Transfer Student FAQs
about the Political Science major
- for applicants
- for newly admitted students
New site! Still under construction.
Getting
into Berkeley...
What can I do to increase my chances of getting into Berkeley?
Good question! Unfortunately, we don't know -- we don't handle admissions.
As Political Science advisors, we can only answer questions about the
major. So, if you want to know the average gpa of admitted students, what
your chances for admission are, or what you can do to strengthen your
application, contact the Office of Undergraduate Admissions and Relations
with Schools at http://www.uga.berkeley.edu/ouars/,
by e-mail at ouars@berkeley.edu
or by telephone at (510) 642-3175, from 9 am -12 and 1- 4 pm, Monday -
Friday.
One thing we can tell you is that Admissions wants transfer students to complete as many major prerequisites as possible. For Polisci, this means you should try to complete at least four of the five lower division requirements. This includes:
- Introduction to American Politics (PS 1 at UC Berkeley)
- Introduction to Comparative Politics (PS 2 at UC Berkeley)
- U.S. History
- History of Another Region
I've taken a statistics course. Can I use that to substitute for
the PS 3 requirement?
No. First of all, PS 3, Intro to Empirical Analysis and Quantitative
Methods, must be done at Berkeley. It cannot be transferred in. Secondly,
PS 3 is much more than a statistics course. It includes research design
specifically meant for political science. Having had a stats course can
be helpful (although it's not needed) but it will not substitute for PS
3.
What if my school doesn't offer all four of those pre-req courses listed
above? Will I be at a disadvantage? What should I do?
Don't worry! The Admissions folks know that some schools don't offer all
four requirements listed above. The Introduction to Comparative Politics,
for example, isn't offered at all community colleges. Admissions will
not hold it against you if you couldn't take a requirement because it
isn't offered at your school. They are looking for evidence of your focus
and commitment to a major. Basically, they want admitted students to be
able to jump as quickly as possible into their upper-division course work.
Having done as many of the pre-reqs as possible shows that committment
and readiness.
Been accepted, have questions...
What if I took a course that wasn't on Assist.org? Can I count it for
the major?
Maybe. All courses that count for the major must be evaluated by the department.
(If they are listed on Assist.org, we've already approved them.) The thing
to do is bring in the syllabus for the course when you get here. Meanwhile,
just work around that requirement until you find out whether or not the
course will count for the major. Unfortunately, our heavy work load prevents
us from evaluating courses for students who have not yet been admitted
to the university. If you haven't yet been admitted and you aren't sure
if a course counts for the major, our best advice is to take the courses
already approved on Assist.org (http://www.assist.org/web-assist/welcome.html).
I am transferring from a four year university. How can I know which
of my courses will count for the major? Assist.org doesn't have my school
listed.
Good question! You should bring in syllabi for all the courses that
could possibly count for the major and we will evaluate them. Since you
attended a 4-year institution, if you took any upper-division Polisci
courses, we can evaluate them too. In addition to the lower-division courses,
you can count up to a maximum of 3 upper-division courses from another
school toward the major, but there are some important rules on this. Read
the "Policy Regarding Courses Taken at Other Institutions" in
the box at: http://www.polisci.berkeley.edu/UGrad/requirements.html.
Getting declared in the major
I applied to UC Berkeley as a Political Science major and I
was admitted! Does that mean I am declared? Or do I have to declare when
I get there?
Your admission was to the university, not to the department. But it's not
a problem! To declare Polisci, you must attend a workshop, called a Declaration
Session, when you get here. Or you can attend a CalSO orientation for transfer
students during the summer or fall before you start classes.
If you attended one of the CalSO orientations and came to the Political Science workshop on that day, you need not also attend a Declaration Session. If you attended a CalSO orientation and opted to visit another department or came to our orientation at the last minute, you must attend a Declaration Session to get declared. For more information and the schedule of Declaration Sessions, see http://www.polisci.berkeley.edu/UGrad/declarationWS.asp.
Do I have to take PS 3 before I can declare?
No. To be eligible to declare, you have to complete only two courses: Intro
to American Politics and Intro to Comparative Politics (at UCB, it's PS 1
and 2). That all!
Is there anything I can do to prepare for my first semester at Berkeley?
Sure! The best thing you can do is attend a CalSO orientation. It costs
money and time, but it is well worth it. You'll get a whole day of information
and personal attention from advisors and staff. It will greatly reduce
the time you might otherwise spend running around in circles. It will
also greatly reduce your stress because you will be ready to enroll in
your courses by the end of the day.
If you can't attend a CalSO orientation, it would be a good idea to plan a day here well before the semester begins. Make appointments in advance with advisors both at the College of Letters and Science and here at Polisci. Don't forget to bring your transcripts! Before coming, review the course descriptions for the upcoming semester on our website and make a list of courses that sound interesting. Review the requirements and other info on our website, and write down any questions that come up. In other words, come prepared! As a new student, you deserve quality time with your advisors, so just dropping by at the beginning of a semester when it is very busy doesn't allow us to give you the attention you may want and need.
If all else fails and you cannot visit us in person beforehand, we can set up a telephone conference. Not the best way to go, but still better than showing up unprepared on the first day of classes. As mentioned above, do your homework -- review our courses, go over our website, and write down questions.
Is Polisci an impacted major?
No it's not -- but it is a large department and that often makes people
think it's impacted. If you want to major in Political Science, and you
have completed the minimum eligibility requirements (PS 1 and 2), and
you follow our procedure for getting declared (see http://www.polisci.berkeley.edu/UGrad/declarationWS.asp),
you're in!
How long does it take to earn a BA in Political Science as a junior
transfer?
You'll be able to finish your major and all of your BA requirements in
two years (4 semesters) easy! Read on to the next question if you have
any doubts.
Two years will go so fast. Will I have time to finish my requirements
and do all the extra things I want to do, like, double major or go abroad?
Definitely! You should have plenty of time to take a semester abroad,
do a semester in Washington, have a minor or, if you are efficient, to
double major. Once you have decided what you want to do, come to the Polisci
Undergrad Office and go over it with an advisor so we can be sure nothing
is missing. Meanwhile, have a look at the sample plan below. (Not yet
finished! Stay tuned.)
Additional resources:
-For general "life at Berkeley" information, head on over to New Student Services: http://resource.berkeley.edu/r_html/contents.html.
-For degree requirements (other than the major) check the Transfer Student
page of the College of Letters and Science website:
http://ls-advise.berkeley.edu/pyyac/transfer/transfer.html
-Questions about CalSO?http://services.housing.berkeley.edu/NSS/Content/Welcome.html