (town) where students do this? And about how far away is it from the campus?</p>
<p>There are plenty of people who rent off-campus. A lot depends on what methods of transportation you want to use; if you have a car and don’t mind driving to campus every day you can comfortably live more places than if you’re relying on feet/bike/bus/train. Though it’s certainly possible to get around without a car.</p>
<p>Within walking distance, there are two main areas. By the South P commuter parking lot in the town of Stony Brook has a lot of nice shared houses full of undergrads and grad students, and you can either walk to the middle of campus from there (~20-30 minutes) or take the shuttle bus from South P. The area by the train station in Setauket also has a decent number of shared houses, some more divided/apartment-style and some with more shared space, and a bunch of room-for-rent situations. Walking to the middle of campus from the train station is ~10-15 minutes, and there are campus buses as well.</p>
<p>If you want to use a bike, it just depends on how long a bike ride you’re comfortable with and what ranges of weather you’re okay biking in I know people who have been quite happy biking to campus from houses and apartments in Setauket/East Setauket down 25A and in Port Jefferson Station; unless you’re comfortable biking in large quantities of snow and rain you should pick somewhere with bus access for backup.</p>
<p>It’s also pretty convenient to live somewhere a stop or two down the LIRR from Stony Brook, in Port Jefferson, St. James, etc. Downtown Port Jeff is a nice area with bars, restaurants, shops, etc., and it’s accessible to campus by bus; if you live between there and the Port Jeff train station you can commute to campus by bus or train and have easy access to the town. The buses don’t run at night, so the train offers more flexibility if you want to hang out on campus in the evenings or have people over who don’t have cars.</p>
<p>People with cars live in all of those areas and also more far-flung ones.</p>
<p>So basically, there isn’t really a “student ghetto” that’s completely saturated, but there are plenty of places that are good to live in.</p>
<p>I’m actually really interested in law school too and was wondering if u can tell me about the economics department at stony brook. If it is well known or not.</p>
I know people who have been quite happy biking to campus from houses and apartments in Setauket/East Setauket down 25A and in Port Jefferson Station; unless you’re comfortable biking in large quantities of snow and rain you should pick somewhere with bus access for backup.</p>