Political Science might be one of the most misunderstood majors out there on college campuses. As a Political Science major myself at Illinois College, I can personally testify to this. Here are just a handful of things Political Science majors want you to know.
1. No. Not all of us want to become politicians.
One of the biggest misconceptions about political science majors is that they all want to become politicians. Sure, it's a route you can take. Former Vice President Dick Cheney has an M.A. in political science from the University of Wyoming, and President Obama has a B.A. in political science from Columbia University. However, if you are majoring in political science, you are not narrowed to just a pursuit of public office as a career choice. Numerous amounts of political science majors go on to law school to become lawyers, and many times, journalism is a popular option to those who have studied political science. In fact, MSNBC's Rachel Maddow has a B.A. in public policy (a discipline closely associated with political science) from Stanford University and later went to Oxford University on a Rhodes Scholarship where she earned her doctorate in politics. So next time you run into a political science major, try to keep an open mind on what profession they could go in to!
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Political science is more complicated than you think.
Students in the social sciences often have complaints about feeling looked down upon by other students who study "real science." I myself have experienced this, and I can tell you that it's always irritating when that biology or physics major tries to make you feel inferior. I'm not going to say that political science is harder than biology, chemistry, or physics, but comparing fields of studies is quite literally like comparing apples to oranges. However for me personally, I find the social sciences to be much more fascinating. Take this as an example: biology majors can read a book about biology from 10 years ago and still get a general understanding of the discipline. Cells are still cells, mitochondria are still mitochondria, and osmosis still works the same way. With political science, on the other hand, a book from 10 years ago is often, more times than not, useless. Our political realities are evolving (some might say devolving) more and more every single day. A year ago, John Boehner was Speaker of the House and Paul Ryan was just a congressman from Wisconsin. Now Ryan is Speaker and Boehner isn't even in Congress anymore. Two years ago, Eric Cantor was the House Majority leader, the second most powerful position in the House of Representatives, and today he is replaced and nowhere to be found. Also two years ago, Harry Reid was Majority Leader of the Senate and Mitch McConnell was just that creepy guy who was obsessed with obstructionism. The point is, if you read a book from three years ago about how Congress works from a micro point of analysis, you would be totally ill-informed. That's why political science is complicated.
3. Keeping up with politics is not just a hobby. It's a duty.
I will be the first to admit that following politics is fun. Especially around this time of an election year when we're almost to the primaries and tensions are high. My friends and I like to talk about what each side has to do to win, how each candidate did at debates, and which candidates would make the best ticket for President and Vice President. That being said though, following politics isn't all about having fun. It's about having enough respect for your country, the country so many people have died defending, to make an informed decision about who you want running it. People often tell me that I spend too much time following the election and politics and general. I'll watch C-SPAN in the basement of my residence hall and I'll get the strangest looks. But the way I see it, I have a civic responsibility, obligation, and duty to keep up with politics. These are the people who make the biggest decisions in the country, of course, I'm going to see what they're up to. Being entertained by Congressional committees and the like is just a perk that comes along with it.
4. Everything we do is Political.
I often hear from people "I'm not really a political person" or "I don't really pay attention to politics because it doesn't affect me." These two sayings are the epitome of being naive. Everyone is political, whether they know it or not. Ever go out with a group of friends and try to convince them why your plan for the night is better? That's political. What about when you decide who will work on what when you're developing a group project? That's politics. You're more political than you think you are. Also, next time you say you're not affected by politics, I'll just assume you never get mail, you never drive on a public road, you've never been to a public library, you've never had taxes taken out of your paycheck, you've never received any type of public aid, and you never plan on collecting Social Security.
5. If you're over 18 and don't vote, I better not hear any complaints about anything related to government or politics.
Do I really need to say anything about this? If you don't vote, shut up about how much you hate Donald Trump. Your opinion literally doesn't matter if you don't vote. Sorry.
