I will be traveling to D.C soon to visit the big IR colleges in the area (Georgetown, GWU, AU), and I’ve never actually gone on any visits before, as I have no interest of attending in-state schools. I am currently a junior, from Massachusetts, and will be traveling there during February vacation. I also happen to be low-income, first-gen, ethnic-though-not-colored student (moved from Ukraine in seventh grade, learned English as I went along).
What are some of the things I should take advantage of, while there? Are there any ways of acquiring fee waivers for someone like me? Would I be able to get an interview with one of representatives? Any good questions to ask, that I wouldn’t know from internet research/things to do? Is there anything specific about these three colleges that would be good to know for me, in regard to my situation and in general?
Sorry if these questions are somewhat basic, I don’t get to travel a lot, and since I’ve never properly toured a college, I want to make sure I don’t miss anything.
You’re from Massachusetts and you have no interest in any in-state (or New England) school?!!
Ironic to me, cuz my DD is looking at colleges and we’re in the DC area. I’m from Massachusetts and I wish she had all those choices! I say you can’t throw a rock up there without hitting a great college.
Like what Astro said, there are plenty of good colleges inside of Massachusetts. However, since you’re traveling to DC for colleges you might as well make the most of it. Even though I’m just a freshman, I’ve visited plenty of college campuses and one important thing to do is to take notes on the tour. Note what you like about the college, how the campus appears, basic information about the college (GPA, ACT/SAT score) and much more. One thing I’ve been told a lot is to find a college that YOU like. It’s your life; it’s your future. Good luck! :D/
I would tour your in-state flagship or a nearby college as a basis of comparison for the schools you visit. Take lots of notes and photos, and talk to the students who attend. If you are asking for fee wavers and are low-income as well as are academically gifted, you should check into questbridge and other services. Financial aid/scholarships are going to be your #1 concern.
Run the net price calculators on the schools before you visit them. American doesn’t give great need based aid. One school you might look at is Dickinson. They meet 96% of need (as they define it, of course). They are a couple hours from DC, but they have a great DC semester program (better than most other schools) and are good in IR. My kid was able to study abroad and do a Washington semester with the Dept of State, and had a summer internship in Washington one summer as well.
TooOld4School, thanks for tips, do you know of any other good place for me to get financial aid/scholarships from? Idk if I’m academically gifted enough for questbridge (3.8 GPA), and the only site I tried gathering scholarships from is StartClass, and it seemed like every one I tried had already expired. Is there any general time of year when applying would be best?
I second @intparent suggestion that you run the Net Price Calculator to be sure the colleges you visit appear to be viable options before you spend the time and money to visit. And as noted a number of colleges have a semester program (my D’s friend did one at American U) so even if you study elsewhere you should be able to get an experience in DC. IMO it would be financially irresponsible to not consider in-state options as well.
Check each college’s admissions web site to find out if on-campus interviews are available and if so request one. Also, it can be helpful to schedule a formal tour and information session (also located on the admissions website) and then allow yourself some time to walk around campus on your own as well.
The best place to get scholarships that last all 4 years is usually the schools themselves. There should be some information available on the school’s sites with regard to whether they offer merit scholarships and if there are any separate applications for those scholarships. The Net Price Calculators on the school sites should give you some idea of what you could expect for need-based aid.
Net Price Calculator is very helpful. You can also find the “common data set” for a school with a simple google search. This data is very helpful. It includes lots of information, including on merit and need-based financial aid. You can get a good sense of available aid here. Some schools give lots of merit aid, others focus more on students who need assistance paying for school. It’s very prudent to have a good grasp on costs, your family’s ability to pay, and potential financial aid.
I’m familiar with the schools. Georgetown has a beautiful traditional campus on the Potomac River in the Georgetown area of DC. If you’ve never been, plan to walk around Georgetown. It connects to the university by the long outside stairs seen in the last scene in the movie “The Exorcist.” Georgetown was an old river port and has many 19th centuries buildings. There are lots of shops and restaurants. Also, the C&O Canal starts in Georgetown. It is directly adjacent to the Potomac, and it’s a pretty walk on the towpath if the weather happens to be nice (Iffy in February). Students at the school tend to be from wealthy families, and the same could be said for the other two schools. GWU is not too far from Georgetown. It is very much of an urban campus. American is just up the road from Georgetown. It’s definitely in the city but not downtown. They are all good schools, and you can decide which one feels best to you and is the best fit, if any.
I second the Dickinson recommendation, if you might like an LAC. You could take a more western route and come down Rt. 15, which is a beautiful drive. Dickinson is just a few miles off that. Gettysburg College is nearby and kind of a cool stop if you have any interest in history. It would be out of the way this time, but the University of Pittsburgh might be something to look at if you are looking for a city school, or VCU or University of Richmond if you want a city school with warm weather. They are very different schools. VCU is not as highly ranked as the DC schools you mention, but students love it, and almost everyone I’ve know who’s gone there has had a really positive outcome, more than is typical.
It is great to interview. You can check the admissions website to see if anything is available. There might not be too much right now, but maybe. Admission officers are very busy reading applications right now.
@TTG wow, thanks for immense detail! Just to clarify on some things, the only reliable Net Price Calculator is one made on CollegeBoard platform? Also, I don’t seem to find any interview info on either of the three colleges’ admissions websites. Am I missing something, or do they update that info later? Don’t want to miss out on a possible interview after traveling this far.
Salingere, the schools have the Net Price Calculator on their websites. I believe these are pretty helpful, have not used them a lot, to be honest. If the schools are not showing interview slots on their admissions websites, it probably means that they are not offering them now. Often the interview slots appear a month or two out, it varies. Admissions staffs are totally in full reader mode right now, with RD admissions in full swing. You can always interview later and maybe it’s better to see a few schools to find out what you like before sitting down with an admissions rep, though it may be difficult to get back to the DC area. Sometimes schools do alumni or Skype interviews too.
Think about what you like and maybe visit a few different types of schools, just to get a feel for what feels comfortable.
Just for informational purposes, maybe check out Miami of Ohio’s merit aid info on their admissions website. It provides a grid for merit aid money that shows the range of money a student can expect to receive based on grades and test scores. I think it provides a good one page view of what one school offers to prospective students. Financial aid, though, is very school specific. Good luck!
There is a different net price calculator for each individual college. It is often found on the admissions page but if you google ABC College net price calculator it should also come up.
If you have any questions about interviews etc. that you can’t find online you should contact the school directly. But definitely sign up for an information session and tour at each school
Sometimes the college net price calculator takes you to the college board calculator, but not always. Go to the NPC on each college site, and use whatever tool it links to.
Georgetown does not offer interviews on campus. GWU doesn’t do evaluative interviews any more, and you probably can’t interview on campus at all. Here is a link to set up an interview at American: http://www.american.edu/admissions/interviews.cfm