Sorry, did NOT mean to post both of those! I think it went back and posted the one I thought I deleted.
Hi @abigailgr
Of course; I’m still doing my best to get on these forums and answer everything that I feel I can help with. But unfortunately, if people want specifically my insight, you’ll more often than not have to wait a few days for my response now that school is back in session. But I’m still here. Anyways…
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First and foremost, “Elliot” is the first name of the main character in Mr. Robot. “Elliott” is the last name of former GWU president Lloyd Hartman Elliott. The Elliott School of International Affairs is named after the latter. So make sure you spell it with two L’s and two T’s. This is a pet peeve of many of us here at the Elliott School because it’s embarrassing when our fellow classmates can’t spell the name of our own school correctly on presentations, letters and the like. It annoys the heck out of the faculty too. In fact, a freshman told me the first question of the required Elliott School intro class is now, “I study at the _________ school of international affairs.” But regardless… onto your questions
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I love the International Affairs program here at GWU. The faculty are great, my peers are all focused and driven, the career opportunities are as good as they can be, and you literally have to walk past the State Department to get to class. I believe the Elliott School programs can go toe to toe with any school in the world for International Relations.
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International Affairs internships (as well as most political oriented ones) are extremely competitive here. But there are an abundance of resources available for you to utilize in order to help you with your career goals. So if you’re a good student, utilize the career center, network with student orgs, and work hard, you will certainly be able to work a cool internship at some point. But it will be tough, and you shouldn’t expect it to come easily just because you’re an Elliott student. Regarding the State Dep’t specifically, lots of Elliott students apply for the internship programs there, and that’s certainly an option that people pursue. But again, it is competitive and you will need to work your tail off for it. As a general rule, when it comes to internships (and especially employment) you should expect to get far more rejection letters than offers. But if you don’t let anything bruise you ego, and if you keep on grinding, something will bounce your way. I can speak firsthand to that.
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GWU attracts a diverse cast of characters, so there are niches here for everybody; and that certainly includes christians. There are a handful of christian student orgs on campus, and there are also a few churches within a reasonable distance of the campus. I can’t speak with any firsthand knowledge of specific churches and student groups, what they’re like, how big they are, etc. But I will say that my amazingly sweet friend texts me literally every Saturday night to see if I want to go to church with her the next morning. I can also share several stories of when one particular christian outreach group knocked on everybody’s dorm room giving away free oreos and free bibles, trying to “fill both stomachs and souls.”
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As a side note, since you mentioned the cost of attendance here; I would encourage you to ignore that when making your decision on weather or not to apply. I literally was prepared to put down a deposit on another school before I even got my acceptance letter to GW, as I assumed that the cost would be too high to afford. I was very surprised when I saw the hefty merit award I receive, as well as the generous amount of financial aid I got. I am not unique with this story too: many of my classmates that I met my freshman year told me the same story. GW knows it’s expensive. If you’re qualified and they want you, they’ll try to help you out. It’s also worth noting that GW isn’t need blind, so it’s possible you may get passed up on an investment banker’s daughter if you’re a borderline candidate.
I promise I spelled Elliott right the first time, it AUTOCORRECTED, fight me!
Anyway, thanks so much for your response. It’s ~incredibly~ helpful. Can’t wait to apply next year.
“Filling both stomachs and souls”, hmm, yeah, sounds like the church people I’ve grown up with
I know a little more about this so I figured I’d speak-up. While there isn’t a large, outspoken group of Christians on campus, there are a few organizations that should make you feel at home. First, the largest group I know of is the group at the Newman Center. The group, itself, is comprised of Catholics, but they’re quite welcoming to all denominations for events, even non-believers. My roommate, a Catholic, always went to their events (free food on Tuesday nights!) and I tagged along on more than one occasion. You can check them out here: http://www.gwcatholics.org/new-index-2/#what-we-do
Another group that I had run into on many occasions (although never participated in any functions) is Agape (https://www2.gwu.edu/~agape/). It was another group with regular meetings and seemed to have a decent number of members.
Further, the best thing you can do is go to the student org fair in the fall and check-out all the groups. I’m sure you’d find one or more that I didn’t list as well as meet some cool people. I wasn’t even trying to find groups freshman year and stumbled-upon a group that met-up once a week on the Vern and had a Bible study- just goes to show that Christians aren’t alone on campus 
gdubya,
Somewhere above you mentioned not being able to minor in Journalism if you are majoring in Political Science (or some other majors) Did I read that correctly? My son is considering a Poly Sci/Poly Communications major and Journalism minor. Thank you!
Yes, there is a journalism minor here at GW that offers some very cool classes. Also, any major at GW can declare any minor so long as you have enough space in your schedule. So your son’s current ideas are certainly something he could pursue here at GW!
Thank you so much! That is very helpful. Well, let’s hope my application next year goes well and I can check out those groups 
@gdubya wow thank you so much for the advice! I just logged on after a while and saw your replies (Senior year has been so hectic)! I’m getting in touch with my admission rep, what do you think I should talk to him about (just so I don’t miss out on opportunities)? When you mentioned it’s best if I have an OFFICIAL visit to the school, how do I show that? I visited the school in June this year and I really liked it But thank you so much for the advice! I’m almost done with my application and I just need to submit my supplement and personal statement. Do you have any last minute advice?
All that meeting with a representative shows is that you’re seriously interested in attending the university. Schools get hurt in the rankings if they admit too many people that don’t ultimately enroll. This is very controversial and has led to some terrible cases where very impressive students can’t get admitted into certain schools. Search “yield control” on these forums if you want to stress yourself out.
Regardless, these meetings aren’t job interviews where you need to sell yourself. So long as you’re friendly, respectful, ask questions, and say you’re excited to apply, your stock will increase. It’s unfortunate that these games have to be played, but that’s the reality of the system. My only specific recommendation is to ask questions. If you don’t have any, come up with some and don’t google the answers; ask the admissions rep.
Secondly, when I say make an “official” visit, all I mean is that your visit should go on record. Don’t merely fly down and walk around the campus with the senior from your hometown. Sign up through GW’s website, give your name address and email, check in, do a tour with a tour guide, attend the informational presentation, etc. On top of those info sessions and tours being tailored specifically for people in your shoes, your participation in those events is record, and later cross referenced with your application. This again shows that you’re seriously interested in attending, and can do you some favors with regards to obtaining admission; particularly if you’re a borderline candidate.
And regarding “last minute” advice; remember to have some fun and enjoy your senior year!!! Once you hit “submit” on the good old common app, there’s nothing more that you can do. So first kick butt on your application, but then kick your feet up, go freak yourself out watching “It” with your friends, buy a new tie or a dress for your school dance, walk your dog, and enjoy the process. Senior year can be a lot of fun when you put aside the stress. And once you accept that you can’t control the opinions of admission’s offices, your stress will decrease astronomically.
Let me know if you need any more help! Best of luck to you
Thank you so much! I did what you suggested and emailed my admission representative, and I’ve had an “official” visit! I just submitted my ED application to GW like fi
Thanks for making this post!
I’m wondering which freshman dorm I should pick, if I get admitted. (Hope I’m not jinxing anything)
I’ve always wanted to go to college in an urban environment and I think the Foggy Bottom campus is perfect for me. Which freshman dorm do you suggest? Is Thurston as crazy as it sounds?
@18aamstutz You can “pick” freshman dorms but you might not get them since it’s a lottery system. As far as which you should pick, it depends on your preferences. If you only want to live on Foggy Bottom, then don’t put any Mount Vernon dorms on your list. That pretty much leaves Thurston, Potomac, Madison, and Mitchell for Foggy Bottom. Each are unique.
Thurston is huge, old (albeit new furniture), and will be LOUD. You’ll also be crammed into a room with 3-5 others.
Potomac is newer and not as crowded and loud as Thurston. It’s the same relative location (both on the southern outskirt of campus)
Madison is older like Thurston, but not quite as crowded and loud. The location is about as good as it gets for freshman (if you prefer centrality to classes, food, and hang-outs)
Mitchell is very quiet as it’s all singles. It’s even more remote than Thurston (but not by much), but might be worth it if you can’t see yourself getting along with other people.
Now, there’s a lot more that goes into this, but just know that your dorm doesn’t define you. You’ve got a lot of control over who you meet and hang-out with, and if you really hate your dorm, you might only use it for sleeping and be gone the rest of the time.
Thanks for the tips!
I checked the housing website and it also lists Lafayette as an option for first year students, though only 3% of freshmen live there. Any thoughts on Lafayette for a freshman?
I know you are excited but your best bet is to wait until april when they have the Admitted students days… At that point you can tour all the dorms. You will also then need to decide if you want to be in a single, all the way up to a 6’er. Do you want random, or use the accepted students facebook to find roommates.
Currently my D is in Madison and loves the location, and that she is not in Thurston. Wanted a bit quieter, but still on Foggy Bottom. Did not want the Vern at all. She got lucky that she got what she wanted.
@18aamstutz Layayette would be a great dorm for a freshman, but I wouldn’t hold-out for it. I don’t recall hearing form any of the admitted freshmen this last year that got into it. I wouldn’t be surprised if the only freshmen that are there are part of some sort of student group/school.
Honestly, the best way to think about the dorms is in 3 categories: the vern, thurston, and the rest of foggy bottom.
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The Vern
Honestly the best dorms without question in terms of space, quality, cheap food close by, ability to sleep, etc. That being said, GW lies when they call it a “fully integrated” part of the campus. It can be a real pain traveling back and forth between the vern and foggy. -
Thurston
It’s the best place you can be as a freshman before 9:00pm. Then things get interesting, and the building really does live up to its reputation. If you’re like me and your definition of a “night out” means studying at the library at an ungodly hour, then it can be a little brutal. But even I made it through thurston and enjoyed it (for the most part) -
The rest of foggy
I really wouldn’t rank the remainder of the foggy bottom dorms in any particular flavor. Lafayette, Madison, and Potomac.
Regarding Lafayette specifically: its now a freshman option available to all. But simply due to the relatively small amount of rooms, it’s less likely that you’ll be placed there.
Hi!
I was wondering the differences between living at the Mount Vernon campus versus foggy bottom? I have a general sense between the two from what the admissions counselor has told me but I want to know what it’s like from a student. Is it not as cool to live over at Vernon because you’re not in on the action like you are on foggy? Is the dining plan better over at Vernon because I heard the meal plan kinda lacks at the foggy bottom?
Thanks!
@emilywilliams Lol, you literally asked that right under a post that answered that.
As far as it being “cool” or not, that depends. While there are some students that say the Vern is lame, there are probably more that like it or are at least indifferent. As far as “action,” it depends on what you’re lookng for. If you intend to party a lot as a freshman, you’d probably be better-off on Foggy Bottom as you’re either in the dorm where the party is or a short crawl away. Having to ride the Vern Express back to the Vern when you’re wasted is worrisom because if you hurl on it you’ll be fined. With that said, there is still action on the Vern, but it is usually tame compared to Foggy.
The dining plan is hands-down better on the Vern compared to Foggy. You have an actual dining hall and will have more “traditional” type meals. This will also help you stay within your allotted dining dollars your first year while you figure out how much food costs living on your own.
Overall, there IS a difference and it’s something you need to weigh-out. If you plan on being above average in your social activity, you’ll probably be better off on Foggy. However, there are a lot of upsides to living on the Vern if you don’t mind holding-off on living on Foggy your first year. Granted, that doesn’t mean that you can’t spend 90% of your time on Foggy while living on the Vern, but you’ll still be a bus ride away from your dorm.
I’m biased towards the Vern as that’s where I had spent my freshman year (and loved it), but I’m not overly biased to where I think that the Vern is right for everyone. I met a few people on the Vern that were miserable there (in my opinion, they never gave the Vern a chance). Most people, though, enjoyed there time there if for nothing other than the bond they formed with other Vernies.
lol ! Thanks for all the detailed info. This really helped:)