<p>I'm a sophomore right now, but when I apply to colleges I'm definitely looking for a great political science program. Any suggestions?? If you have a list of rankings in political science or something, that'd be great.</p>
<p>POLITICAL SIENCE:</p>
<ol>
<li>Harvard University (MA) 5.0 </li>
<li>Stanford University (CA) 4.9 </li>
<li>University of MichiganAnn Arbor 4.8 </li>
<li>Princeton University (NJ) 4.7 </li>
<li>University of CaliforniaBerkeley 4.6 </li>
<li>Yale University (CT) 4.6 </li>
<li>University of CaliforniaSan Diego 4.4 </li>
<li>Duke University (NC) 4.3 </li>
<li>University of Chicago 4.3 </li>
<li>Columbia University (NY) 4.2 </li>
<li>Massachusetts Institute of Technology 4.2 </li>
<li>University of CaliforniaLos Angeles 4.2 </li>
<li>Ohio State University 4.0 </li>
<li>University of North CarolinaChapel Hill 4.0 </li>
<li>University of Rochester (NY) 4.0 </li>
<li>University of WisconsinMadison 3.9 </li>
<li>Washington University in St. Louis 3.9 </li>
<li>Cornell University (NY) 3.8 </li>
<li>New York University 3.8 </li>
<li>University of MinnesotaTwin Cities 3.8 </li>
<li>Northwestern University (IL) 3.6 </li>
<li>Michigan State University 3.4 </li>
<li>Texas A&M UniversityCollege Station 3.4 </li>
<li>University of IllinoisUrbana-Champaign 3.4 </li>
<li>Indiana UniversityBloomington 3.3 </li>
<li>University of Iowa 3.3 </li>
<li>University of TexasAustin 3.3 </li>
<li>University of Washington 3.3 </li>
<li>Emory University (GA) 3.2 </li>
<li>Rice University (TX) 3.2 </li>
<li>SUNYStony Brook 3.2 </li>
<li>University of CaliforniaDavis 3.2 </li>
<li>University of MarylandCollege Park 3.2 </li>
<li>University of Pennsylvania 3.2 </li>
<li>Pennsylvania State UniversityUniversity Park 3.1 </li>
<li>University of CaliforniaIrvine 3.1 </li>
<li>Florida State University 3.0 </li>
<li>Johns Hopkins University (MD) 3.0 </li>
<li>University of Arizona 3.0 </li>
<li>University of Virginia 3.0 </li>
<li>Georgetown University (DC) 2.9 </li>
<li>George Washington University (DC) 2.9 </li>
<li>Rutgers State UniversityNew Brunswick (NJ) 2.9 </li>
<li>University of Notre Dame (IN) 2.9 </li>
<li>University of Pittsburgh 2.9 </li>
<li>Brown University (RI) 2.8 </li>
<li>University of ColoradoBoulder 2.8 </li>
<li>Arizona State University 2.6 </li>
<li>Claremont Graduate School (CA) 2.6 </li>
<li>Syracuse University (NY) 2.6 </li>
<li>University of CaliforniaSanta Barbara 2.6 </li>
<li>University of Florida 2.6 </li>
<li>Vanderbilt University (TN) 2.6 </li>
<li>University of Georgia 2.5 </li>
<li>University of Kansas 2.5 </li>
<li>University of South CarolinaColumbia 2.5 </li>
<li>University of Southern California 2.5 </li>
<li>University of WisconsinMilwaukee 2.5</li>
</ol>
<p>American U
Amherst
Boston U
Brandeis
Brown
UCLA
UC San Diego
Centre
U Chicago
Claremont McKenna
Colby
Colgate
Colorado
Columbia
Connecticut C
Dartmouth
Dickinson
Drew
Duke
Emory
Franklin & Marshall
Furman
Georgetown
George Washington
Grinnell
Hamilton
Harvard
Johns Hopkins
Kenyon
Macalester
MIT
Middlebury
Mt Holyoke
Northwestern
Notre Dame
Occidental
U Penn
Pomona
princeton
Rhodes
u Richmond
u Rochester
Smith
U of the South
Southwestern
Stanford
Swarthmore
Trinity
Tufts
Union
US Naval Acad
Ursinus
Vanderbilt
Villanove
wabash
wake Forest
Washington and Lee
Wellesley
Wesleyan
Whitman
Willamette
Williams
Yale
Yeshiva</p>
<p>source: Rugg's Recommendations</p>
<p>My source was the US news rankings.</p>
<ol>
<li>Harvard University</li>
<li>Stanford University<br></li>
<li>University of MichiganAnn Arbor<br></li>
<li>Princeton University<br></li>
<li>University of CaliforniaBerkeley</li>
<li>Yale University<br></li>
<li>University of CaliforniaSan Diego </li>
<li>Duke University </li>
<li>University of Chicago</li>
<li>Columbia University </li>
<li>Massachusetts Institute of Technology </li>
<li>University of CaliforniaLos Angeles</li>
</ol>
<p>These schools are all accepted throughout political science as the top programs, and all are internationally recongnized and extremely prestigious within political science academia.</p>
<p>Don't worry about this at all in chosing an undergraduate instution. A further question, though, is why you want to do poli sci at all? I suggest you do history or something and then go to law school for any job except poli sci professor or HS social studies teacher.</p>
<p>I would disagree with the notion that history would be a better major, this is especially not true for law school. While major can vary for law school admission, it is generally accepted that poli sci is one of the best, if not the best feeder major for law school. Econ would be another viable option. History, however, would, in my oppinion be slightly less effective at preparing you for law school, and possibly for getting you into law school, as it is generally accepted as an easier major, which has less in common with law than political science. Furthermore, while neither history or political science are the highest paid graduating majors, being in the social sciences and humanities, it is well known that if one wants to go into a ph.d program and become a professor, history professorships, especially tenured ones pay worse do to the swelled number of ph.d's in that area of study. While political science is by no means the highest payed, or easiest to score a tenured professorship to, it is generally considered a higher payed professorship than history, and in my oppinion, law schools generally feel it would prepare you for legal studies better than history. But of course, a GPA in any respectable major, including history or poli sci, along with a good LSAT will place you into a good law school.</p>
<p>ucchris,</p>
<p>Actually, if I'm not mistaken, philosophy majors do better than poli sci majors with law school. And if law is your goal, don't pick a "pre-law major." Pick what you'll get the highest GPA in. Law school is a numbers game, period.</p>
<p>yes you are correct,
once in law school philosophy majors do extremely well, as do econ majors if im not mistaken. But i was talking about admittance and preperation for law school, and I still believe poli sci to be one of the best majors for prepping you and gaining admittance into law school. Since law is so philosphical, philosophy majors likely, on average of course, will do very well in law school. I just feel for a career in law, poli sci would be a better fit for law school than history. I agree and would argue that econ and philosphy would also be an excellent fit, yet i feel history would not be as preparing for a career in law as say philosophy, econ, or poli sci major. But, as you said, law admissions are a numbers game. lsat, gpa and to a lesser extent personal statement and letters of rec. There is no doubt in my mind that someone from the same school with a 3.7 in history would likely gain admittance to law school over a 3.6 from poli sci, all other things being equal. When stating i felt poli would be a better major for law than history, i meant in preperation for law school. This could be debated, but political science is the highest represented major in law school, yet i believe it only makes up somewhere in the woods of 27% or something in that range of law students, meaning other majors are also well represented. One should clearly major in what they are best at, and can attain a high gpa in in order for admittance to a choice law school. Yet, the poster seemed to have an interest in poli sci, that is another reason why i felt he should not be convinced to do history, among the other reasons i stated.</p>
<p>Law schools don't care what you major in. No one major is any better than another. Law schools do care about your grades. Major in what you like and do well in.</p>
<p>I was a poly sci major, speech minor and went to law school. I found that the best preparation I got in undergrad was from being on the debate team. My husband happened to have had the same combination and he also thinks debate was the most useful prep.</p>
<p>Exactly! He should major in what he is interested in/will get the best gpa in. That was my original point. The poster was clearly interested in political science, that is why i was confused when one reply to his post stated something randomly like 'why major in political science, you should major in history', implying that it was a better major for almost everything. I simply could not disagree with that statement more. But i agree that you should major in whatever you will achieve the best gpa in, often this is what one is most interested in. In this case however, it seems the poster is interested in political science, which meens the post stating he should major in history, implying it is a better major in most cases is simply incorect. Quite the opposite.</p>
<p>"No one major is any better than another."
This is partially true, but i would argue a major such as electrical engineering would be weighed by law school admissions as significantly more difficult than say, art or theatre. They would deffiantly not consider these majors as equal. In general though, most majors are weighed very similar in the law school admissions process, mainly do to the law schools desire to inflate their rankings by accepting the highest gpa and lsat scores possible, regardless of major (there are certain exceptions to this though, i.e. art, theatre, ect.)</p>
<p>"History, however, would, in my oppinion be slightly less effective at preparing you for law school, and possibly for getting you into law school, as it is generally accepted as an easier major."</p>
<p>Name one good law school that prefers poli sci to history admits. Name a top undergrad school where history is generally seen as an easier major than poli sci. Otherwise most of the advice given so far is correct. Not bad considering how few posters have served on a law school admissions committee.</p>
<p>For what it's worth:
This from the law school of the University of Michigan:
"The majors perennially most common in our entering classes are political science, history, economics, English, psychology, and philosophy; some atypical majors that we think provide particularly good training for law school are computer science, mathematics, engineering, and hard sciences, which disciplines make up about 20 percent of the class; classics, seen relatively rarely, is also an excellent foundation for legal study."</p>
<p>my point is that one should do a major that a. prepares them for law school b. is an area of academia in which they can garner an excellent gpa.
Clearly the poster is interested in political science, why then would you post something stating 'why would you want to do political science, do history and then go to law school'? I have already made this point numerous times on this blog. Clearly the poster is asking about political science, and you come onto this post and imply negativities upon one major and then state 'oh do history'. And yes, in most schools and throughout academia history is generally considered an major that iscolates your job opportunities to a specific few after graduation. Political science also limits job opportunities, but to a lesser extent than history. I stated 'in my oppinion' political science will prepare you better for law school than history. It is also my oppinion, which i feel most students in the general population would share, that history is considered a less competitive major than political science. You are entitled to disagree, that is your oppinion. I am entitled to my oppinion as well, but i dont go around bashing those who ask for information regarding history departments and start stating 'why would you wanna do history, do political science and go to law school'. You may notice more pre-law students graduate with political science majors than not only with history, but than with any other major. This, of course does not imply it will better prepare you for law school, but I believe it does state some sort of link between the two. Individuals should pursue an area of academic interest they feel best suits them, you should not be attempting to persuade them otherwise, especially if they did not ask for that specific advise. Dont go on boards subtly bashing other majors, especially a major the original poster is inferring about.</p>
<p>The poster asked about political science. Fine. He got political science responses. It's a fine major and if that's what the op wants to do, for any reason, that is exactly what he should do.</p>
<p>I had a hunch, though I could easily be wrong, that he might be interested in law school, which might or might not change the focus. For example, other than graduate school or teaching high school, a potential poli sci major may have an interest in working in government. Lawyers tend to get the jobs the poli sci majors want.</p>
<p>Many people, including you, have the opinion, erroneous in my view (which may be better informed than some people's opinions) that political science is in some way the first choice or otherwise obvious pre-law major. The "do history" suggestion was a somewhat flip way of suggesting, as others have here, that one should do what is interesting.</p>
<p>In sum, law school adcoms are not looking for someone with a "major that a. prepares them for law school" in the sense that poli sci is seen as the preferred law school track, but it won't do any harm.</p>
<p>i dont feel poli sci is law school admissions first choice. I never said that, i simply stated that i felt it prepared you better for law school than history, and even then i stated that was my oppinion. That has nothing to do with admissions. I simply said more poli sci majors attend law school than any other major. This doesnt make it a better major for law, just simply meens than many with an interest in poli sci also have an interest in law, and since the poster was interested in poli sci he likely shouldnt be persuaded to alter his interests. But enough on the argueing, we all have good points. Sorry if we hijacked the original posters thread.</p>
<p>For political science, history and law, learning to write well is very important.</p>
<p>I am surprised that GWU & American are not ranked higher in poli sci.</p>
<p>as is ones knowledge regarding common information and ones ability to not only memorize material, which is the only skill required to suceed in certain specific majors, but also to be able to critically think, comprehend modern events, econ, theory, and advanced stats, all important in the study and practice of law. Usually a blogger on college confidential would likely spend more time on his/her research papers than he would on quickly typing blogs on college confidential.</p>