<p>I am a current high school junior looking into a few things:</p>
<p>I am intrigued by the MIT Political Science department. My brief stats are:
NDCA and NCFL (Debate- National Qualifier)
National History Bee and National History Bowl (National Qualifier - 2 years)
United States Geography Olympiad (National Finalist)
NAQT Quiz Bowl - (Top 40 national finish)</p>
<p>4.0 GPA
2350 SAT
SAT II - 780 US History, 800 World History, 740 MATH II, 800 Math I
Class Rank: 5/800ish</p>
<p>Varsity Tennis(3 Years) and actually a 2 star recruit</p>
<p>I was wondering whether you must have a extreme proficiency for math and science to be able to go to MIT if your intended major is Political Science, as I haven't participated in Math and science competitions.</p>
<p>My background has mainly been in poli region</p>
<p>It isn’t necessary to do math/science competitions although you will need to articulate reasons why you want to go to MIT and those reasons should probably involve something STEM related. MIT political science is certainly good but I don’t think it makes sense to come to MIT if you are just interested in political science and not STEM.</p>
<p>Don’t forget that if you are interested in applying to MIT you will also need to take a science SAT II.</p>
<p>Where would you guys recommend I apply to? Preferably some place with strong Political Science department</p>
<p>In general Liberal art schools can emphasize political sciences. Some of the ivies can qualify!</p>
<p>Do you guys know if UC Berkeley has a good Political Science programh</p>
<p>You haven’t given much information but most elite colleges are going to have good political science departments. The exact ranking of the department isn’t so important for undergraduate study. I think the overall fit of the school is much more important than the details of the department unless you have extremely strong and specific interests which doesn’t seem to be the case.</p>
<p>That provides some more context although I’m still not entirely sure what your future plans are. Your list of colleges seems pretty reasonable although you should add a couple of safeties that will definitely accept you.</p>
<p>I am currently a sophomore at MIT studying math/economics. I am also on the quiz bowl team.</p>
<p>I knew two poli sci majors at MIT. I ran into one of them at an alumni function and she was a professor at one of the University of California schools…So it can be a good choice. </p>
<p>I would say MIT is worth considering if you want to spend the first year taking a lot of math and science classes, you like the environment/general vibe at MIT, and don’t mind people being surprised when you tell them your major. MIT does have a top 10 department in poli sci. I have heard that research is more quantitative at MIT than at competing schools, although if you look at the poli sci professors it doesn’t seem out of the ordinary. It’s possible that “poli sci research” also includes research done in the business school. One drawback is that there is less breadth of classes than if you were at a liberal arts university (don’t know about if a small college would,) though it is possible to take Harvard classes. On the other hand, unlike other majors, you probably would get more personal attention from the faculty. </p>
<p>As a student here at MIT, i’ll give you an idea.</p>
<p>As far as getting in, you apply to MIT not to the PoliSci department. Your numbers/stats look good. with a compelling interview you will have a pretty good chance at getting in, just make sure you hit all the SAT/ACT requirements. </p>
<p>With that said, PoliSci here is pretty strong, but outside of it’s department there is not a whole lot of support. It is, still, a very strong program here as is the rest of MIT. If you absolutely hate STEM classes MIT will not be the place for you. The GIRs require chemistry, physics, and calculus to be taken at a relatively high level. If you have any interest in STEM it is worth coming, but if you know for a fact (which most don’t in high school) that you never want to take a STEM class then this is not the place for you.</p>
<p>Also a thing to keep in mind, PoliSci is a major that is easily doubled here. the classes are difficult(it is MIT) but compared to other majors like 16 (Aero/Astro) it is easy to double major. If you have any interest in 14 (Economics) or 15 (Management) these are popular doubles with PoliSci and MIT is also a top Econ program (relatively little known fact) and Sloan School of Management is known for being a strong school. I guess it boils down to whether or not you are willing to take STEM classes. If so, MIT would be a great place to study. Otherwise, you may not enjoy the techy atmosphere.</p>