<p>I am currently a junior in high school, and I have begun looking for colleges to visit (my parents have tasked me with compiling a list of at least ten). I want to major in political science. I am currently ranked number one out of 498 students at my high school and have a 4.0 unweighted average, but I haven't taken the SAT yet. I am taking three AP courses this year, plan to take 5 more next year, and received a 5 on the AP World History exam last year. I am only looking to go to school in the northeast (preferably in a large city), and am hoping to obtain a considerable amount of financial aid. Any suggestions?</p>
<p>Look at the D.C. schools like George Washington University, Georgetown, and American University.</p>
<p>American University has great financial aid, I believe. :)</p>
<p>Good luck!</p>
<p>Yes, most of the DC schools emphasize political science. You might also look at George Mason and U. Maryland College Park.</p>
<p>Some universities or branches in state capitals also have good political science programs.</p>
<p>American’s financial aid is skewed more towards merit than many colleges.</p>
<p>Thanks! I will definitely have to look into some of these schools :D</p>
<p>Any other suggestions?</p>
<p>What’s your definition of a good political science program? By what characteristics would one know that a particular program is good?</p>
<p>I suppose I originally posted this in order to look for a program that is more well-renowned than anything else. I realize that the term “good” is fairly subjective. I am just beginning to look into colleges, and was merely hoping to get an idea of what sort of schools I should be looking into. If you (i.e. future posters) could also provide an explanation of why a program is considered to be good, that would be especially helpful. I have yet to define the specific qualities that I am looking for in a college, other than the ones listed in my first post.</p>
<p>The DC schools have that reputation due in part to their locations, but I wouldn’t assume that internships are less available outside the Beltway. All the Ivies, Johns Hopkins, and William & Mary have strong reputations.</p>
<p>I definitely plan to look into those as well. thanks for the input!</p>
<p>Are you looking for need-based aid or for merit aid? You should have your parents run a FAFSA estimator to get a sense of your expected family contribution. Harvard, Yale, Princeton and Stanford have extremely generous need-based aid programs, and their political science programs aren’t too shabby 
</p>
<p>I will second the DC schools and Johns Hopkins and UMCP. Be sure to apply to the latter before their Nov 1 (or whatever) priority deadline to have a shot at merit aid. University of Rochester has a strong political science department and can offer good aid (merit and/or need-based) when they want a student.</p>
<p>Political Science or International Realtions? Most schools mentioned above have excellent International Relations programs, but they are not known as Political Science heavyweights. </p>
<p>Given the OP’s stats (valedictorian, 4.0 unweighed GPA, many AP classes etc…), assuming her SAT/ACT is in keeping with the rest of her credentials (say over 2200 on the SAT/32 on the ACT), for the specific field she asked, I would recommend schools such as Chicago, Columbia, Duke, Harvard, Michigan-Ann Arbor, MIT, Princeton, Stanford and UC-Berkeley. I would also look into UNC-Chapel Hill and the University of Rochester. </p>
<p>If the OP was asking about International Relations, then I agree with Georgetown, Johns Hopkins, George Washington and American University. I would add Claremont McKenna and Tufts as well.</p>
<p>^What about Yale?</p>
<p>I forgot Yale. It is one of the clear choices for Political Science.</p>