<p>I’m not too familar with Elon but I know the other three pretty well. Here are more thoughts.</p>
<p>Brandeis is clearly the best school academically of the three. It is a small research university just outside of Boston (but inside Route 128–which is similar to a beltway which rings Boston). It is strong in almost everything it does: sciences, social sciences, humanities, business, and art and music. Academically, it is similar to if slightly under the Ivies and other top schools like Stanford, Duke, Chicago and Johns Hopkins. The political science department (Brandeis calls it “Politics”) is small but excellent. The top international relations/securities studies professor there, Robert Art, is world famous and he also has appointments at Harvard and MIT although Brandeis is his base. Brandeis has a nice campus but its architecture is modern (except for a reproduction of a Scottish Castle, which is the landmark building) which some people think is out of place in New England (i.e., it doesn’t look like Harvard). Brandeis is non-sectarian but is financially supported largely by the American Jewish community. About half of the undergraduates are Jewish. There is a strong sense of community on campus, and social justice in the mold of Justice Louis Brandeis is emphasized. </p>
<p>GW is a medium size research university in the Foggy Bottom section of Washington. It is, therefore, an urban campus comprised of office-like buildings separated by city streets. It used to have no green space, but a few years ago GW tore down a building and planted grass there so it now has a little green area. GW is academically strong is some areas, and political science is one of its strengths. The GW political science department is large and has recruited a number of stars from other universities. That is the good news. The not so good news is that, because of its location, a large percentage of GW undergraduates are interested in political science so the classes will be large and you will get to know your teaching fellows better than professors until you are an upperclassman. Outside of a few departments, GW is middle of the road academically. It has little sense of community but, because of its location that is somewhat less important because the city becomes your community. GW also has a large Jewish population, perhaps 25-30% of undergraduates. </p>
<p>AU is similar to GW in many respects, except it is smaller and even more specialized. Its strengths are political science, international studies, government, communications, and business. Otherwise, it is mediocre at best, and the sciences are particularly weak. GW is not strong in the sciences, but it is compared to AU. Unlike GW, AU has a real campus although it is small and very compact. It is in the far northeast part of Washington, which means that its location with respect to the center of the city is more similar to Brandeis (although Brandeis,which has half the number of students as AU, has a much larger campus). AU’s also has a large Jewish population, probably similar in percentage to GW, despite the fact it is affiliated with the Methodist Church (as is Duke and quite a few other American Universities).</p>
<p>Bottom line: If you are unsure of what you eventually want to study, and if prestige means anything to you, I’d go with Brandeis. Conversely, if you are sure you want to do political science, and of the three are good options academically, and the choice will come down to location, environment, community and finances. Good luck.</p>