Political Science Major & Relevant Internships

Question: Barnard is my top choice school, and I was wondering if you could tell me a little bit about internship opportunities and majoring in political science here. First off, are there any accessible internships for Barnard students with the United Nations? I'm also wondering what life is like here as a political science major. Judging by the Barnard website, there looks like a lot of engaging poli sci classes. Do students feel like the professors and classes are interactive?

Answer: Here at Barnard, there is a seemingly never-ending list of political science classes and clubs to choose from. As a political science major, the array of classes available to you gets bigger every year because of the colloquium requirement. Colloquia are essentially small, intensive seminar-style classes that come in a wide range of concentrations and themes and culminate in a large research paper on a topic of your choice. Because of the diverse class options, some political science majors choose to focus in on one particular track (International Affairs, Political Theory, American Politics, or Comparative Politics). No matter what kinds of classes you end up taking, however, the professors try to make their classes as engaging as possible. I will say that not all political science classes are small, though -- some of the introductory classes can include around 100 students in a lecture -- but that doesn't mean they're any less engaging! One of my favorite classes was a very large American Politics lecture, percisely because the professor made it almost like a TedTalk every single day. Even with these larger lectures, there are always small discussion sections included that help make the course interactive.

As for internship opportunities, living in New York City plays a big role in how many opportunities there are for political science majors. While I do not have experience working with the UN, I am currently interning for a congressman in NY over the summer and it is fantastic work experience! There are always different kinds of internships available, whether you want to work on a campaign, in a district office, for organizations like the UN, or political think tanks. Beyond Barnard is a one-stop shop for advising students throughout the internship/job application process, helping students make sure their resumes are up to date, and facilitating connections to alumnae within their field of interest.

- Izzie Rivera ‘20

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