Accepted? Unsure about GW? Read this...(Advice from a current freshman)

Colleges and Universities A-Z George Washington University
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<p>Hey guys - </p>

<p>First of all, congratulations on getting into GW! From what I see on this site, it got more competitive this year, and it will be interesting to see what the percentage accepted was. You've probably got other decisions rolling in, and if you're like I was, you're scrambling to make sense of all of it and decide where you should go. </p>

<p>Let me be blunt: last year, when I was applying to colleges, GW was not my top choice. Actually, out of 13 schools, I ranked it 8th. I really liked the school when I visited my junior year, but GW never became close to my top pick. I had my heart set on a lot of small New England colleges, that now, looking back, I realize I probably only "loved" them because they reminded of me of my high school and were a comfortable environment. I really only applied to GW because I knew it was a good school and I'd liked it when I came to visit. I only found out about the Elliott School when I saw on the CommonApp that there was a specific school for International Affairs. Cool, I thought. I like Model UN, and languages. Sounds good. Let's apply for IA.</p>

<p>So why did I end up coming here? </p>

<p>When it came down to it, GW just made the most sense for me. I admit: I was rejected by most of the tiny New England colleges (think NESCACs) that I had previously fallen head-over-heels for. However, if one of them were to offer me acceptance today, I would reject them, because even though they are excellent schools, they are usually in the middle of nowhere. You just can't beat DC. As I said, I'm majoring in International Affairs, and just declared a double major in Economics. Every day on my way to classes, I walk by the IMF -and- the World Bank. Oh and a couple of embassies. At GW you get immersed in the "real world" and can see how your major actually applies to it - whether it's anthropology, politics, or math, there are institutions, think tanks, government agencies, multinational corporations, EVERYTHING, right within arm's reach. Even if you don't know what you want to study, there are so many opportunities for you to try things out and see what you like.</p>

<p>Added on top of having solid programs and amazing internship/career opportunities at your fingertips, social life is pretty sweet. Our dorms are some of the nicest in the country (no cinderblock walls or coed bathrooms here - all converted hotels or apartment buildings with private baths!), and our meal plan is awesome. Just tonight I went out to a nice Italian restaurant off campus and I paid for it with my Colonial Cash (the 'mealplan' card). There are tons of clubs and activities going on all the time on campus - and if nothing interests you, the whole city is literally your playground, as GW has its own metro stop (which most other DC schools don't have). Coming from a small New England town without sidewalks where cars are the only mode of transportation, I cannot tell you how convenient it is to be able to get almost anywhere very easily. Yes, I know all that, you say, but living in the city is still kind of daunting. Then live on the Mouth Vernon campus! It's beautiful and in a suburban area of DC. Furthermore, GW's city campus is what a city campus should be - not an isolated island (coughgtowncough) or spread out all over the city in random office buildings (I'm looking at you, NYU), but rather about 5 x 6 blocks of solid GW. On warm days everyone goes outside into Kogan Plaza or University Yard and studies, plays frisbee, or just hangs out -- so we DO have community. </p>

<p>Honestly, GW is extremely close to perfect, and I love it. Sure, it has its faults here and there, but every school does. I can't imagine going anywhere else. And this is coming from someone who never had GW as their top choice. So a bit of advice: don't get too down if you got rejected from your top choice, because another school on your list - one that you never really gave enough attention to - could become your first choice once you go there.</p>

<p>I apologize for this being so long. Feel free to ask any questions you may have!</p>

<p>~ A current GW student</p>

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<p>Great words of advice... but I didn't need convincing. The school sounds great and I just got accepted!!!! The only remaining issue is financing the tuition. But hopefully I will get financial aid.</p>

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<p>Hi!</p>

<p>Wow! You really gave me a unique perspective from a student. I have a few questions if you don't mind:</p>

<p>I was accepted to the Eliott School of IA and I was wondering how the classes are, the workload, and the professors.</p>

<p>I am the leader of my Model UN team at my high school ( in fact this weekend we have a conference), how is the model UN in GW?</p>

<p>Thank you very much!</p>

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<p>Thanks for all the information! :)
I love GW, and it's my dream to go there.. unfortunately I got wait listed...
Do you by chance know what percent of wait listed applicants get accepted?</p>

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<p>SanDiego - GW is being very generous with financial aid this year because of the crisis. GW actually significantly reduced its merit awards this year and is focusing on aid. They usually try to meet 100% of EFC. Good luck!</p>

<p>spitfiregator - Everyone in the Elliott School takes Introduction to International Affairs their freshman year. It's a huge lecture - 250 or so - with a once-weekly discussion with 20 students and a TA. It's an intro survey course, so no real groundbreaking material, but I'm glad I took it (one of our projects was to do a mock-G20 simulation and we had to go to our assigned country's embassy and interview a diplomat...preeeeettty cool). The great thing about GW is that even if you're in one school, it is very common to have classes in the other schools, and except for majors and advising, the lines between schools are practically invisible. You have access to basically any class on campus. As far as the workload, I find it to be challenging but not impossible - it depends on which classes you take and which professors you have. USE RATEMYPROFESSORS.COM! It's a lifesaver for a lot of courses.</p>

<p>While I was a hardcore MUNer in high school, I haven't done it here so I can't speak for it. However, there is the International Affairs Society - one of the biggest student orgs on campus, and they organize trips to MUN conferences (I know they've gone to UC Berkeley, Penn, and a few others this year). GW regularly wins awards. I have friends who are active in IAS and they love it. Here's the IAS website, I suggest poking around: International</a> Affairs Society</p>

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<p>elise336 - I don't know what the stats are, but I do know that GW really appreciates interest. Perhaps mail the admissions department a letter explaining your situation and how you still want to go to GW? It certainly wouldn't hurt. Best of luck!! And remember - if you don't get in now, you can always transfer later.</p>

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<p>wow thanks for the great introduction to GWU. i was admitted into the biz school with an accounting major. What do you think of its biz course? i mean everyone's so hyped up over its intl affairs course</p>

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<p>Thanks a lot Spwl</p>

<p>I'm in a similar situation as you were. I'm torn between GW and Northeastern. I'm doing international business. Originally GW was my top choice, but I have really taken a liking to Northeastern's international business program. Both school are in a city environment and to be honest I truly like the GW campus and DC better. I'm also really into politics so it'd be cool to live in D.C. I just like the structure and focus of the Northeastern program better. They both have great business schools and I just don't know what to choose. Do I go with the better lifestyle/opportunities or the better academic program lol. I'm doing a visit of both schools again to help me decide but at this point I feel so indecisive. I'm sure I'd be happy at either place but I just don't know what to choose ahhh. I know you said you were in Elliot, but do you know anyone in the business school? Do you know their opinion/if they like it/ if they can get good jobs and internship? Any more insight would be greatly appreciated. Thanks so much.</p>

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<p>dtc777 - I have a couple of friends in the business school and as far as I know, they like the program. GW's Business school is ranked around 25th in the nation, so it's a really good school. I know their career center is always hosting networking/internship fairs and etc. GW has really highly respected programs in basically anything international, and from what I know, the international business program is no different. </p>

<p>True, Elliott ranks above the Business school - but considering Elliott is 7th in the country, I wouldn't really go by that. I honestly think that the School of Business is an excellent school. Have you looked in the Business school program? From what I know, it is highly organized. Freshmen are required to take a one-year course that meets once a month that is basically an introduction to business in general. The University Bulletin outlines the whole four-year course: <a href="http://www.gwu.edu/%7Ebulletin/ugrad/sbpm.html%5B/url%5D"&gt;http://www.gwu.edu/~bulletin/ugrad/sbpm.html&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p>

<p>Furthermore, any university is what you make of it. I'm from the Boston area and absolutely love the city of Boston, but as far as opportunities and jobs, it is very difficult to compete with DC. GW is just a few blocks away from the K St business district.</p>

<p>Oh, and Duques Hall, the Business school's main building, has really nice classrooms. They even have those super comfy ergonomic chairs...not that that should determine your decision or anything, haha.</p>

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<p>haha thanks for ur answers. i was just wondering if you know how are classes conducted in the biz school? whether are they big or small?</p>

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<p>hey spwll, since your becoming the expert on gwu i was wondering if you knew anything about science at gw?
i heard that some of their equipment was old and run down, is this true, is it something i'll notice?
i agree, being in dc is probably the most appealing part of gwu, but it's pretty expensive right? how much would you spend on a typical night out?</p>

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<p>thanks again spwll</p>

<p>i have one more question, if you happen to know anything about study abroad (though i'm sure its similar for elliott and the business school).....being that i'd be doing international business i'd want to study abroad. do you know how the program is at gw? Are there any restrictions on how long or what classes you can take abroad? also, can you get internships abroad? (p.s. i'm taking spanish and would want to study in spain if that makes any difference)</p>

<p>Thanks so so so much</p>

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<p>thanks for making this thread</p>

<p>what do you know about SMPA?</p>

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<p>dtc727: I know plenty of business majors who have studied abroad. There are lots of business schools abroad that are directly affiliated with GW, so credit-transferring would be easy. I wouldn't recommend being abroad for more than one semester, though, as it could be hard to get some of the credits in classes that you HAVE to take at GW.</p>

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<p>singapore1988 - I have never taken a business school class, so I'm not sure about class sizes. However, in general at GW, intro classes tend to be large (120 or 270 students) with a once-weekly discussion/recitation section. As the classes get more advanced, they get smaller. I'm a freshman, and I my current classes are 270 (+ 20 person discussion), 120 (+ 20 person discussion), 60, 30, and 10 people. </p>

<p>misterme34- I have never taken a science class here so I cannot speak to the facilities. However, I do know plently of engineering/biology/etc majors, and if the facilities were truly terrible, that wouldn't happen. I believe there are also plans to build a huge science complex sometime in the next few years.</p>

<p>peppermintdeluxe - SMPA is amazing. If you got in, congratulations, and I highly encourage you to come here.</p>

<p>On study abroad in general: you can study abroad with any major. It's important to plan ahead though, so you make sure you're fulfilling all of your requirements (as gwsenior said).</p>

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<p>Hey spwll08,</p>

<p>I am an international student, but have a lot of friends in DC and my father has an appartment there although he is not resident in the states. He would therefore like me to live in it instead of the dorms so that he does not have to pay extra costs, do you think i could get exempt?</p>

<p>Thank you</p>

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<p>replyasap - As far as I know, DC law requires freshmen and sophomores to live in University housing. You can talk to Housing, but from what I know, exemptions are only granted in severe circumstances (ex, I heard of someone living in an apartment their freshman year because they were basically allergic to everything and couldn't live in a regular dorm). However, you will definitely be able to live in the apartment your junior and senior years. Also, if you come in with college credits (AP, IB, etc), it is possible to have "junior standing" as a sophomore, so you could live off campus then.</p>

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<p>Wow, spwll thanks for this advice! I seem to be in the same thoughts as you- I guess you could say I have my heart set on small LAC's in New England. I'm not really sure if I'd like being in the middle of a city, but your post really is making me consider it.
Thanks!</p>

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<p>
[quote]
Also, if you come in with college credits (AP, IB, etc), it is possible to have "junior standing" as a sophomore, so you could live off campus then.

[/quote]
</p>

<p>Actually, this isn't true (believe me, I tried arguing this to housing). The language of the rules reads that you are required to live on campus your first and second years of GW, not your freshman and sophomore, so credits don't matter. I have heard of people making other arrangements, but it's pretty difficult to do, sadly :(</p>

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<p>guess whos's coming to visit us this Friday?
Obama!!!!!</p>