Rank schools for poli science undergrad?

College Search & Selection
1

<p>Hey
I've recently applied and am wondering which of my chosen schools has the best graduate prospects for political science, and could someone also give a ranking of my schools please? thanks</p>

<p>UC Berkeley
UCLA
UCSD
Penn State - Schreyers honors college
U of Wisconsin
College of William and Mary
Wesleyan University</p>

2

<p>The best objective approach I can think of is to look at the number of political science PhDs per capita among graduates of each of these schools. One poster has put some of this data together for political science doctorates (<a href=“http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/college-search-selection/193524-best-lacs-political-science.html[/url]”>http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/college-search-selection/193524-best-lacs-political-science.html&lt;/a&gt; , see interesteddad’s post, #3, which includes both universities and LACs). Please let us know if you find more up-to-date or comprehensive data from NSF or other sites.</p>

<p>The only one of your schools to make interesteddad’s list (top 30 or so undergrad producers of Poli Sci PhDs per 1000 graduates) is Wesleyan University, which produced 6 doctorates per 1000 graduates from 1994 to 2003.</p>

<p>However, I recommend against relying too much on this data for your purposes. It does suggest that Wesleyan has strength in this field (assuming there has not been a shake-up in the department in the past decade or so). However, some of the others may be as strong, it’s just that their graduates more often go into other, related areas (law,International Relations) after college.</p>

<p>For undergraduate institutions, it usually makes sense to choose the school, not the department. For graduate school it will be the other way around.</p>

<p>But for anyone else who does believe in looking at PhD baccalaureate origins to choose a school for political science, it appears that the Philadelphia Quaker colleges (Swarthmore, Haverford, Bryn Mawr), collectively as a Tri-College consortium, have the best record.</p>

3

<p>thanks for the link, a shame it didn’t really help as most of my schools are big state schools and not LACs
I once found a site which said UCSD and U Wisconsin have high graduate prospects, does anyone agree with that?
and can anyone give me an opinion, objective or otherwise about which school is ‘the best’?
(yes i know theres no such thing as the best but im sorta at a quandary)</p>

4

<p>Your schools are all very good schools. The one I wonder about is UCSD. What have you heard about their poly sci program? I think a guideline might be…if a school has a good law school, then it probably has a good poly sci undergrad and grad program.</p>

<p>Are you in-state for California?</p>

<p>Can you afford these out-of-state publics? If so, great! However, if you’ll need financial aid there may be a problem.</p>

5

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<p>I’d say, for undergraduates, Wesleyan is “best”. Especially given your interest in Political Science (and the information I cited above).</p>

<p>However, if you are a California resident, if you are accepted to all of them, if cost is a significant concern and aid does not bring them all into line, I’d probably pick Berkeley.</p>

6

<p>Um I’m pretty sure UCSD has a top 10 polisci program (graduate)
Aside from that I’d say berkeley or ucla</p>

7

<p>Im registered as an international student so…and I should be able to pay without financial aid except for Wesleyan
Also, my parents seem to be in love with Penn State, so where would people put it in relation with my other schools? And i probably won’t get into the Honors college anyways so…=(</p>

8

<p>*
UC Berkeley
UCLA
UCSD
Penn State - Schreyers honors college
U of Wisconsin
College of William and Mary
Wesleyan University </p>

<p>Im registered as an international student so…and I should be able to pay without financial aid except for Wesleyan*</p>

<p>I don’t understand that statement. Wesleyan’s cost isn’t much different than Berkeley, UCLA, etc.</p>

<p>See below for the cost of attedance for each school for int’ls/non-residents…</p>

<p>$39,510, PENN STATE
$46,699, UC SAN DIEGO
$49,193, UCLA
$50,306, UC BERKELEY
$51,132, Wesleyan U</p>

<p>Were you thinking that the UC’s were cheaper?</p>

9

<p>I should have clarified, it’s more along the lines of prestige.
Where I’m located no one has ever heard of Wesleyan despite it being a very good LAC, so my parents would be highly reluctant to shell out 50k USD for it.
On the other hand, the UC’s are world-renown, hence my parents would be willing to pay for the good reputation.
so…yeah</p>