10
3 years ago
Harvard prospective students

How challenging is the Political Science major

I plan on majoring in Political Science because I want to become an attorney.

futurelawyer
10
5
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1 answer

5
3 years ago

@Nellypooh, Harvard doesn't technically have a political science major! If you're interested in political science, you would most likely concentrate (major) in government, and you might consider pursuing the optional public policy program within that department. If you want to learn more about that program specifically, you can find the information here: https://undergrad.gov.harvard.edu/public-policy.

In terms of the government concentration's difficulty, it really depends on what kinds of courses you take. Some professors are known for leading more difficult classes, while some courses are known to be relatively easy As. Basically, you can make the program more or less difficult for yourself depending on which classes you decide to take. In general, Harvard is known for its "grade inflation." (The average GPA at Harvard is quite high, and many non-STEM courses at Harvard are known to give out a great deal of As and A-s.) While I was a student at Harvard, I heard that the median grade was an A- and the mode grade was an A (although I cannot verify this). This doesn't mean that there aren't some very challenging courses, or that there aren't some professors who insist on giving out lower grades to many of their students. But, you should be able to structure your pathway through most concentrations at least in the humanities and social sciences in a way that is doable for you.

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