<p>The student/professor relationship is what you make of it. Lower level classes are sometimes large classes, so professor contact is often minimal in them. Upperclassmen and graduate classes tend to involve smaller class sizes, more (meaningful, educated) discussion, and professors seeing you a bit more like a peer. </p>
<p>I’m not sure what the statistical class size is. Some of my popular freshman entry-level classes were very large, and filled up a whole lecture room. A good 1/3 of the class didn’t seem to show up, except for exams. Upperlevel classes for me have varied from 7-20 students. I’d say 20-40 SEEMS about average, though major requirements (like Econ 1 or Intro to PSC) are several times as large as that, more often than not.</p>
<p>Engaging? It depends on the professor. Some have been borderline inspiring, and intriguing. Others have been more along the lines of boring and reciting. </p>
<p>As a whole, professors seem more engaging in smaller classes, particularly upperclassmen courses. And, please, don’t get the idea that asking ANY question adds to a discussion. That annoys your classmates, and professors. Professors like genuine questions of something you really don’t understand, as well as discussion about the what and why’s of things. Visit them in their office hours, or ask them a legitimate question by e-mail sometime during the semester. </p>
<p>There’s a lot of professors with stellar careers. Some are more humble than others, but all in all, I’ve respected most of them- whether or not they were engaging or wanted to hear my thoughts. There’s a lot to be learned from them.</p>
<p>GW is a very political school, and PSC is a popular program. ESIA is even more popular.</p>
<p>While GW doesn’t seem known for it’s science programs, the biology classes that I’ve taken seemed pretty good. I don’t know how the biology professors rank there, but it doesn’t seem abnormally weak for the school. You could find a research group to intern at in the city- I’d suggest that. GW’s bio degree students can intern at the Smithsonian- they apparently have a fairly good research study of organisms there.</p>
<p>im a freshman and i have 5 classes one of them being intro to philosophy. i want to drop it and take the indoor soccer class. is it worth it? meaning should i do this or not. i dont want to be over wellmed with work my first semester. thoughts?</p>
<p>Those are very different. Want to live well/comfortably? Be a doctor. Want to get paid #@##y? Be a politico. Politics means long hours for little money. You’ll be a paper pusher and photocopy for your boss for years. Maybe, just maybe, you’ll eventually move up to to be a manager type. Decades later, you may even get an appointment. All that work for little pay? Doesn’t sound very desirable to me.</p>
<p>SPS is different from the rest of the university.
They offer a graduate certificate, and a master’s in paralegal studies (I forget what they title their program). There’s no BA in paralegal studies that I’m aware of, particularly since SPS doesn’t typically offer BA/BS degrees (with an exception or two).</p>
<p>15 credit hours is standard and is fine to start. I wouldn’t bother with a soccer class- they’re often 1 credit hour, cost plenty, and a hassle. Join an intramural or club team/practice group. I certainly wouldn’t take less than 15 credit hours any given semester, otherwise you’ll have to make it up. I often took more than 15. Intro to Philosophy isn’t particularly complicated.</p>
<p>I have a question, about buying books and such, should I buy them before the first day of class starts or should I wait until the professors give out a list of which books I would need to buy?</p>
<p>Has anyone purchased or rented a safe for their dorm room? Just trying to find out if it’s necessary or worth having one. Also, how big is the safe? Can it hold an X-Box? Thanks.</p>
<p>I rented one for my son, it’s long, not too high, it will fit a lap top, just checked with my son and said it might hold an x-box. It’s great to have one (I think), put credit cards, lap top, etc.</p>
<p>Some people like those sports “classes.” But, I don’t see the need to risk your GPA (even if pass/fail) and pay tuition prices (if the sports class is 1 credit hour at GW tuition, that’s more than some local gym or free intramural).</p>
<p>I would wait until you’ve been to each class at least once. Most semesters you’ll end up dropping and adding classes the first week or so of class. The bookstore will be crowded whenever you go, and there’s no sense in getting them early and having to exchange if you switch classes. Of course, if you know you’ll not drop the class, you could order online now.</p>
<p>mckinfam -
They sell them at Kmart/Target/similar stores. I would suggest getting one.
Of course, a key thing is to not leave your items unattended- in dorms, the library, restaurants, etc.</p>
<p>Other than the obvious (clothes, etc.), not much. Dorms are small and crowded, so don’t go overboard with items. You’ll want:
umbrellas, and shoes/clothes for potential snow
closet organizer (hanging shoe/sweater shelf)
plastic drawer organizer
shower caddy
ear plugs… trust me.
music player, movies, tv, phone, etc.
plenty of money
cleaning and laundry supplies
school supplies (or, at least, consider the cheaper suburbs to buy them)
school shirts/hoodies
your health insurance card and similar items
air freshener, such as febreeze wall plug-ins. Your dorm will smell. No candles.
microwavable food, a few dinner plates/cups
floor rug, bedding, pillows
decorative accessories- your dorm will otherwise look miserable. Posters, wall art, etc.
camera
calendar or agenda of some sort
go get a metro pass for transit
map of dc public transit and/or streets
map of campus and phone numbers for key contacts/departments (dorm repair, etc.)
photo album or mementos from home… trust me, you’ll want them at some point.
responsibility for yourself.
underbed storage boxes, if they’ll fit under your bed. Plastic bed risers, if they’ll fit on your bed. You’ll want/need the storage underneath them.</p>
<p>D.C is known for its political opportunities, etc, and throughout the posts iv read about people being interested in interning at the WH, or majoring in law or pol.sci, etc etc… would you say G.W would be a good option if I wanted to go pre-med; would it give me good opportunities and would the name give me an advantage at say, johns hopkins or the like for med school?</p>
<p>I’m a bit confused on where to ship my textbooks, maybe you can clarify…</p>
<p>I ship it to my dorm address and it will be delivered to the mailing center? Is that how it works? I have no idea which address (the mailing center or my dorm room) to put down as my mailing address. I’m still stuck at the page where it asks for your mailing address on amazon.com so I need help!</p>