Poli Sci Major — I need your help deciding! [between Duke, UCLA, Georgetown, Dartmouth]

College Search & Lists
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In this particular instance, the assumption has been that students at all universities are equally smart but the poster was specifically talking about class sizes, not students’ academic background, intelligence, or achievement - class discussion and professor’s feedback simply cannot be the same if there are 120 students in the class v. 28 or 14.

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But will classes at UCLA be large in the upper levels? My kid, at a large flagship, had smaller classes, especially his last two years (engineering, not poli sci). My daughter’s classes are all small but her college is only 10K. Poli sci is one of her majors.

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This student is asking about Duke, UCLA, Georgetown and Dartmouth….not any other colleges, right?

There will be larger and smaller classes at all of these universities.

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This was my point - who is to say at UCLA that all classes are large?

I don’t know - I’m sure it could be looked up in the course schedule- but often times upper level classes are smaller.

If the student finds (at any of the schools) the class sizes don’t fit their needs, then that’s an easy eliminator.

But bigger school may but doesn’t necessarily mean larger classes.

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Dartmouth.

  1. “this used to be my dream school before my mom convinced me that the woods were scary HAHA” - Enough said - go with your gut.
  2. Duke, like everyone else has said, would be a great choice except for your family connections. Instead go North, learn to ski (easy to do at Dartmouth), learn to see if YOU like the woods. The point is Dartmouth is a great, safe place to grow and discover your own interests. Visit on April 15th or 29th and feel it out if you can with your family.
  3. I’m biased, my daughter was admitted ED, but the outreach and connection she’s experienced so far has been amazing. I am very confident she made the right choice because it is already obvious how invested the alumni are in welcoming new students and helping them succeed. This to me is the #1 reason to go Dartmouth and Ivy. The D-Plan will make internships very convenient for you.
  4. You mentioned Spanish and Dartmouth’s language department is very renowned.
  5. Love UCLA, but due to its size you would not get the same attention you would at Dartmouth. Registering for classes is not always easy at UCLA. My daughter did a summer course and a lot of students were on campus because they needed to take courses they couldn’t get during the year.
  6. As you noted, Georgetown would be tricky if you changed your major. Great school, just a very different vibe than Dartmouth. No way to tell, you just have to visit and go with your gut about what feels right to you.
  7. Best of luck! You have amazing choices that many, many students would kill for. No wrong choice, just maybe one choice that is the most right. And you do use “green” in your handle. Coincidence? Big Green is calling…
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I gave a link above to the UCLA schedule of classes. Click on it and look as the size distribution. In popular majors like Econ and Poli Sci almost all are going to be 120 or more.

Even if not all are large an implication of the math is these large classes form most of the experience. To make up an example if you have a handful of small classes, say 5 with 30 students, and then 10 classes with 120 then 1,200 kids are taking a large class and 150 a small one.

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This comports with Dartmouth’s appearance as one of two Ivies in this article:

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Given your interest in both PoliSci and Data Science, it sounds like you lean to the more applied side of PoliSci. So consider how much the PoliSci major is theoretical vs practical. At UCLA you might want to look at Public Affairs, which is what my S18 majored in and really enjoyed (it’s very easy to switch from L&S). He focused on a lot of big data analysis related to housing policy and had all small classes and close relationships with professors (there are just over 100 in the major each year). He got a DC internship at a famous think tank after sophomore year and is now working there in real estate economic consulting. Quite a few of his classmates went to law school, one to Harvard. I think that as a very strong student (4.0 GPA in college) his opportunities were better than his main rival in HS who chose Georgetown over UCLA for PoliSci (though we are instate so the cost difference was much larger).

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— Robert Frost, recipient of two honorary degrees from Dartmouth College

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Thank you so much to everyone’s advice so far! I really appreciate it. So far, I’ve signed up for GAAP Weekend at Georgetown as well as a Dimensions of Dartmouth visit on the 15th. (I don’t really need an official tour at Duke because I’m right there!) Hopefully that will help me make a decision! I think I’ve ruled out UCLA at this point. As much as I am so grateful to get into such a great school, I’ve never felt as though the West Coast was really my vibe.

Please, if you have any more advice, I’d love to hear it. It has been so helpful so far! Good luck to all of you as well if you or your student is trying to decide on a college. This is hard work!

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https://sa.ucla.edu/ro/public/soc/Results?SubjectAreaName=Political+Science+(POL+SCI)&t=24S&sBy=subject&subj=POL+SCI&catlg=&cls_no=&undefined=Go&btnIsInIndex=btn_inIndex can tell you the sizes of UCLA political science classes in the spring 2024 quarter.

You can check other colleges’ online class schedules as well to see if class size is listed. Better than arguing here about posters’ assumptions about class sizes.

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So I looked at a few -

268 - has 8 enrolled, 12 spots left

261A - has 8 enrolled 7 spots left

258 - 6 enrollled, 6 left

239 - 5 enrolled, 15 left

They don’t seem to have 300 and higher classes.

If I look at the intro classes

Political Theory - 180 (1 spot left)

Politics through film 20 - no WL

World Politics 300 - no WL

Intro to American Politics - 300

Problems in 20th Century and contemporary American Theory - 120

So yes it seems it’s the best of both worlds.

Large on the intro (except the film class), small in the later years.

How that fares vs. the other schools - I can’t say.

Or how that impacts OPs desires - also can’t say.

Thanks - I know another provided as well - interesting to look at.

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UCLA should stay off the list. No sense paying OOS fees for a major that every top school does well. The Dartmouth woods are beautiful, and no, you don’t have to ski. Dartmouth does have a heavy greek presence, however, and the small town means the Greek scene has even more prominence. I’d vote for Georgetown.

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At UCLA, the course numbering is as follows:

  • 1-99 = lower division (frosh / soph level, or 100 / 200 level at some other colleges)
  • 100-199 = upper division (junior / senior level, or 300 / 400 level at some other colleges)
  • 200-299 = graduate level

https://registrar.ucla.edu/academics/course-descriptions/course-numbering-and-description-guide

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ahhh - that would change things

122C - Global Catastrophic Risk: Clash of Science, Politics, and Ethics has 33

124A - International Political Economy has 120

125A - Arms Control and International Security has 160

137A - International Relations Theory has 120

Yeah, who would want that? Apparently a TON of people as it’s rated a top school in poli sci. They cancelled a lot of classes too.

OK - makes sense - especially if the others provide smaller classes. There are sooooooo many schools that provide smaller classes - I’m surprised the UCLA rep is that as it is.

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Obviously, if you are a LAC seeker who wants small classes, you would not want to go to UCLA as a political science major.

However, not all students care that much or at all about class size, and may prioritize other aspects, including academic ones like the breadth and depth of classes offered.

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Yes - but you can go to a public that’s not an LAC - my kids intro classes were never more than 35 - anyway, others have mentioned big classes at the schools also mentioned too - so yes I’d review all and then the student can decide.

No doubt the UCLA name is gold. And people rave about the experience - but only this student can decide which of the four is right for them.

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Not too sure what this means, given the context. All four schools under discussion are world-class. None of them will give an edge over teh others for law school. None will be “gold” for a double in Chem or minor in Spanish. None will give an edge if OP pivots to a PhD in Chem, for example.

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I’m simply pointing the name - even with the large classes, etc. - the name is gold - i.e. great. After seeing the class sizes, even for the upper division, I’m surprised people jump through hoops for the school…that’s all.

If Law School is the goal - I agree - neither these four or any other would give an edge over another.

But that’s a different discussion.

I hope OP finds the right school for them from this list.

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We are in the same boat!! Was reading ur post and it is literally my internal monologue verbatim- dream school was princeton but got rejected, also interested in studying politics and running into the same dilemma of choosing (but without the UCLA option for me). Def lmk what u end up deciding!

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