I was nominated for Posse Boston and was wondering which school has the best PoliSci and Study Abroad programs. Also, which has the highest acceptance rate to law school? Thank you for all your help!!!
In terms of providing students with the depth of skills necessary to do well on the LSAT, a Hamilton education is very strong. A reliably researched thread, “Mean LSAT Score by Undergraduate College,” searchable in this forum, indicates that Hamilton is in the top 20 nationally by the performance of its graduates on this exam. Hamilton offers majors in public policy and government, an established public affairs center, a semester in D.C., and study abroad in China, France, Spain and India, as well in other countries through affiliated programs. For something entirely different, choose their semester in the Adirondacks. The other schools on your list are all excellent, I just happen to know a little less about their programs.
“affiliated” should be “approved.” (#1)
@merc81, thank you so much!!! This is so helpful!
@masscatholicgirl: In case it was an omission that could possibly affect you, I should add that Hamilton also offers a concentration (major) in World Politics. Their government department seems to track along three complementing lines: Basic Government, Public Policy and World Politics.
On way to research this is to look at the course catalogs for each of these schools and see what the requirements are for a major in Poly Sci. Then look at the course catalog to see what courses the department offers at each school and compare them. Which schools have the courses that are of greatest interest to you? Next look at the faculty int he department - how many are there? Is it a big or small department? What are their areas of expertise? (Look at their research and their publications). Do they match your interests at all? How many students major in poly sci at each school? Is the major a popular one given the overall size of the student body?
Study abroad is available at all schools these days. There is an enormous industry internationally focused on providing semester abroad and other experiences to American college students. If a particular program doesn’t have a link with a specific school, it is often possible to establish that connection by talking to the people in the overseas study office (or they will point you to a program in a particular country that they’ve had a good experience with). My point is that this shouldn’t be a limiting factor. Do check, however, that your scholarship will cover the full costs of study abroad where ever you decide to go.
Do they also have study abroad programs plus an opportunity to work at the same time?
^ That will usually depend on the laws of the country you go to study abroad at; some countries allow you to work part-time as a student (up to X number of hours a week), others don’t.