He doesn’t care which? In that case he really ought to stay away from operational politics and stick to academia.
I have a degree in political science, and I largely agree with you. It’s far more art than science. I think it’s pretty close to getting a Communications degree. I’ve heard and read argue that all human interaction is one form of politics or another, which is pretty much the same as another claim that all human interaction is one form of communication or another.
I see it more as the study of negotiations, but not a particularly scientific study because the results aren’t reliably repeatable.
Conflict and War Theory was my favorite. It pretty scientifically demonstrated why wars happen.
Typo Knig, you live in DC. You’re son’s good, man. If he gets a security clearance somehow, he’ll make six figures a year or two after graduating.
Thanks for the insights! Yes, we’re DC-metro area. I’m a “beltway bandit” myself. My son has been interested in politics since the '08 election. He’s gotten better grades in HS math and science than in history/government. I would not have thought of combining his area of interest with his skills. If he becomes the next Nate Silver I’ll be very proud, very publicly. 
Second what Ravenman said above, good advice.
My background: grew up in the Midwest, didn’t go to a great high school, got good grades but nothing stellar. Always wanted to work in national security, wanted to move to the DC area, applied to all the top schools here, didn’t get into any. Ended up at a “second tier” DC school that will remain nameless.
I discovered that when it came to an undergrad in poli sci, LOCATION mattered far more than PEDIGREE. Like with many majors, in poli sci an undergrad degree alone is effectively worthless (true in the 1990s, VERY true today). I knew that I’d almost certainly have to go on to grad school and leverage other opportunities, which is why I made the push to move to D.C. I ended up with a couple of unpaid internships during my undergrad years that not only taught me plenty but also allowed me to network for the future. That paid off when it helped me get into a top-tier graduate school right after college.
15 years later, nobody cares where I got my poli-sci degree from (and only a few care about where I got my grad degree from). But I’ve parlayed that education into an excellent career (so far… knock on wood!).
Bottom line: if your son is truly interested in doing something with a poli-sci degree, keeping his eye on the prize is more important than how he gets there, i.e. it’s a multi-year journey, not a sprint. Internships and networking can really suck the life out of you early on, but nobody hands anyone a six-figure job out of undergrad anymore (and they NEVER did with poli-sci… I made bupkus for five+ years out of college, living with roommates off of ramen and beer, but it all worked out in the end).
Oh, and I’ll second the others who give advice RE: backup plans-- hard science & math are nice complementary minors.
Plus, depending on what your son wants to get into, keeping your record clean for an eventual security clearance is GOLDEN, and will significantly increase one’s earning potential (not to mention the cool factor of possible jobs). That means no drugs, no DUIs, no credit-card-fueled bankruptcies, etc., etc., etc. I got into my fair share of mayhem in college, having crazy fun is normal, but I always knew there was a line I couldn’t cross as if my life depended on it-- which, frankly, it did).
Hah! Well, I assume the kid cares - I was just giving the options.
Echoing this. I graduated in 2007 with a History degree because History was what I liked. Went straight to law school. No jobs. Really wish I had skipped the liberal arts stuff and spent the time doing a STEM major so I could have a job right now. Would I have been less happy doing STEM in college? Sure, but that would be outweighed by being happier having a job right now.
I have a friend that recently got his B.A. in political science. He will be playing quarterback in the NFL this fall, most likely for the Washington Redskins. His experience is probably slightly different than most poli sci majors.
No. That’s pretty much what all the poli sci majors I know did.
: )
You go to law school (top 20 on at least a half scholarship!) or you work on political campaigns. Or you switch to a business major and go into real estate down the road.
He should have a pretty good idea of what he wants to go into. If not, let him travel for a year or take community college classes.
In my opinion, everyone’s freshman year is wasted unless they are exceptionally mature or took a year off/did comm college for a year.
LOL! He does care, but the general advice is good. We don’t have to make this about who’s party is better - we can make this about who’s major is better 
One could pick worse careers. But as you say, you best be going to a top school.
The thing about STEM jobs. Sure you’re more likely to land a high paying job in science and engineering and tech. But even if you have an aptitude for computer programming or higher level math, do you WANT to do that for a living? Having your head burried in a computer all day writing code? Working odd hours keeping systems running or working late nights and weekends delivering some analyst report?
If you aren’t that quanitative, careers in (non IT) consulting, marketing, PR, or business development might be the way to go.
Does your son know what career path he wants? When I first started college, I started by doing what I was interested in instead of thinking about the career path I wanted to follow. By the time I realized what I wanted to do career-wise and switched majors, I had about a years worth of classes that didn’t count for much of anything.
I’d recommend he start with general classes and talk to a counselor/adviser about the different career options in political science before deciding on that for his major.
That said, my mother majored in Poli Sci with a minor in econ, and went on to get her law degree and a masters in environmental law and never looked back.