I’m interested in studying political science/government at whatever college I go to, and since I was accepted into Wesleyan, I was wondering what Wes’s Government program was like. I’ve done a lot of research, but I want to know a little more…
Put simply, how strong of a program is it? Less simply:
-Are students satisfied with the program?
-What internship/career/grad school opportunities do students have in the field of government?
-How engaging and experienced are the professors?
-How interesting and challenging are the classes?
-Any other info you think I should know
I know college is what you make of it, and so are the different programs that colleges offer, but I still want as much information as I can get before I make a decision. Any info would be greatly appreciated! 
@circuitrider , am I right that Government is part of CSS? If so, I think Wesleyan’s unique, insanely rigorous, and very well-respected CSS department should be explained to the OP by someone who knows it better than I.
If it is part of CSS, what I can say is that it involves a very, very, very heavy reading and paper writing demand right out of the gate, and also requires deep exposure to related disciplines. For example, my understanding of CSS is that majors have to take a requisite amount of econ. I’m not definitively sure about that, but my D’s roommate, who is in CSS, has had a heavy econ load and she’s not an econ major.
@mild_insomniac , I think @circuitrider is the person you need to hear from; I think there’s a lot to know about Government at Wes.
Happy to chime in here- Wes grad myself who did not major in CSS but did double in two social sciences, one of which was GOV (the other ECON).
CSS borrows faculty from other social science departments- it does not have its own faculty. Thus, CSS is technically it’s own entity under the social science aegis. It takes faculty from ECON, GOV, PHIL, and SOC. That said, the professors involved in the program see it as their baby and are often much more involved in it then they are with their “true” departments.
The econ in CSS is more heavy in political theory/philosophy that in the core ECON major- you will not use a ton of calc and will not really get into as much econometrics, for example. Sure, you’ll see some economic models but you’ll actually read the General Theory front to back instead of digging through primary research about, say, interest rates. Vastly different ballgame.
CSS only takes about 30 students per year and they must apply for entrance in the major at the end of their freshman year, instead of declaring during their sophomore year as is the case for the rest of the social sciences. Your soph year in CSS in particular is a bootcamp, broken into distinct chunks of say, heavy philosophy reading of several hundred pages a week followed by the student writing up a 5 page paper- every week. The paper is not graded, instead your only grades are noted at the end of the year in which you go through a grueling week or so where you are given a 24-48 hr period in which to respond to a written topic, you have a 24 hr period off, then back at it. Your transcript comes with a special note indicating how/why this is done- it comes from the Politics, Policy, and Economy (PPE) curriculum of Oxford, which is notable for producing a large list of British PMs and other heads of state, amongst other notable alums.
I hope you can tell by now how enamored I am of the CSS program at Wes. I wish I had done it- those in my class who did so are to this day very happy with their experiences and among the most successful alums.
Thank you both for all of your insight. The CSS program sounds rigorous and while I probably wouldn’t be a part of it since I have other interests and wouldn’t want to restrict myself, I’m glad there’s such a great opportunity at Wes!
^ One thing to think about: even if you don’t go CSS, the existence of that type of program and structure likely has spill-over benefits to all the participating departments, like Gov. Also, you may change your mind and it’s there if you want it.
While I wasn’t a government major, I have a few friends who were, and all were very happy with the program, in particular with the teaching. I apologize if you were already on these websites, but this one shows you how proud the department is of the faculty who have been/are part of the program: http://wesleyan.edu/gov/about_department/index.html
And this site gives you a good sense of the breadth of the department and the career aspirations of current majors: http://wesleyan.edu/gov/for_majors/index.html
Current majors are doing things like interning for the State Department (foreign affairs), going to study at King’s College London, interning in a Senator’s office, interning in a Representative’s office, interning with the US Senate Budget Committee as well as Booz Allen Hamilton, and many who are planning on going to law school.
For what it’s worth, small LAC Wesleyan currently claims a US Senator from Colorado and the Governor of Colorado, and until just last year, the Governor of Vermont.
@smartalic34 Wow, thank you very much for all of that! I didn’t realize Wes had so many great internship opportunities/prominent alum in the field of Government - that was all very helpful!