<p>@ucbalumnus I am constantly amazed at the stats and depth of knowledge you bring into these conversations.</p>
<p>I wouldn’t pick a major based on that. Those are just correlations and probably mostly due to differences in the strengths on LSAT tasks of the students who end up in those majors. </p>
<p>Get to know your professors. Since you’re in the honors college, I’m guessing you’ll have more interaction with faculty than you otherwise might, but you may need to be more proactive (this would be true at most colleges ,but it might be more important in your case). Go to office hours. Talk to them about opportunities, scholarships, etc. If it is financially do-able, you might be able to study abroad for a semester or year.</p>
<p>You also have to make sure that your fear of not performing well in easy courses doesn’t become a self-fulfilling prophecy. Not putting in effort because you find you don’t have to isn’t destiny; it is a choice. There are usually opportunities to go the extra mile and do far more than might be needed to get an “A.”</p>
<p>Good luck!</p>
<p>You can always be challenged in any environment, if you really want to be and are willing to put in the effort.</p>
<p>Take difficult classes that you find interesting and challenging and really dig into the material. See if your college will let you take graduate courses, as well, to take even more advanced courses. The challenge is not just about getting an A, but about really understanding the material. Write great papers, ask insightful questions, talk to your professors during office hours about interesting topics or more advanced questions. If you really want to be challenged, then challenge yourself–don’t just rely on external pressures to force you to learn something.</p>
<p>Also, get involved outside of school. Do research, get an internship, do multiple internships if you really don’t feel challenged. Take more classes, or take classes outside of your field. If you really feel like you’re dying for a challenge, then learn something completely different. I was a biochem major and one of the most enriching classes I took were about education and health care. Sometimes, you never know what will really strike you. Maybe you’ll find something new that you hadn’t previously been interested in and will pick up a double major or minor. If this college is really not “challenging” enough for you, then picking up a double major shouldn’t be too difficult :P</p>
<p>I think you’ll find that any college can be very challenging if you really apply yourself (and perhaps, change your attitude a little). It’s not just about the grade (and if you are so worried about being challenged, then getting a good grade should be easy). It’s about finding experiences that will get you to where you want to be. What really makes you excited might be something outside of the classroom entirely, and college is the time to figure that out.</p>
<p>I agree with mathyone. The difference among the scores of students in different majors has more to do with the students attracted to the major than anything learned in the major. That said, a good intro to logic course can help, but you can take that without majoring in philosophy. </p>
<p>Well, you haven’t even started and people are telling you what to major in, for law school apps, 4 years from now. People either grasp philosophy classes or don’t. You need to wait and see. </p>
<p>Agree to watch for the self-fulfilling prophecy. This won’t be hs and while you cut yourself slack, other eager beavers will be doing what it takes. Take it seriously, re-invent yourself- and quit thinking of shortcuts. I’d hate for you to come back next spring, sorry that you skipped an intro class, thinking your hs experience with that particular teacher and that particular AP curriculum was fully par. Except for gen eds. </p>
<p>ps. nothing wrong with poli sci for law school. Just don’t sit in class, thinking that’s the be all. Get engaged, on and off campus. Econ does sound like a good sister. But, for heaven’s sake, once you hit the buffet of choices, you may find some new drive. No need to cast in concrete yet.</p>
<p>If you’re passively sitting there waiting To Be Educated or Challenged, then you probably will slack off. On the other hand, if you take an active hand in your own education - which could mean reading additional materials suggested by the professor or finding them on your own, keeping up with current events, learning additional languages, becoming the best writer and speaker you can be (all of which would help for a polisci career), then you’ll get an amazing college experience, no matter where you’re enrolled. Network with your classmates - do you think politicians get to pick and choose who they deal with? Add internships or parttime jobs to your resume. </p>
<p>I did not want this post to come off as though I have some superiority complex - it’s really easy to get caught up in high school chatter - and a lot of the people I go to school with demean the school rather drastically, saying that they themselves are too good for it, even though the vast majority of them were rejected from Northeastern, Boston University, Brandeis, Tufts, and so on – I know college is what I make of it and my education is what I put into it; thank you for all of the advice - it just seems like some people are coming off on the defensive and I didn’t mean to incur such a response. </p>
<p>Not to worry. We want you to be a happy, successful contributor on CC, next year.</p>
<p>Also - to address some other things that were brought up - I am taking a Philosophy course this fall (as part of the Honors Program cohort). I am also actively pursuing internships with a few political organizations based in Boston that I should be hearing back from in the next month or so - those usually entail somewhere between 10 to 20 hours a week working in the office; so that should also add to my Poli Sci curriculum. </p>
<p>I do not have any advice but I want to tell you that two year ago one of the best students from my kid’s high school went to Umass Boston. Not only she was a great student but also the type with music and writing awards and such. She was admitted to several colleges including Tufts. However she is premed and money is tight and she went for the cheapest option with possibility of commuting. She is still there going strong. She is the serious, scholarly type of student and I am sure she found a way to be challenged. So I am confident you will too. Good luck! </p>
<p>At D2’s uni, political science (it is called Government) is actually one of tougher majors. She is also pre-law. She is double major - philosophy and a major she has created at her honors program. She took Logic freshman year and enjoyed it very much. D2’s school is fairly competitive, but she seem to be able to handle it with stride (not ease), so she takes the opportunity to explore different programs within her college - Urban Scholar, volunteer work, possibly looking into Rhodes Scholar. What I am trying to say is to not limit your intellectual curiosity be limited to your class work.</p>