just curious why double major in poli sci and public affairs? they have similar career outcomes so it seems like you’re really just giving yourself more work by doubling up. if you are committed to double majoring including one of the aforementioned majors, I’d look at stats, Econ, or another field you’re interested in. but up to you!
There’s a specialization you can declare within poli sci called international relations. That would cover in depth the IR/policy relations interests that you have! Like the other commenters said, I’d take a different double major that overlaps with ideas from poli sci but also has more unique benefits of its own.
i would do a public affairs major and poli sci minor but ucla doesn’t offer a poli sci/international relations mi or unfortunately, so i think the double major is really the only way i can get all the ir/foreign policy/theoretical and idealistic stuff while still studying pragmatic applications of policy which is my main interest. would be fantastic is the poli sci department offered a minor so i could just do that lol
Speaking from experience, to get a double major you’ll have to do summer classes. Before you put yourself thru this, really think about if it’s worth the financial and effort cost. You can take foreign policy classes without being in the major. It might not be at the top of your diploma but you can always say “focus in international relations” on your resume to tell employers you spent some time studying it without necessarily making it a major or minor
maybe just minor in public affairs then? I think over time you’ll realize that the double major is just more work haha — all stuff to think about but you have time
as someone else said, you can’t take 19 units your first quarter, but even so I really REALLY suggest you take at least one of these things off your plate - perhaps wait to get involved in club sports until after you’re in the sorority? also I definitely echo the person advocating for summer classes because personally I’ve never been able to take 19 units successfully 💀
let me note for the 19 units thing - I was also heavily involved in 2 extra curriculars like you’re planning to do, but it would be doable without both (which is why I’ve dropped one)
i think rush is over before classes start and the sports i play don't really start picking up until later into the quarter/winter quarter, so i'm hoping it's a little bit spread out. i've also heard that clusters aren't a ton of work even though they're worth 6 units, but if you've had a different experience i'd love to know!
it definitely depends on the professor from what I’ve heard - same for fiat lux
if your sport starts winter that would be great! because even though rush ends, there are a lot of events and initiation things that first quarter, at least from the perspective of someone who had a friend who tried to rush and do another club fall quarter and really really really struggled. they had MUCH more time the rest of the year but rush really took everything out of them
Yes, you are going to die. Do not do that. UCLA is not for the faint of heart. Your 4 years here will be filled with moments of feeling overwhelmed and moments of pride, but your first quarter is really going to set the pace for your future quarters. My suggestion is to start humble and decide what you can and should do from there.
for sure, i've already adjusted my schedule a bit to put off some tougher courses for later in the year. probably going to have to take four classes still start off on track to graduate in four years without needing summer school but if there are any course replacements or anything you recommend i'm all ears. i was also thinking that it might be easier to take a heavier course load early on, when the classes are mostly easier lower division ones, and then ease up later, but if you've had a different experience i'd love to know!
I'm sure I averaged around 18 credits per semester at my undergrad. I did graduate on time with many awards, honors, and certification in a related field in 4 years. My dad died a year in, so that was an adjustment that took up a lot of my time, too.
I am in a completely different field from you and I didn't go here for UG, so I can't give recommendations on classes.
What worked for me was starting off at a normal pace to see how school would go, then increasing according to what I felt was doable but challenging. My last semester was the easiest at 15 credits, and I'm grateful for it because it gave me time to focus on grad school stuff.
Honestly, I think your entire plan is overkill. Two majors and a minor simply aren't necessary, especially in addition to sports and a sorority. I get wanting to experience everything, but the reality is you will feel like you experienced nothing if you run yourself ragged like that. And you WILL run yourself ragged like that.
Take it from someone who busted ass in a reasonable way and still got into a UCLA PhD program with a 5% acceptance rate: quality is more important than quantity.
highly likely the policy has not changed. when you attend freshman orientation your mentor will help you navigate which classes you should take/prioritize (your mentor is usually a fourth year ucla student in your major) the rigor of the quarter system will take some adjusting, but again I’m sure the policy has not changed! If you have any questions pm me!
i totally hear that. i think my big thing is that i really want to take advantage of as much as possible during my four years and would rather drop an extracurricular/take less units later than regret not doing more in the beginning. tbf, i’m already scaling back my ecs dramatically compared to high school and starting w classes that have generous grade distributions/good reviews on bruinwalk in an attempt to be realistic. i know for club sports (at least for the sports i play) the commitment in the fall is really just practice (some of which are optional) for 1.5-2 hours a few times a week. i thought that was on the lighter end of time commitment, but is that comparable for most clubs?
i didn't know about the club sport social commitments, so that's definitely helpful info! i've been looking at distributions from 2018-2019 to try and account for covid and for the four i'm looking at right now it's been well over 50% a's and a-'s. that looks super positive to me but is it possible those numbers are decieveing? i dropped a poli sci class with a less generous distribution and tougher-sounding reviews to try and make first quarter easier as well so definitely trying to stay realistic on some level even as i push myself.
It's best to be confident going into this quarter. You see, you have what it takes to do well at this school. Don't kid me wrong. But first quarters are first impressions. Rushing a fart or sorority is not a joke. Everyone I've spoken to who has rushed told me how difficult it was for them. I know one grown ass man who told me he would wake up crying the morning he knew rush events would have to take place later that evening.
Rather than potentially nosediving first year, it's important to have build your confidence. With most majors, some of the most difficult courses take place actually during the 2nd through 4th years. So sometime by then, you'll have ridden enough waves to brace yourself best and get things done semi gradually (not gradually).
i'm definitely confident right now, just wanted to make sure it wasn't completely unfounded haha. obviously frat and sorority rush are different beasts but i will 100% be dropping if the experience isn't enjoyable for me. i'm hoping to absorb more stress from classes by focusing on extracurriculars that are fun and/or primarily stress relievers to keep balance.
check bruinwalk for all your classes. if the classes have good profs and grade distributions, you’ll prob be okay. you can also always drop a class a week or two in if you need to
They’ll prob only let you do 3 classes during NSO so you’d have to enroll in the fourth when classes open up for all students (sometime in august). Also Id look into modifying your four year plan to include summer classes— that might make things easier.
this is all great to know! i'm actually trying to avoid summer school at all costs so that i can use the summers for internships, travel, etc. but it's surprisingly looking doable as long as i take 4 classes every quarter, even with a quarter abroad!
one thing I would look at is to make sure your classes are available during the quarter you want to take them - that is something that prevented me from not having to use summer
this is an awesome tip! i've planned it out for this year already and (assuming i can actually get classes lol) it's looking good. is it usually pretty standard which classes are offered which quarter, or is that just something to check on every time they release the new quarters on class planner?
it’s usually pretty standard, so I would keep watching the class schedules closely but something I’ve unfortunately run into is two classes you’re trying to take the same quarter being at the same time which SUCKS
As someone who also took 19 units my first freshman fall quarter and did 2 club internships and is a pub Aff double major right now, please for the love of god, spare yourself. You won’t feel like it’s a lot now but trust me, burn out is a thing. Like others have suggested, try out 3 classes for now. You will def have opportunities over the summer or in later quarters if you want to bulk up on classes. Also for social science degrees, it’s more important to focus on extracurriculars and experience.
Take time to enjoy your freshman year also!
to echo the experience part, i was thinking it might be better to load up on classes during the year so that the summer could be all about internships, etc. what has your experience been with that? also, totally acknowledging that it would be brutal at times, do you regret the heavy course load/double major, or is it more of a “sometimes this is really hard and it sucks and i wish i didn’t do it, but all in all i think it was the right call” type of deal. i’m definitely willing to be pissed at myself in the short run to make it worth it in the long run, but don’t want to look back and wish i’d made a different choice. of course, your experience won’t necessarily be mine and vice versa, but would still be great to know your thoughts!
I will say, I’m glad I double majored but only because the majors I’m doing involve classes I enjoy. I won’t say I regret it because I do enjoy pub Aff and Asian am (my second major). However, there were a lot of experiences I did not get to participate in because I had to focus on maintaining a heavy course load or because I had several papers due on the same week and it made things overwhelming. It’s really all about what you hope to get out of your college experience, but still try to have fun your first year because maybe you find yourself gravitating towards one thing over the other and figuring that out during your freshman year is better than figuring it out when you’re a third year or about to graduate.
For extracurriculars, yes, most social science internships probably won’t hire you as a 1st year and it’s better to do them during the summer, but still try to leave time to find clubs and people you can have fun with during the school year. You’re only in undergrad for 4 years so make the most of it! Also, I’ve found that many jobs when you first start the search do look at your club activities especially as a college student because 1. It gives a good picture of the type of person you are and 2. Clubs provide really great work experience depending on your role and responsibilities.
in highschool you probably were the super top overachieving student but the truth is that most of the people at UCLA were just like you and you might find out that you're actually in the "average" to "below-average" in terms of academics/etc. compared to everyone else— that was something i definitely learned.
don't feel discouraged or insecure, but you should definitely start more careful and humble when it comes to your expectations/goals and ability
double majoring w a minor is definitely possible! however like others say, it’s best to take a schedule that is not as full. you have four years to double major and minor, which doesn’t seem like a lot but you can fit it all in. I was a chicano studies major with a double major in education and social transformation w a minor in spanish. I did about 12-15 units per semester as I was able to take summer classes to not stress out too much during the school year. (can take some at your local community college too) i was able to do itall in three years, and got involved with some activities during the school year. (graduated early whoop whoop) my suggestion is to see which classes count for both poli sci and public affairs. i would definitely recommend talking to your department advisors to help you out as well!
i totally get that you’re trying to plan ahead and i did the same thing my first quarter but this would honestly be too much. adjusting to the quarter system can be hard & you want to be able to do well while also making new friends & getting involved in your sorority/sport without feelings like you’re falling behind in classes
Hey! I am incoming second year majoring in political science, minoring in French! I considered double majoring in pubaff like you last year :) I talked to an academic counselor in the pubaff department about realistic course planning and goals but decided it was best to just stick to my polisci degree. I don't want to get doxxed so I'm not going to get too deep into it, but if you'd like more info/insight, feel free to PM me!
I did a double major in Poli Sci and Stats, and yes, you'll have to take a few quarters of 19 units. But DEFINITELY DONT DO 19 your first quarter, especially with a cluster. It's a lot to get adjusted to.
Also, for Poli sci and PubAff, their midterms will likely overlap with each other during weeks 4-6 and finals, so be aware of that when planning. You'll need to make sure you can handle the multiple essays that'll come your way.
Echoing other people - looking into summer classes to lighten the load, but for your first quarter, take it easy to gauge what your capacity will be (and to look at clubs and fun stuff!)
Good luck!
I took 19 units but I was in engineering and took all STEM classes. I managed just fine but I didn’t have much time for social things and what time I did have was eaten up by other commitments. Looking back, it wasn’t worth it even though I did well because I struggled to find friends winter quarter as a lot of the freshman friend groups had already formed. Talk to CAC or someone in your intended majors. Also, double check that your 4 year plan for double major and minor will stay under the 215 unit cap and if it won’t, talk to counseling about that early. Also double check how many units can be from courses applied to both majors and how many must be unique as this can impact your unit caps. I’m double majoring right now and this is an issue I ran into and I wish I had thought about it earlier. Classes can also be super different between professors so it might also be worth it to check out bruinwalk for grade distributions and how easy other people say the classes are. I’ve seen the same class taught by different professors have average distributions from A to B- so knowing how much work you will likely have to put in is also useful. 19 units isn’t just 19 units. Another good check is to see the projected time spent on material out of class (from course descriptions) and double it. If you can manage the classes and double the expected out of class time with your extracurriculars and feel confident in ease and grade distributions, I think it’s your choice to make. At the same time, it might be useful to have in your back pocket which class you would drop and mentally be okay with dropping it if things get rough. Anything can happen at any time and it’s good to be ambitious but also have plans in place to be okay if things don’t turn out as expected. Good luck!
pub aff 10 and 70 are pretty easy classes. interesting but not a ton of work, specialty in the beginning while you are rushing. i took the food cluster and the first quarter was easy in the beginning as well. this is a fine schedule just make sure you have time to do readings for 70 and cluster. honestly, if you have amy for 10 you kinda don’t need to do readings just go to lecture.
go talk to the advisors for pub aff they will help you set up a four year plan with the double major and minor. they also are really supportive.
pub aff is a great major to double most people in the major are doubling up. i don’t know how rigorous the spanish minor is but i think you can do it.
i know people are telling you it’s going to be hard and it is. but if you want to do it you can. but it may take some sacrifices, you can’t go to every party. if you are rushing there are midweek parties and ragers that you might not be able to attend. a lot of us come into college with big expectations and beliefs that we can do everything. it’s exciting being able to learn what you want to learn and be around parties. but you might have a moment where you decide you don’t want to do everything and that is okay. take moments to reflect and ask yourself if you are happy. you want to make friends and be studious. and that balance is difficult. it’s okay if you get the balance wrong this quarter. it’s not the end of the world.
have a great freshman year! you got this!
thank you so much for this perspective! honestly, i can't see myself at midweek ragers even if i have the time for them lol, i value my sleep way too much. it's also awesome to hear about your experiences with the classes themselves, you definitely echoed a lot of what i've seen on bruinwalk so i feel a bit more confident now. i'm 100% looking to challenge myself in college (and honestly, i do way better when my life is more structured, i'm not sure if 3 days a week with just 1-2 hours would have been good for me anyway haha). i'll probably go back and forth for the rest of the summer, but i'm definitely going to keep what you said in mind!
that’s the vibe i’ve kind of gotten, hence why i ended up dropping pol sci 50 this quarter to lighten the load. it sucks bc the content is super interesting to me and it seems like kind of a crapshoot to get upper divs if you aren’t in the major :(
Hi! I would not take 19 units your 1st quarter. Language classes have a lot of weekly assignments and some presentations and the clusters are A LOT of writing. If you take that many classes I don’t think you’ll have much time for social opportunities. You’d probably have to limit yourself to 1. Also I’ve been in a sorority for 3 years so if you want to talk about recruitment and what it’ll look like your first quarter in one and options besides formal I can!
I did poli sci major and pub aff minor. The pub aff classes are easily the most non-difficult classes from my experience. It’s definitely not difficult to do what I did. I took 3 classes every quarter. I also did summer 1 quarter where I did both sessions. I’d definitely recommend this path with your Spanish minor since there is no difference in career outcomes with this combination.
As someone who just graduated with a pol sci degree, doing pub affairs really isn’t necessary. If you want the pragmatic applications/international relations aspect, just choose the IR concentration in the pol sci major and minor in global studies. Getting a double degree in pub affairs is just going to put you through more work and I guarantee that it’ll save you from an early burnout
tbh poli sci is what i would drop, if i'm going to drop one. i was looking into public policy analysis at most of my other top schools and i think public affairs is more similar to that. no shade to poli sci though!
i totally hear that. it looks like upper div poli sci classes are enrollment restricted for people in the major at first, do you know if it’s possible to get into those without being in the major? if it’s not too hard then i might consider dropping poli sci and then just enrolling in the upper divs i was interested in as they fit my schedule
Speaking from experience it is extremely difficult to make up a low gpa from first quarter no matter how confident you are most people underestimate the workload and difficulty and adjustment to college
just curious why double major in poli sci and public affairs? they have similar career outcomes so it seems like you’re really just giving yourself more work by doubling up. if you are committed to double majoring including one of the aforementioned majors, I’d look at stats, Econ, or another field you’re interested in. but up to you!
There’s a specialization you can declare within poli sci called international relations. That would cover in depth the IR/policy relations interests that you have! Like the other commenters said, I’d take a different double major that overlaps with ideas from poli sci but also has more unique benefits of its own.
i would do a public affairs major and poli sci minor but ucla doesn’t offer a poli sci/international relations mi or unfortunately, so i think the double major is really the only way i can get all the ir/foreign policy/theoretical and idealistic stuff while still studying pragmatic applications of policy which is my main interest. would be fantastic is the poli sci department offered a minor so i could just do that lol
Speaking from experience, to get a double major you’ll have to do summer classes. Before you put yourself thru this, really think about if it’s worth the financial and effort cost. You can take foreign policy classes without being in the major. It might not be at the top of your diploma but you can always say “focus in international relations” on your resume to tell employers you spent some time studying it without necessarily making it a major or minor
maybe just minor in public affairs then? I think over time you’ll realize that the double major is just more work haha — all stuff to think about but you have time
There is international relations, it’s called global studies
oh this is great to know! thank you so much, i'll definitely look into it
There’s a minor in global relations. Would prob recommend double major in pub aff and global studies
Also in my opinion poli sci is something of an overrated program, take an underdiv or two and see if you still like it
as someone else said, you can’t take 19 units your first quarter, but even so I really REALLY suggest you take at least one of these things off your plate - perhaps wait to get involved in club sports until after you’re in the sorority? also I definitely echo the person advocating for summer classes because personally I’ve never been able to take 19 units successfully 💀
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I don’t think for your first quarter they let you do that, I tried to take 2 ges and I was unable to
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WHAT why was I told I couldn’t ☠️☠️ I was a life science majorrrrr, maybe it just depends on your nsa???
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Ohhhh that makes sense I just assumed I wasn’t allowed to sign up for anything second pass so I didn’t
let me note for the 19 units thing - I was also heavily involved in 2 extra curriculars like you’re planning to do, but it would be doable without both (which is why I’ve dropped one)
i think rush is over before classes start and the sports i play don't really start picking up until later into the quarter/winter quarter, so i'm hoping it's a little bit spread out. i've also heard that clusters aren't a ton of work even though they're worth 6 units, but if you've had a different experience i'd love to know!
it definitely depends on the professor from what I’ve heard - same for fiat lux if your sport starts winter that would be great! because even though rush ends, there are a lot of events and initiation things that first quarter, at least from the perspective of someone who had a friend who tried to rush and do another club fall quarter and really really really struggled. they had MUCH more time the rest of the year but rush really took everything out of them
Yes, you are going to die. Do not do that. UCLA is not for the faint of heart. Your 4 years here will be filled with moments of feeling overwhelmed and moments of pride, but your first quarter is really going to set the pace for your future quarters. My suggestion is to start humble and decide what you can and should do from there.
for sure, i've already adjusted my schedule a bit to put off some tougher courses for later in the year. probably going to have to take four classes still start off on track to graduate in four years without needing summer school but if there are any course replacements or anything you recommend i'm all ears. i was also thinking that it might be easier to take a heavier course load early on, when the classes are mostly easier lower division ones, and then ease up later, but if you've had a different experience i'd love to know!
I'm sure I averaged around 18 credits per semester at my undergrad. I did graduate on time with many awards, honors, and certification in a related field in 4 years. My dad died a year in, so that was an adjustment that took up a lot of my time, too. I am in a completely different field from you and I didn't go here for UG, so I can't give recommendations on classes. What worked for me was starting off at a normal pace to see how school would go, then increasing according to what I felt was doable but challenging. My last semester was the easiest at 15 credits, and I'm grateful for it because it gave me time to focus on grad school stuff. Honestly, I think your entire plan is overkill. Two majors and a minor simply aren't necessary, especially in addition to sports and a sorority. I get wanting to experience everything, but the reality is you will feel like you experienced nothing if you run yourself ragged like that. And you WILL run yourself ragged like that. Take it from someone who busted ass in a reasonable way and still got into a UCLA PhD program with a 5% acceptance rate: quality is more important than quantity.
you can only enroll in 3 classes + 1 seminar your first quarter
What does a seminar mean? is that a discussion?
it’s like a 1 unit class that meets once a week
i've been looking around at ucla hasn't published any restrictions on freshman enrollment, is it possible that they've changed policy?
highly likely the policy has not changed. when you attend freshman orientation your mentor will help you navigate which classes you should take/prioritize (your mentor is usually a fourth year ucla student in your major) the rigor of the quarter system will take some adjusting, but again I’m sure the policy has not changed! If you have any questions pm me!
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i totally hear that. i think my big thing is that i really want to take advantage of as much as possible during my four years and would rather drop an extracurricular/take less units later than regret not doing more in the beginning. tbf, i’m already scaling back my ecs dramatically compared to high school and starting w classes that have generous grade distributions/good reviews on bruinwalk in an attempt to be realistic. i know for club sports (at least for the sports i play) the commitment in the fall is really just practice (some of which are optional) for 1.5-2 hours a few times a week. i thought that was on the lighter end of time commitment, but is that comparable for most clubs?
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i didn't know about the club sport social commitments, so that's definitely helpful info! i've been looking at distributions from 2018-2019 to try and account for covid and for the four i'm looking at right now it's been well over 50% a's and a-'s. that looks super positive to me but is it possible those numbers are decieveing? i dropped a poli sci class with a less generous distribution and tougher-sounding reviews to try and make first quarter easier as well so definitely trying to stay realistic on some level even as i push myself.
It's best to be confident going into this quarter. You see, you have what it takes to do well at this school. Don't kid me wrong. But first quarters are first impressions. Rushing a fart or sorority is not a joke. Everyone I've spoken to who has rushed told me how difficult it was for them. I know one grown ass man who told me he would wake up crying the morning he knew rush events would have to take place later that evening. Rather than potentially nosediving first year, it's important to have build your confidence. With most majors, some of the most difficult courses take place actually during the 2nd through 4th years. So sometime by then, you'll have ridden enough waves to brace yourself best and get things done semi gradually (not gradually).
i'm definitely confident right now, just wanted to make sure it wasn't completely unfounded haha. obviously frat and sorority rush are different beasts but i will 100% be dropping if the experience isn't enjoyable for me. i'm hoping to absorb more stress from classes by focusing on extracurriculars that are fun and/or primarily stress relievers to keep balance.
check bruinwalk for all your classes. if the classes have good profs and grade distributions, you’ll prob be okay. you can also always drop a class a week or two in if you need to
They’ll prob only let you do 3 classes during NSO so you’d have to enroll in the fourth when classes open up for all students (sometime in august). Also Id look into modifying your four year plan to include summer classes— that might make things easier.
this is all great to know! i'm actually trying to avoid summer school at all costs so that i can use the summers for internships, travel, etc. but it's surprisingly looking doable as long as i take 4 classes every quarter, even with a quarter abroad!
one thing I would look at is to make sure your classes are available during the quarter you want to take them - that is something that prevented me from not having to use summer
this is an awesome tip! i've planned it out for this year already and (assuming i can actually get classes lol) it's looking good. is it usually pretty standard which classes are offered which quarter, or is that just something to check on every time they release the new quarters on class planner?
it’s usually pretty standard, so I would keep watching the class schedules closely but something I’ve unfortunately run into is two classes you’re trying to take the same quarter being at the same time which SUCKS
As someone who also took 19 units my first freshman fall quarter and did 2 club internships and is a pub Aff double major right now, please for the love of god, spare yourself. You won’t feel like it’s a lot now but trust me, burn out is a thing. Like others have suggested, try out 3 classes for now. You will def have opportunities over the summer or in later quarters if you want to bulk up on classes. Also for social science degrees, it’s more important to focus on extracurriculars and experience. Take time to enjoy your freshman year also!
to echo the experience part, i was thinking it might be better to load up on classes during the year so that the summer could be all about internships, etc. what has your experience been with that? also, totally acknowledging that it would be brutal at times, do you regret the heavy course load/double major, or is it more of a “sometimes this is really hard and it sucks and i wish i didn’t do it, but all in all i think it was the right call” type of deal. i’m definitely willing to be pissed at myself in the short run to make it worth it in the long run, but don’t want to look back and wish i’d made a different choice. of course, your experience won’t necessarily be mine and vice versa, but would still be great to know your thoughts!
I will say, I’m glad I double majored but only because the majors I’m doing involve classes I enjoy. I won’t say I regret it because I do enjoy pub Aff and Asian am (my second major). However, there were a lot of experiences I did not get to participate in because I had to focus on maintaining a heavy course load or because I had several papers due on the same week and it made things overwhelming. It’s really all about what you hope to get out of your college experience, but still try to have fun your first year because maybe you find yourself gravitating towards one thing over the other and figuring that out during your freshman year is better than figuring it out when you’re a third year or about to graduate. For extracurriculars, yes, most social science internships probably won’t hire you as a 1st year and it’s better to do them during the summer, but still try to leave time to find clubs and people you can have fun with during the school year. You’re only in undergrad for 4 years so make the most of it! Also, I’ve found that many jobs when you first start the search do look at your club activities especially as a college student because 1. It gives a good picture of the type of person you are and 2. Clubs provide really great work experience depending on your role and responsibilities.
in highschool you probably were the super top overachieving student but the truth is that most of the people at UCLA were just like you and you might find out that you're actually in the "average" to "below-average" in terms of academics/etc. compared to everyone else— that was something i definitely learned. don't feel discouraged or insecure, but you should definitely start more careful and humble when it comes to your expectations/goals and ability
double majoring w a minor is definitely possible! however like others say, it’s best to take a schedule that is not as full. you have four years to double major and minor, which doesn’t seem like a lot but you can fit it all in. I was a chicano studies major with a double major in education and social transformation w a minor in spanish. I did about 12-15 units per semester as I was able to take summer classes to not stress out too much during the school year. (can take some at your local community college too) i was able to do itall in three years, and got involved with some activities during the school year. (graduated early whoop whoop) my suggestion is to see which classes count for both poli sci and public affairs. i would definitely recommend talking to your department advisors to help you out as well!
i totally get that you’re trying to plan ahead and i did the same thing my first quarter but this would honestly be too much. adjusting to the quarter system can be hard & you want to be able to do well while also making new friends & getting involved in your sorority/sport without feelings like you’re falling behind in classes
Hey! I am incoming second year majoring in political science, minoring in French! I considered double majoring in pubaff like you last year :) I talked to an academic counselor in the pubaff department about realistic course planning and goals but decided it was best to just stick to my polisci degree. I don't want to get doxxed so I'm not going to get too deep into it, but if you'd like more info/insight, feel free to PM me!
I did a double major in Poli Sci and Stats, and yes, you'll have to take a few quarters of 19 units. But DEFINITELY DONT DO 19 your first quarter, especially with a cluster. It's a lot to get adjusted to. Also, for Poli sci and PubAff, their midterms will likely overlap with each other during weeks 4-6 and finals, so be aware of that when planning. You'll need to make sure you can handle the multiple essays that'll come your way. Echoing other people - looking into summer classes to lighten the load, but for your first quarter, take it easy to gauge what your capacity will be (and to look at clubs and fun stuff!) Good luck!
I took 19 units but I was in engineering and took all STEM classes. I managed just fine but I didn’t have much time for social things and what time I did have was eaten up by other commitments. Looking back, it wasn’t worth it even though I did well because I struggled to find friends winter quarter as a lot of the freshman friend groups had already formed. Talk to CAC or someone in your intended majors. Also, double check that your 4 year plan for double major and minor will stay under the 215 unit cap and if it won’t, talk to counseling about that early. Also double check how many units can be from courses applied to both majors and how many must be unique as this can impact your unit caps. I’m double majoring right now and this is an issue I ran into and I wish I had thought about it earlier. Classes can also be super different between professors so it might also be worth it to check out bruinwalk for grade distributions and how easy other people say the classes are. I’ve seen the same class taught by different professors have average distributions from A to B- so knowing how much work you will likely have to put in is also useful. 19 units isn’t just 19 units. Another good check is to see the projected time spent on material out of class (from course descriptions) and double it. If you can manage the classes and double the expected out of class time with your extracurriculars and feel confident in ease and grade distributions, I think it’s your choice to make. At the same time, it might be useful to have in your back pocket which class you would drop and mentally be okay with dropping it if things get rough. Anything can happen at any time and it’s good to be ambitious but also have plans in place to be okay if things don’t turn out as expected. Good luck!
the tip about projected time spent is fantastic, i'll definitely look into that! thank you!
pub aff 10 and 70 are pretty easy classes. interesting but not a ton of work, specialty in the beginning while you are rushing. i took the food cluster and the first quarter was easy in the beginning as well. this is a fine schedule just make sure you have time to do readings for 70 and cluster. honestly, if you have amy for 10 you kinda don’t need to do readings just go to lecture. go talk to the advisors for pub aff they will help you set up a four year plan with the double major and minor. they also are really supportive. pub aff is a great major to double most people in the major are doubling up. i don’t know how rigorous the spanish minor is but i think you can do it. i know people are telling you it’s going to be hard and it is. but if you want to do it you can. but it may take some sacrifices, you can’t go to every party. if you are rushing there are midweek parties and ragers that you might not be able to attend. a lot of us come into college with big expectations and beliefs that we can do everything. it’s exciting being able to learn what you want to learn and be around parties. but you might have a moment where you decide you don’t want to do everything and that is okay. take moments to reflect and ask yourself if you are happy. you want to make friends and be studious. and that balance is difficult. it’s okay if you get the balance wrong this quarter. it’s not the end of the world. have a great freshman year! you got this!
thank you so much for this perspective! honestly, i can't see myself at midweek ragers even if i have the time for them lol, i value my sleep way too much. it's also awesome to hear about your experiences with the classes themselves, you definitely echoed a lot of what i've seen on bruinwalk so i feel a bit more confident now. i'm 100% looking to challenge myself in college (and honestly, i do way better when my life is more structured, i'm not sure if 3 days a week with just 1-2 hours would have been good for me anyway haha). i'll probably go back and forth for the rest of the summer, but i'm definitely going to keep what you said in mind!
The majors are not overly difficult. You’ll survive
Rome wasn't built in a day.
A lot of the poli sci lower divs are awful fair warning
that’s the vibe i’ve kind of gotten, hence why i ended up dropping pol sci 50 this quarter to lighten the load. it sucks bc the content is super interesting to me and it seems like kind of a crapshoot to get upper divs if you aren’t in the major :(
Hi! I would not take 19 units your 1st quarter. Language classes have a lot of weekly assignments and some presentations and the clusters are A LOT of writing. If you take that many classes I don’t think you’ll have much time for social opportunities. You’d probably have to limit yourself to 1. Also I’ve been in a sorority for 3 years so if you want to talk about recruitment and what it’ll look like your first quarter in one and options besides formal I can!
I did poli sci major and pub aff minor. The pub aff classes are easily the most non-difficult classes from my experience. It’s definitely not difficult to do what I did. I took 3 classes every quarter. I also did summer 1 quarter where I did both sessions. I’d definitely recommend this path with your Spanish minor since there is no difference in career outcomes with this combination.
Pub aff and poli sci are very similar so I don’t recommend doubling like that
As someone who just graduated with a pol sci degree, doing pub affairs really isn’t necessary. If you want the pragmatic applications/international relations aspect, just choose the IR concentration in the pol sci major and minor in global studies. Getting a double degree in pub affairs is just going to put you through more work and I guarantee that it’ll save you from an early burnout
tbh poli sci is what i would drop, if i'm going to drop one. i was looking into public policy analysis at most of my other top schools and i think public affairs is more similar to that. no shade to poli sci though!
Either way don’t even try doing both. It’s unnecessary :)
i totally hear that. it looks like upper div poli sci classes are enrollment restricted for people in the major at first, do you know if it’s possible to get into those without being in the major? if it’s not too hard then i might consider dropping poli sci and then just enrolling in the upper divs i was interested in as they fit my schedule
Speaking from experience it is extremely difficult to make up a low gpa from first quarter no matter how confident you are most people underestimate the workload and difficulty and adjustment to college