Ask a current GW undergrad

<p>Hi! I'm currently a freshman at GW (class of 2014) and I'd love to answer any questions you guys have about GW or D.C.! Anything that you want to know about housing, academics, social life, etc. I can answer! :)</p>

<p>i was accepted ED1 into GW and i am wondering which freshman dorm (not thurston) do you believe is the best</p>

<p>I was accepted EDI too, and I knew I didn’t want to live in Thurston (if you want to live in a very social dorm it’s a good fit, and it’s not like you’ll never sleep there, but I knew it wasn’t for me). I live in Madison this year and I absolutely love it. The building is a little dated but other than that it’s perfect. It’s in the best location on campus (Crawford is also right near it and they’re sister dorms so they’re similar in layout). It’s all doubles and a few quads, all private bathrooms, a kitchen on every floor. And it’s a lot smaller (only about 200 freshmen in the entire building). Everyone on my floor is pretty close and we all get along great.</p>

<p>The Vern has the nicest dorms, but to be honest it is a little bit of a hassel getting back and forth because traffic can delay the shuttle. But I have friends living there who like it (the dorms are actually gorgeous and huge). If you’re looking for somewhere quieter then you might want to think about the Vern, but I knew that I wanted to be in Foggy Bottom.</p>

<p>Potomac is kind of like the middle ground between Thurston and Madison. It’s bigger than Madison (and newer) but it’s still a pretty active dorm because it’s just across the street from Thurston. The rooms are pretty nice, they’re all doubles (with two doubles sharing a bathroom) and there are a lot of study rooms. The campus isn’t that big, but I knew that a lot of my classes would be in Gleman/Funger/the main academic buildings, and Madison is literally right there, so it’s really convenient.</p>

<p>I hope this helps! Congrats on getting in</p>

<p>Hey, I really like GWU and I’m having trouble deciding which school to apply to. I wish there was an option for Undecided but there are literally so many things I’d like to study. I’d probably do a double major if I get in but for now I’d just like to ask which school is the easiest to get into? School of Business, Arts and Sciences or Elliott School of International Affairs. I’d really like to study in any of the schools but for now I can only pick one so I might as well pick the easiest one to get into. Thoughts?</p>

<p>Hi, I’m applying to GW and I’m wondering how diverse their campus is, socioeconomically and racially. I’m from the South and I’d love to go to the university in my hometown, but its student population is largely Caucasian and extremely well-off and lacks any real diversity. Is GW any different?</p>

<p>I was accepted ED 1 and I was wondering if you got any FA and if you did, did you get a good package?</p>

<p>confetti: The diversity at GW comes not only from every race and belief being represented, from the international student body as well.</p>

<p>jxc2356 - if you’re undecided, apply to the columbian college of arts and sciences. no school is more competitive than the next, but keep in mind that if you’re applying to a college they do look for specific things (i.e., if you apply to Elliott, they’ll want to see that you’ve taken a foreign language, or if you apply to the School of Engineering and Applied Sciences, that you have a strong math/science background). You can double major across some schools and transfer between the colleges once you’re there, so if you’re totally undecided just apply to CCAS.</p>

<p>confettiflags - i came from a predominantly white, upperclass town, so i was also looking for diversity. GW is incredibly diverse across race, socioeconomic, religious, and academic lines. I have friends from all areas/backgrounds of the States as well as internationally, which is one of the things I love about GW.</p>

<p>r0kAng3l - I didn’t qualify for any need-based FA, but I have a lot of friends that have gotten really great packages from GW. Even though it’s one of the more expensive schools, they pride themselves on being very generous with financial aid.</p>

<p>Hi
So I recently discovered, much to my discontent, that I misspelled Elliott (as Elliot) in my application essay. I would be surprised if i was the only one…but still it worries me.
Also, I applied ED2 with decent SATs, strongish extracurriculars, all honors and APs (7 total: 3,4,5 on the one’s I’ve taken) and I interviewed well (i think). My essays were strong save the misspelling…anyone want to assuage the pit that I have developing in my stomach over this silly mishap?
regards</p>

<p>Hey, I’m an accepted ED1 student and I was wondering, how in-your-face is whole drug scene at GW? I’m looking to avoid anything having to do with pot and cocaine and want my friends to feel the same way. Is this possible?</p>

<p>Is is true that majority students at GW are like preppy, rich, superficial?</p>

<p>Drug Scene: If you don’t want it, it is non-existant.
Ihs0921: No</p>

<p>Is it hard to start in club at GW?</p>

<p>Are you familiar with the Integrated Engineering and Law program at GWU? Is it a very competitive/rigorous program? I applied for the Integrated Engineering and Law program for patent law and I signed up for the Columbian College for Arts and Sciences as a History major. If I don’t get into the Integrated Engineering and Law program, does that mean I get denied admission to the school?</p>

<p>dantheman51392 - it’s a common mistake, I’m sure you’re fine. ED (whether it’s I or II) plus an interview demonstrates your interest. good luck!</p>

<p>cgermiller - definitely not in-your-face. If you want to smoke pot or whatever, there are ways to find it, just as there would be on pretty much any college campus, but it’s not like entire dorms reek of pot smoke or anything like that.</p>

<p>lhs0921 - no, that’s a common stereotype that isn’t true. I come from an affluent, predominantly white suburb and the reason I chose GW is because the student body is so diverse. All of my friends are from all over the country (as well as international students) who are all studying different things and come from different religious and socioeconomic backgrounds</p>

<p>r0kAng3l - if you’re talking about a student organization, they’re pretty easy to start. You just need a certain number of people to join and I think you have to do a proposal type of thing, and the school will give you funds for it</p>

<p>spt.leonidas - I don’t know anything specifically about that program, you’d have to speak to someone in admissions. I know that if you apply to a specific college, like the School of Business, and you’re rejected from there, it means you’re rejected from the university. But since that’s a special program, I don’t think it means you’d be rejected from the school. But don’t take my word for it, I would double-check with someone</p>

<p>Hi,</p>

<p>Originally GW wasn’t my top choice school, but I got a lot of merit aid, so I was wondering if you’d be able to answer a few of my questions?</p>

<p>Do you choose to live on either campus, or can you be randomly assigned to the Mount Vernon campus even if you want to be on main campus?
I applied undecided to all my schools. I was accepted into the Art & Science college. Do you know how difficult it would be if I decided to transfer into the 5 year PA program next year as a sophomore or is it a program you have to begin as a freshman?
Another concern that my family has is that GW doesn’t have dining halls/ a meal plan. Do you find it expensive/difficult to eat?</p>

<p>Thanks so much!</p>

<p>Hello,</p>

<p>I was recently accepted to GWU and the Elliott School for an International Studies Major. I was also accepted to the Womens Leadership Program in Science,Health,and Medicine. My first question, does that womens program bind me to a specific residential hall…I heard Mount Vernon but I would like Madison or Crawford as my choices. My second question, in addition to my major I will enter as a pre-med student, is it possible at GWU to excel in the sciences in order to enter a good med school or is GWU only strong in its IR department?
Thank you very much!</p>

<p>Hey I got accepted but im wondering how the atmosphere is like. cuz i heard you have to study hard-core that almost everyone has a tutor and some professors wont even meet you for help etc. Is that really true???</p>

<p>steelersfansam - When you apply for housing, you list housing options by residence hall in order of preference. I would say that most people get their top 3 (early decision applicants, athletes, etc. do get housing preference). In most cases they will not put you on the Mount Vernon campus if you really don’t want to live there and vice versa. If you do end up in a residence hall that you don’t like for whatever reason, it’s relatively easy to do a room swap once everyone’s settled in. But for the most part people are placed into one of their top 3 housing choices.
I don’t know about specific programs, you should probably email an admissions director about that. I do know that it is relatively easy to switch out of the Columbian College (all undecided freshman are placed there and some may decide to switch over to another college).
I actually really like GW’s dining plan because it gives you a lot of flexibility. J Street is our main dining center, there are a lot of options and the food is decent. You get $700/semester to spend there and I haven’t had any trouble spending it. Beyond that you get $1000 to spend anywhere else on campus as well as places off campus. In general D.C. is an expensive city but you will have absolutely no problem finding good places to eat. Also, if you don’t spend all of that money, it rolls over by semester (but not by year) so you don’t necessarily lose it.</p>

<p>sudaflower24 - I don’t know a lot about the women’s studies program, but I’m pretty sure they are housed together. I know someone who was in the program as a freshman and lived on the Mount Vernon campus but it might have changed so don’t take my word for it. Sorry I don’t know any more about it!
GW is a liberal arts school at its core and while a lot of students major in international affairs or political science, there are a lot of students who go premed and get into great med schools. Again, I don’t know a lot about premed, but the science department here is pretty strong.</p>

<p>talktosky - I have had absolutely no problem meeting with professors, even ones that lead bigger lectures. Bigger classes also have graduate TAs that can be very helpful. I actually don’t know anyone who has a tutor but there are plenty of resources available if you do need the extra help.
Our motto is work hard, play hard. Students take academics really seriously but also find the time to take a break and relax. Your academic life can be as challenging or as easy as you choose to make it.</p>

<p>Hi!! I applied RD to the Elliot School and was accepted. GWU was not originally my first choice, however, I was offered some pretty good merit aid after doing some further research, I am beginning to really like the school. </p>

<p>One of my main concerns is that I won’t be able to double major in the things I am interested in (Int’l Relations and Theatre) because they are in two different schools. Is it possible to double major or even major/minor across schools?</p>

<p>Also, I’ve read that there is a serious lack of school spirit. Do you find this to be true?</p>

<p>Finally, what is the theatre program like and can you share some experiences if you have been to any shows?</p>

<p>Thanks for answering my million questions. :-)</p>