Transfer Student FAQs
about the Political Science major
- for applicants
- for newly admitted students
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 9am-12noon and 1-4 pm, Monday
to 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 three of the four lower-division requirements. This includes:
A) Two of the following introductory political science courses, one of which should be in your concentration (otherwise referred to as subfield specialization):
- Introduction to American Politics (PS 1 at UC Berkeley)
- Introduction to Comparative Politics (PS 2 at UC Berkeley)
- Introduction to Political Theory (PS 4 at UC Berkeley)
- Introduction to International Relations (PS 5 at UC Berkeley)
To find out which courses at your community college fulfill the above requirements, go to Assist.org web site at: http://www.assist.org/web-assist/welcome.html. Note: All courses for the major must be lecture-based and taken for a letter grade.
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 the 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
the lower-division courses 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. For procedure
and materials required, visit our "Transferring
Coursework" website.
Since you attended a 4-year institution, if you took any upper-division
Polisci courses, we can evaluate them too. Up to 3 upper-division requirements
can be satisfied from another school, but there are some important
rules on this. For students admitted to UC
Berkeley for Fall 2009 and onward: Note that upper-division
courses taken elsewhere cannot satisfy the distribution requirement of
the new major and can only
satisfy one of the upper-division specialization course requirements.
Is there anything I can do to prepare for my first semester at
Berkeley?
Sure! The best thing you can do is attend a Political Science CalSO orientation
on campus. 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.
You'll have an opportunity to declare the major. 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 just to get your bearings. 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, and you follow our
procedure for getting declared, you're in! To determine your prerequisites
to declare, please return to the main transfer student page (coming soon!).
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 additional tips and services for prospective and newly admitted transfer
students, check out the Transfer, Re-entry, and Student Parent Center:
http://trsp.berkeley.edu/index.htm
-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