<p>armcp, do u go to GW? BTW: That's what I meant, you earn it and you pay for it at the same time. I don't have to detail every piece of info to you. I took account that you can figure it out.</p>
<p>armcp:
[quote]
actually if you knew that a school's cost was having a negative effect on your financial solvency, i would think that financials would put a huge damper on your experiences and view of a school. . .
[/quote]
</p>
<p>Because you had no idea what the cost was before you enrolled? There were no surprises here, folks. </p>
<p>And as I pointed out before, for people like us, it was the cheapest option. In my previous post, I pointed out - for the information of high school kids reading this forum, not so much for you college students who want to transfer - that GW does not take full price from very many of its students. If your experience was otherwise, that's your experience. No one is arguing with your experience. But you do not seem to accept the experience evidenced by publicly accessible statistics.</p>
<p>roci:
[quote]
You have no idea what it's like to be a student at GW, and therefore have fairly little authority to tell people that they are out of line for wanting to switch out.
[/quote]
Where did anyone suggest, implicitly or expressly, that you were out of line for wanting to transfer? The earlier posts we were challenging said essentially "We hate GW. Therefore it is a bad school. We don't want to go here and therefore no one will want to go there". What the adults kept trying to do was bring some broader perspective. You also seem to reject the other GW students' posts too, but that's another story.</p>
<p>
[quote]
Academically...I don't even know where to start. All I can say is that for $52K a year, I would expect to be stimulated, challenged, and to receive a stellar education that would prepare me for my future. If I had stayed at GW, I would have graduated with honors but felt totally and completely lost.
[/quote]
I'm not sure exactly what you mean by feeling "completely lost" 3 years from now. But again, your feelings are your feelings; and if that is indeed how you would have felt 3 years from now you were correct to change schools. Our S did stay, graduated with honors, and did not feel lost. I'm sure there were many who agreed with him just as there are some who did indeed feel as you believe you would have felt. Again, you appear to want to extrapolate your experience to everyone else's. 8% of the freshmen class agrees with you. </p>
<p>
[quote]
Yes, during the day there is a lot to do. I agree. But in terms of "stuff to do" on weekend nights, there is practically nothing.
[/quote]
Okay, I know this is very important to college students. But we've visited Ithaca, Boston, NY, LA, Chicago. After 11, what is open at any of these places other than restaurants and bars? He loved the museums and the monuments. And as for what he did at night, he had friends. Going out for dinner with scads of friends - if his credit card bills testify - seemed to occupy a lot of his time. He tells me he had his own parties in his dorm rooms the other nights. He enjoyed that. I'm sorry that you appear not to have that outlet.</p>
<p>The first part of your posts are perfectly valid: you are welcome to your own opinions and you certainly should transfer when you find a school is not a fit socially, academically or financially.</p>
<p>But where the parents were jumping in was when you imply that your experience is valid - which it is - but that our kids' experience was not valid. I can't speak for the other parents, but my son just graduated after 4 years there. I am repeating his views in an attempt to help other prospective students. My S has no interest in posting on CC. But he loved his years there. </p>
<p>You went to a school that turned out not to be a fit. Okay, that's understood. No one disputes your right to your own opinions. But we jump in because you were trying to prosylatize (which I can't spell) and discourage others from forming their own opinions. The fact that you are now at a LAC in NY indicates that you may have discovered that the type of school GW is, is not your type of school. Again, that's a perfectly valid discovery. But so many of your statements are matters of preference rather than assessment.</p>
<p>hayden, you forgot the most important part of my post "especially if you start to believe that the sacrifice is no longer worth it." people are indecisive, and there is probably no "purchasing" decision where the customer, in this case the student, has less information. students do not really know how much the college is worth to them until after they make the decision to pay to attend and have attended for a while. and in reality they actually don't know the full benefits or worth of the college until after graduation. therefore it is very possible that the cost you decide to incur before you come to campus could become unreasonable when you have more information after your enrollment. i know people can research schools, but an endless amount of research still does not give a prospective student enough information, and does not translate into what their actual experiences at a certain college will be. at gwu, and if you know at the onset you are receiving NO aid (a sizable 47% of students at the school since that proportion doesn't even APPLY for aid according to hayden's previous stats), you take a very HIGH risk that the cost will not exceed the benefits, given the inevitable lack of full information, because the cost of attending itself is so high. but then again, some people don't even really have to feel the realities of the costs (trust fund kids), and the decision to drop 200K plus on a COLLEGE education is a light one. </p>
<p>if you are a resident of FL, PA, MI, NC, VA, CA, WA, WI, GA, IL, TX, or MD, you can arguably get a "better" education (as indicated by USNews rankings) for on the average about 80 percent less than the eventual costs at GWU. So much for rational decision making, since I'm guessing that if most students could put their irrational prejudices aside about going to their better state school that GWU would have some severe underenrollment issues.</p>
<p>but i'm just defending my posts here. i think we have exceeded the limits of allowable hate on GWU's board, and besides things are starting to get repetitive. perhaps moving on would be good. i just think that high school students and potential transfers should always remember the higher risk they are taking on when they decide to come to GWU.</p>
<p>I love parts of the school, but now that I can examine the school objectively from a few thousand miles away, I'm not sure it's the environment for me. Perhaps I'll start preparing some transfer applications over the break.</p>
<p>OK, I haven't been on this board for a long time, so I've only just skimmed these recent posts.... My son is a soph at GW. It was his first (ONLY) choice of schools.... He applied early decision. He was accepted into Columbia Arts & Science, but not the SMPA program he dreamed of. He went anyway -- and this year, was accepted into SMPA. He will be a double major, History/Journalism. He's active in a couple of different ECs... a leader in one.... he has a small but close co-ed group of friends (something he never found in HS)... On weekends he & these friends cook eachother dinner (all their soph dorm rooms have kitchens), they go out to eat, go to the movies, or hang out in eachother's rooms either watching TV, playing video games or.... well... afterall, I'm his mom -- he doesn't tell me everything! He LOVES being in DC -- its the only place he's wanted to live since he was 10 years old. He loves when his assignments are, "go cover a Congressional Hearing & write about it"... or "visit "XYZ" exhibit at the Museum of ....and be prepared to discuss it". Now that ZIPcar is available to underclassman, he is able to be a member of the Potomac Curling Club in Maryland, and attends a weekly league (it was nearly impossible and expensive to get there by train/taxi).</p>
<p>Is any education worth $54K/year??? Not a chance. Is my son getting any financial aid? Nope. Not a dime. We are one of those unlucky families who are actually paying full price. DH practically works 24/7 so we can do this.... but we've been able to fulfill our son's dream, and see him happy -- which is worth far more than $54K. Its DC -- its expensive. We know that. But the opportunities are unlimited. Take it from someone who went to a State University 30 years ago.... College is what you make it. I hated being away, hated Albany (a state capitol -- not the country's -- but still a busy place). there was nothing to do but go to bars and parties (ok, it was easier back then... it was legal to drink at 18). Your good time will be whatever you make of it. I stayed at Albany for 3 1/2 years.... graduating 1 semester early. It was "cost effective", as they say. I had friends, I had jobs, and I got my degree.</p>
<p>Remember, again, the experience, whether it costs $10K or $50K is what you want it to be. My son wanted GWU & DC to be everything he dreamed of, and that's what he made it into for himself.</p>
<p>I dont care what you do or dont make of it, no school is worth that kinda money.</p>
<p>It's what you make of it.</p>
<p>I have been consdering it for a while. I appreciate the opportunity GW afforded me, but earnestly unless you are an International Affairs major, the education is second rate (there are, however, a few noteworthy professors). And what is International Affairs other than sexed up history, anyway?</p>
<p>Sarah Brooke-</p>
<p>Why do you feel the environment isn't right for you? What is it your looking for that GW isn't offering you?</p>
<br>
<blockquote> <p>if you are a resident of FL, PA, MI, NC, VA, CA, WA, WI, GA, IL, TX, or MD, you can arguably get a "better" education (as indicated by USNews rankings) for on the average about 80 percent less than the eventual costs at GWU. So much for rational decision making, since I'm guessing that if most students could put their irrational prejudices aside about going to their better state school that GWU would have some severe underenrollment issues.<<</p> </blockquote>
<br>
<p>clearly you have no idea what you are talking about in terms of florida. as a floridian i pride myself on our great beaches and warm weather, but no on in their right mind speaks up our education system. the golden 'UF' is only ranked so high because of its artificially high average GPA. Also, because it is the only nationally somewhat reputably school in our state everyone and their mother applies creating 60,000 applications and 10,000 eventual student. This is all compounded at how the state legislature is cutting funding and won't let them increase tuition because the governor cries foul.</p>
<p>anyways, GW is expensive, but that is changing along with a large refocus on academics because of our new president I can easily see our university surpassing or coming par with many schools in our market basket. at any school and even as a student at UF for the summer, you just see a huge difference in the students and professors. GW does heavily leverage DC and that is something they make clear to anyone applying, so you can't hold that against them. </p>
<p>frankly, GW's problem in more recent times has been it's leadership and with a new chairman of the board and President Knapp, the university can only grow in a positive direction because it is such a special place. In terms of all the kids from the northeast, that is also changing ever so slowly with a new emphasis on the west and south. Most kids who leave are actually from those regions because there just isn't enough geographic diversity yet to keep kids from those regions who feel more or less annoyed by the northeastern students.</p>
<p>it's all in the eyes of the beholders and as a student, not parent, who has even applied for transfer and was admitted to NYU and Gtown. NYU has no identity or even campus whereas GW at least has some sense of existence. I do agree NYU has better academics, but I feel like I would be moving to an even more hostile social environment. Gtown is well Gtown, I applied because my dad wanted me too, even though I think the school is overrated and sucks (which surprisingly I hear from my friends who go there now). Plus they really aren't in DC, which is why I came to GW. If you are a prospective freshman that is the ONE thing you need to think about as you are selecting you ultimate school. if it is GW, make SURE you could live in DC full time and be a little more sympathetic to the northeast. </p>
<p>overall, i love GW and most of those who leave just don't fit in which is there right, but i don't think it is overrated if you look at the whole picture. I already have a job that pays a lot more then the average post-college job for when i graduate. if it weren't for GW and DC, i would be floundering at state school XYZ, paying less, but doing less and a lot more drinking.</p>
<p>good luck to those who transfer</p>
<p>I'd rather be at UCF or USF than GW.</p>
<p>Well' it's nice to know your opinion, BOSTON, but you're not a student at GW or either of those other 2 schools and you're not a Floridian, so I think I'll listen to grapkoski's opinion. Why don't you start spending your time getting ready for your transfer to Temple instead of haunting the GW board?</p>
<p>I pretty much am a Floridian and I will be a full time Floridian sometime in the near future. Why dont you mind your own business?</p>
<p>And I'd rather be at GW than Temple.</p>
<p>For $52K a year? hah good luck with that...</p>
<p>^^^
Did GW defer you and then reject you, or were you rejected flat out? I ask because for someone with no personal involvement with GW, you have an awful lot to say.</p>
<p>You couldnt give me a full ride to apply or go to GW...</p>
<p>are you going to explain that statement or just continue to rip on GW...</p>
<p>What's to explain?</p>