I am planning on double majoring in Political Science and Economics. Out of the following schools, which one is best overall in politics and economics? I would really appreciate some feedback!
-UPenn
-Cornell
-Georgetown
-UC Berkeley
First see where you get in, second see what you can afford and then re-post. Clearly there is no bad choice among this group of schools.
I have already been accepted by UPenn and Cornell through likely letters, and I am very torn. That is why I want to start weighing advantages and disadvantages ASAP.
In my opinion, at the undergraduate level it usually does not make too much sense to ask which of several top colleges is best overall in popular liberal arts majors such as political science or economics. Your specific course choices are likely to override any “overall” differences. For instance, Berkeley probably has more very distinguished professors than the others in these two fields … but that doesn’t mean you’ll necessarily be taught by those professors. You might get smaller classes and better instruction in more of your classes at Georgetown.
I would weigh personal “fit” and net cost more heavily in deciding among these schools. Have you done overnight visits to any of them? They are all good, but there are fairly big differences in size, setting, and “vibe”.
I could see myself at any of them. In terms of cost, they would all be very similar because I get good financial aid for privates and aid + instate tuition for Cal. I have visited all except Cornell.
Those are all great schools with great programs in both of those subjects. Penn, Berkeley and Cornell might be a little stronger in economics, and Georgetown, Berkeley and Cornell might be a little stronger in political science. But they are all very good.
You might want to look into how easy it is to double-major at each of these schools. Some make it easier than others.
Another thing to think about is location. Georgetown and Penn are both in huge east coast cities. Berkeley is in a suburb (but near a city) and definitely has more of a California feel. Cornell is in a small but thriving college town. Those locations present different kinds of opportunities in terms of internship availability, employment, and overall college experience.
What @tk21769 said. You are choosing a university for overall undergraduate education, not a specialized graduate program. Furthermore, all four of those universities are excellent and will provide you a similar education in political science or economics. (That said, Penn has strength in economics and Georgetown is known for political science.)
Really, this decision is probably better made on other factors - like location, atmosphere, size, etc. Berkeley is a huge public school; Cornell is also sizable; Georgetown and Penn are more medium-sized. Georgetown is in D.C. - a great place to intern if you are interested in either - but good summer internships can be acquired from any of these places because of their reach. Cornell is in a remote small college town in upstate New York that is, by all accounts, a lot of fun. Georgetown and Penn are in big cities to explore, and Berkeley is somewhere in the middle. What do you want?
I am mostly leaning towards Georgetown or Penn. Over the summer, I did a program at Georgetown and absolutely loved the campus. For Penn, I visited and also got a great feeling about it. I already signed up for Quaker Days, so that I can visit Penn again.
My main concern is that some members of my family think that Penn is more prestigious and well-known than Georgetown. At the same time, on the West coast, not too many people are familiar with Penn.
My vote is georgetown. Great school. But when it comes to money, they give less than the others on your list.
“I have visited all except Cornell.”
Maybe that means something.
If you might want to attend Cornell, visit Cornell.
If you’re not planning to visit Cornell, then cross it off.
Net price at each?
They would all be relatively close to each other. Georgetown most likely a little more expensive, and UC Berkeley a little cheaper.
Out of Penn and Cornell, for what you want to do, Penn. But money matters a lot.
It would also depend where you want to work after your college education. If you want to stay in the West Coast, Berkeley would provide you with more contacts and opportunities. In the East Coast, Penn, Cornell and Georgetown would serve you those more than Berkeley does.
For me this is Berkeley vs Penn. (Forget the other two.)
In terms of academics, faculty caliber in those two areas, and respectability of programs both for economics and political science, Berkeley trumps all those 3 East Coast schools, hands down. Berkeley In-State would also sound more practical. However, personally, if I can afford Penn and I don’t find being in a cold place an issue, I think I’d pick Penn over Berkeley, as Penn, in general, is pre-prof and many of Penn grads do end up getting jobs in banking and finance, and are getting admitted onto top MBA programs. more than Berkeley does.
All of them are great options… and while CC folks tend to over-exaggerate differences in rankings, I really don’t that the difference in rankings here are all that significant.
For political science/government theory, I think all of them are pretty equal… for more applied, “modern” government, Georgetown has the advantage of being in DC… there are far more opportunities to interact with politicos during the academic year… plus you can go to the public talks at all the other universities in DC. Berkeley and Penn are also solid options. Cornell is at a major disadvantage… It will be fine if you are more into the theory of political science… but if you want to get involved in political campaigns during the academic year, or have more opportunity to see public talks from a wide variety of current politicos, you will be limited.
Penn & Berkeley have slightly stronger reputations than Georgetown, but Georgetown has the BEST location for political science… I think Cornell (a truly amazing school in general) falls off the list here.
How much do you like math? The four schools’ intermediate microeconomics courses vary in math intensity and prerequisites.
- Penn's ECON 101 requires MATH 114 or 115 (multivariable calculus).
- Berkeley offers two intermediate microeconomics options. Economics 100A requires Math 1B (calculus 2) or 16B (calculus 2 for business majors). Economics 101A requires Math 53 (multivariable calculus).
- Cornell's ECON 3030 requires calculus (specific course number not specified).
- Georgetown offers two intermediate microeconomics options. Both ECON-101 and ECON-103 (the honors version) require MATH-035 (calculus 1).
If you like math and/or want to go on to PhD study in economics, Penn or Berkeley would be somewhat favorable on the economics side of things. If taking more than a semester of calculus scares you, and economics is just a supporting subject for political science, then Cornell or Georgetown may be more suitable for economics. But political science does require some work involving math and statistics, although not as intense as economics.