Best major (choosing between better employability and poli sci).

SoccerMomGenie
Wed, 06 May 2015 11:19:27 +0000

As an undergrad, I did a dual major of political science and international affairs, with a minor in Russian and one credit shy of a minor in Econ. I went directly into law school afterwards and obtained a joint degree with a masters in foreign service, with a focus on international joint ventures and particularly Russian joint ventures. After graduation from law school, my undergraduate degree didn’t make a bit of difference to employers. What mattered was that the undergraduate program helped me find and develop my passions.

As an undergraduate, I did not worry about GPA. Let me be clear. I always tried my best to achieve the best grades I could in a particular class, once I chose it, but I often chose classes that were known to be harder than others or have profs that were tougher than others. Even in my masters program, I took some specialized courses that were over my head and impossible to master, but so incredibly fascinating and rewarding despite the less-than-stellar grades I received.

My advice is to not worry about GPA. Also, don’t worry too much about employability, especially if you plan to go directly to law school. But I agree, if you do not go directly to law school, a degree in Econ / International Studies will likely be more marketable than Poli Sci / International Studies.

The most important thing is to find and develop your passions. Work hard and challenge yourself as much as possible in a field that inspires you. If you do that, your path will lead you in the right direction for you.

Now that said, just to be clear, your potential law schools WILL care about GPA, but what’s even more important is your “story.” As you develop your passions you will build your story. It will be important to be able to market that story to your proposed law school or employer, so build that story in your head (or even on paper) as you go. Look to extracurriculars, etc., to fill out that story. If you are following your passions, it will all fall into place, because you will naturally become involved in activities that round out that story. Make sense?