Hi i was just wondering if you can offer any information about GW’s engineering school???
Hey guys, I’m back with more questions, haha. I narrowed my majors to 3 things: one definitely being Film Studies, and another being either international relations or linguistics. It seems kind of broad I know, in terms of what career goals I have. I was wondering how easy it is to double major-- I know you said that there are some limited enrollment majors, but how hard is it to take classes out of a double major and are people able to graduate on time? Also, would you recommend any specific language/travel majors that would fit with film? Does it matter? Lol. Thank you so much again.
@jellyjam123 George Washington’s International Relations program kicks ass…that’s seriously one area that makes the school stand out and really makes George Washington feel like a top 30 university, where it should be IMO. If you go into the Elliot School of International Affairs you’ll see a whole glass panel full of GW Elliot paraphernalia. But seriously the Elliot School of International Affairs is overall the highest rated school at George Washington. Again, I highly recommend either GWSB or Elliot. You’re really getting what you pay for if you enroll in either of those schools simply because of the opportunities and career paths that those schools are designed to prepare you for and because of the reputation of those programs. If I started out at GW earlier I would still get a degree at GWSB but I would maybe try to minor at something in Elliot. You really feel the true academic caliber of George Washington in either the Business School or Elliott, IMO. Also when you look at students that went onto Ivy’s for grad school on Linkedin you will see that a number of them came from GWSB and Elliot. Let me guess still not sure or still not convinced? Here’s another reason to pick either school -freshman year of college is a blast but a lot of students become disillusioned afterwards or toward the end of college because many are still uncertain about what they want to do. This is certainly not the case in GWSB because it places many students into solid consulting firms. A number of friends I’ve made here are also working really damn hard to get into law school or get an M.B.A right after graduation. Ever since coming to George Washington I’ve often contemplated how blessed those students who went here as undergrads and ended up at Harvard and Yale are and how in some ways they’re actually luckier than undergraduates who already started out at those schools. Anyways, I digress. Washington D.C is an incredible place to be and it’s powerful city with endless variety. The night life here is amazing when you have time for it. The night clubs here are really groovy and there’s tons of places to eat. Some folks even blatantly smoke pot in the streets because legislation on marijuana enforcement and prohibition have been relaxed. I am by the way in no way condoning the use of marijuana, but simply adding that it’s nice to know that you’re in a safe haven where your friends and other college kids won’t be given pointless possession charges or be violently beat down by police like in some other college towns.
@GWYalie1994 I agree with everything you said up until listing marijuana use as some sort of “perk.” While D.C. has made marijuana “legal,” it is still a banned substance on campus (University Police will cite you, and multiple infractions will get you kicked-out) and is also banned on any federal property (a lot of the city). While I understand the allure of trying lots of things in college, I suggest against anything that could get you kicked out of such an awesome school, and essentially throwing money down the proverbial drain.
Several things, @jellyjam123
- A linguistics major isn't offered at GWU. However, there are phenomenal language programs, ranging from Spanish and French, to Turkish and Korean. I personally can attest to the strength of the language departments, as I've taken plenty of classes in multiple languages.
- The Elliott School (two L's, two T's) is ranked as a top 10 International Affairs program in the world. Not the country; the entire world. It is an unbelievably strong program that really defines GWU, with heavy recruitment from the state department, capitol hill, MBA schools, law schools, international businesses, NGO's, think tanks, media companies, and the like. Elliott students like myself take great pride in our specific school.
- Film studies is a program that I have basically zero information on. I'm sorry I can't elaborate too much on that program that you're interested in. But I recently saw Wind River and thought it was good?
- As far as double majoring and what not: you can do most every combination of major if you have the time. I would suggest going to the link that I'll attach below and look at the degree requirements for the majors that your interested in. Count up the total number of classes you'll need for your double major. If it's less than 40, then you should be able to pull it off with careful planning and maybe a summer course or two (since 15 credit hours i.e. 5 classes per semester, approx. will total to 40 courses over 4 years of study). Anything combination above 40 classes I would highly discourage you from trying. It simply won't be worth your time.
http://bulletin.gwu.edu/arts-sciences/#majorstext
- Finally, I suggest you ignore the comments made by @GWYalie1994 ... The use of marijuana is banned on GWU campus. People can, do, and will continue to (rightfully) face massive repercussions from the university if caught. Not to mention that anybody who lists drug use as a perk is a pretty awful person to be getting academic and career advice from.
SEAS is a well kept secret at GWU that continues to get better and better each year. Unless you have specific questions (which I’m happy to answer); I’ll broadly say that the engineering programs are getting a huge injection of $$$ after our campaign to raise $1 Billion, our new president is a STEM guy, and the opportunities in DC are massive, considering the size of the city and the lack of quality engineering programs at the other DC area schools.
Also, if you’re interested in computer science, then DC couldn’t be a better place. People down here jokingly argue about weather there are more lawyers or more IT professionals in the city.
@Gdubya @Nhuffer Well I mean obviously not on campus- of course that’s illegal. What I meant to say is that outside of campus you’re not in area where people are unnecessarily being accosted by the cops for that. When I wrote “safe haven” I wasn’t referring to the campus itself. I live at the Statesman and there are a number of tenants here who do that stuff- the rule simply is that you can’t be really obvious about it and stink up the hallways. That’s why I was being careful in saying that I do not condone the use of it. I’m not saying come here because of that, I meant it in a comical way like what has society become? Some colleges are surrounded by areas where that are not friendly to college students, particularly minorities. And every year freshman are going to stupid things- that’s just the nature of college. What I meant in my post is at George Washington you don’t see all the drama like at some universities where college students are getting beat down until they’re heads bleed.
@Gdubya @Nhuffer What about a situation such as a fraternity party or where a couple of people go into an apartment just a few minutes “off” campus? People branch out like that all the time after parties and it’s really stupid to see people get caught up for a relatively benign substance. It’s just absurd how there’s such a strong stigma against it some towns when it’s not much worse than drinking alcohol, not taking into account hereditary factors and predispositions to addictive behavior. And I mean you have all these underaged students drinking which is actually more detrimental to their health. I’m not some oblivious pothead saying oh yeah it’s totally cool to smoke on campus when you come here. I don’t smoke myself, but I some find amusement in knowing people around me are having fun and there’s actually variety here and not some culture that arbitrarily rules out certain things. College is a major investment that people make for self-enrichment and to receive an education in a subject they will likely develop a career in. Sure. If you’re going to inevitably be exposed to that stuff, though, whether or not you actually use it, it doesn’t hurt to understand what the rules around you are or how people react towards those sort of things. I’m sorry if I made it seem like I was condoning the use of pot on campus.
I also clearly said I do not condone the use of marijuana and was being facetious- this basically means in layman’s terms “but I wouldn’t actually do this myself.” But I mean that’s fine if want to totally bash me here- if you don’t believe me believe you can walk into the Statesman yourself and ask the staff about the use of marijuana in their apartments. Why do you need to make this a personal attack? (rhetorical question) I mean you’re just trying to typecast me as one of these careless guys and insinuate that I suggested marijuana is safe on campus. The main point of what I was saying is D.C is not one of those places where you see college kids getting apprehended by the police every couple of weekends because most people here are smart about abiding the rules. You’'ll probably reply and write something mean spirited again but that’s fine because I’ll be making the most of GW education without doing any of that stuff all the while coexisting with students here that do and not letting that be the sole basis of how I perceive or judge them as people. Thank You.
@NHuffer I totally agree with you and pardon me for writing something that perhaps could be taken out of context. But I assure you that I was not trying to persuade them to come here for that reason. I’m aware how competitive top ten graduate programs are and perhaps because that I take my education here very seriously…I don’t even drink on weekends. That was the overall moral I was trying to express- that if you decide to attend either GWSB or Elliott you’ll naturally be inclined to do less of that because of the competitive nature and aspirations of the students in those schools. And in that sense you avoid some of the people who want to just party every weekend and settle for an average 9-5 after graduating from George Washington, which wouldn’t be getting the most out of a prestigious university IMO. For example, the people that I mentioned who are trying to go to law school or get an M.B.A aren’t doing that stuff- those people, including myself, are doing competitive internships and doing extra coursework over the summer. That’s the whole point I was trying to convey- the beautiful story of coming here and working really hard and partying less than everyone and making sacrifices that ultimately pay off…the journey from G.W to Yale Law School or Harvard Business, etc.
There is a “linguistic anthropology major” https://anthropology.columbian.gwu.edu/linguistics-gw if that’s the sort of thing that @jellyjam123 he or she wants to do @gdubya. And because of some ambiguity in my early post I think it’s important to mention that yes- the laws here are not so relaxed that you can just do it on campus. I wasn’t being serious about that- if you’re trying to get into top ten grad school from GW or even land a top job such as Goldman Sach’s you’re realistically looking at a lifestyle with a lot less to none of that. You really get what you give at George Washington and you’ll definitely see that some of your classmates are more ambitious than others but not in a pretentious or counterproductive way. Another thing about GWSB and Elliott is that a number of professors work government jobs. Many of these professors are people who have really practiced what they’ve preached and quite frankly have made it in corporate America or “the real world.” You’re not just learning from a textbook…you’re actually learning how to practically intuitively apply what you learn. And it’s for this reason that these schools attract and develop students with some major aspirations in life. I came to this university because I wanted be at university that would challenge my ideas yet also enable me to develop them and help me learn to rigidly apply them to great capacities while also learning to be empathetic to and consider others’ perspectives.
What happens off campus is of no concern of mine. I’m not judging those who chose to smoke marijuana, I just caution against it’s use in D.C. as even though it was made “legal” by some states and the 'District, it’s still federally illegal and banned on campus. Further, I wanted to be clear for the benefit of aspiring Colonials so that they don’t show-up to campus expecting something that would get them into huge trouble.
I agree, there’s a huge stigma against it, and I also agree with you in thinking that alcohol is far worse. In my opinion, marijuana should be federally legalized. But until it is, it needs to stay off campus and federally property. Off campus, sure, enjoy at your own discretion.
That was probably aimed at @gdubya , but to be clear, I’m not bashing you. I realize you were only giving an example and explicitly said you didn’t condone it. As I said before, my intent was to be very clear for future Colonials (and perhaps not worry parents about what their children will be “experiencing” when they come to GW)
I know you didn’t mean any harm. You’ve been very helpful in your posts and have painted a very accurate picture of GW for those wanting to attend. No hard feelings.
@Gdubya Oh yeah and one final thing is I mean I don’t understand why you took what I wrote at face value and made such a crass generalization about the kind of person I am (again rhetorical question)? I have no comment on why you would blow up something that was written for sheer entertainment and coming of age humor. But I mean the professors here sometimes curse jokingly, make jokes with sexual innuendos and not to mention sometimes open up discussions to controversial topics because we’re not in high school… we’re at university where we’re here to learn and become responsible intelligent adults. I think that most students here and students to be have a modicum of sensibility and well know enough not to take everything they hear or read for granted. Please do not put words in my mouth and tell others that I’m trying to persuade prospective students and others that marijuana legalization in D.C is a serious perk of attending George Washington to any capacity. I put a lot of effort into writing advice that primarily discusses the practicality of attending the higher ranked schools at George Washington. I have also tried to provide some long-term insight that draws on my experience at George Washington, the experiences of others who have attended George Washington and are now at Ivy League business and law schools and my parents’ experiences both of who graduated summa cum laude from the George Washington School of Business Masters of Finance program. It’s this sort of unvetted accusation and moral seriousness that stymies creativity at universities and instead creates boundaries rather than friendships and connections. If anything this type of thinking effectively ends conversations and stunts intellectual development. Your basic motive for calling me out is that I’m some older student with a lackadaisical awareness of campus policy whose trying to actually persuade a younger prospective student to attend George Washington University because marijuana is legal and perhaps because of that should be unafraid to partake in such related activities. And yet I’ve clearly hazarded a prediction that activities of such nature actually tend to be avoided or done very carefully by students who have been immensely successful at George Washington. In equally likely no way do your opinions, my opinions or other opinions written on College-confidential reflect the policies or endorse the regulations of George Washington University.
@NHuffer it’s fine there’s no hard feelings towards you because it’s a controversial subject and I think as long as this student understands that you cannot actually do this on campus then he or she should be fine. You have also been very careful and I appreciate you cautioning me to be a little bit more careful with such humor…that is fine. We’re definitely at university that should pride itself on having students that tend to be well-balanced and tend not to go overboard with that sort of lifestyle as George Washington is a high ranked school at the epicenter of a very professional and corporate environment. I came to this school for that reason- where I can work incredibly hard and yet bask in the ambiance of people also doing that sort of thing without necessarily partaking in it myself. I seriously appreciate the appraise and am glad to have intelligent classmates.
Calm down dude, you’re getting way to angry at picture of a hippo on an internet forum. I’m sorry for striking a bad cord there; be it with my tone or the topic.
If you smoke dope then put it down. It’s illegal under federal law; and for good reason. If you don’t, then still; calm down.
Now instead of engaging in a dumb argument on a forum, I’m going to go study. I get to listen to a former Iraqi Ambassador speak and am also touring an Embassy this week. I’d hate to have to cancel one of those plans because of poor time management.
Hey @gdubya!
Thanks for this thread! I have a few questions about applying to GW, though, if you’re up to it! (Sorry about the argument above!)
So I was actually set on applying ED to American since April, both because I had a really good digital communication record with my admissions counselor and because I didn’t think I could get into GWU ED (which is still the case). But I’m deciding to go for GWU anyway since I reallyyyy love D.C. and the Political Communication major. My only worry is that as a Pell Grant eligible student, I wouldn’t receive enough aid, and then would have to go somewhere else… but I’m praying that’s not the case!
1.) Do you by any chance know how competitive the Political Communication major at GWU is?
2.) Do you know how GWU is with scholarships? My GPA is quite basic (a 3.53 UW, 3.74 W. I have 3 killer C’s on my transcript (Chem Honors, Precalc Honors, and a community college economics class). I’ve taken 6 CC dual enrollment classes, and including my 2 senior year AP courses, I’d have taken 3 AP classes… (my school offers 10) but all of my core classes since middle school (I have some classes on my transcript from then) have been Honors, if it counts for anything.
But I digress. My only thing is, I did a Net Price Calcululator, and it looked like I’d have to come up with around 20,000 for GW… I’m not clear about there scholarships and how much/what they give out, so do you know anything about that?
Anything you have will probably help! So thanks!!!
I’m happy to help!
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The Political Communication major is more competitive than most programs at GW. This is simply because that they keep the amount of students enrolled in the program small. Political Communications majors have to take very unique and specific classes, so in order for people to be able to complete their degree on time and in order to prevent having huge classes, they have to keep the enrollment small. But I wouldn’t let this discourage you. On the application you can list a secondary GW school to apply too. If you can’t get into your primary school, you will be fully reconsidered for the secondary school. Be aware when picking a secondary school that the Elliott School of International Affairs and the Journalism Major at SMPA are also very competitive; even more so than political communication.
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The only scholarship that people are universally eligible for is the presidential scholarship. You don’t have to apply for it: EVERYBODY who is admitted immediately gets sent to another committee that determines the scholarship. The presidential scholarship awards anywhere from $5k - $30k and depends on a variety of factors. Most important is your GPA, but your test scores and EC’s also matter here. Demographics also play a big role. There are (for example) lots of white females from New Jersey here, so GW will often entice people from less common backgrounds to come by offering scholarship money. All that being said, in my opinion, you’re behind the 8 ball with regards to obtaining a presidential scholarship. But GW surprises me frequently with who they offer scholarships too, and demographics are very powerful. So to be blunt; it probably won’t work out, but I’d encourage you to remain optimistic.
Did that answer all of your questions? I’ll totally answer whatever else you’ve got! Though be aware I’m a bit more slow to respond now that school is in session 
You answered all my questions perfectly-- thank you so much!! I’ll keep it everything you said (along with reality checks) in my mind while writing my supplements!
I totally get you with the school is in session 
Good luck with your classes!!
Thanks again!
Hi, hopefully you’re still answering questions on this thread! GW, though expensive, is one of my top choices right now and I really appreciate your thought-out answers and they’ve helped me a lot. Here’s my questions:
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Ahh! You’re majoring in int’l affairs? That’s what I want to major in! (I’m a junior in HS right now.) How do you like it? Are the professors good? I know that’s vague but I just wondered what your thoughts were on the program in general.
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Are int’l affairs internships especially competitive? I’d assume they are, but do most people get one? I know the State Department has their Student Internsips/Pathways, do a lot of GW students take advantage of that?
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Very unrelated, and you might not know anything about this, but because I couldn’t find information on it anywhere else… know anything about the Christian “scene” (haha) at GW? This is something that’s super important to me and I just wondered if you knew of any Christian groups who were very active on campus?
Okay, that’s all I got (for now!). Thank you!
Hi! I had written out a more thought-out post, I promise, but accidentally deleted it. Thanks so much for making this thread, love ya for it! It’s one of my top choices (although pretty expensive). Here are my questions:
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Ahh you’re at Elliot, majoring in int’l affairs? That’s what I want to major in! How do you like the program and professors/what are your thoughts in general?
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Are int’l affairs internships especially competitive? Do most people seeking one get one? Do people take advantage of the State Department’s Student Internship & Pathways programs?
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This is unrelated, and maybe you know nothing about this (I guess it’s kinda… niche?) but I was wondering whether there was a Christian “scene” that’s active at GW?
Thanks so much!