Calling all D.C. school expertsss

<p>okay so i'm officially confused about admission standards bc answers vary from place to place. These are my stats:</p>

<p>Illinois resident
asian-indian
g.p.a.- 3.75(weighted) 3.49(unweighted)
act- 27
sat- verbal 670 math 580 (1250)
top 19% @ a pretty competitive school
4 years on tennis team
2 years in business club
2 years drug prevention club
work experience</p>

<p>I was wondering what my chances are at D.C. schools such as American and George Washington? Also other schools close by such as Richmond, University of Maryland, and University of Delaware?
If anyone who goes there or who knows accurate stats for these schools could help me to figure out what my chances are? oh, and if anyone knows about uiuc, that'd be great! If there doesn't seem to be much hope, are there any good affordable schools that have a good international relations program that i have a good chance at?
THanks!</p>

<p>here it goes strictly Washington D.C. area schools</p>

<p>Georgetown: The best</p>

<p>George Washington: 2nd best (used to be known as the place for people rejected by Georgetown)</p>

<p>American: Just about as good as George Washington (rankings will say otherwise) but the suburban feel to it attracts some people that prefer that setting over the heart of the city. Nonetheless a very good school viewed just the same as George Washington</p>

<p>thankks for replying...I really want to be close to the D.C. area mainly bc of its close location to the world bank and its good rep for international relations..any one else hav input on my schools n statistics?
THanks!</p>

<p>bumpp......</p>

<p>buuuummp.....</p>

<p>I think that you have a very good chance at being accepted at GW and Richmond. You have an excellent chance at being accepted at American, Maryland, and UD.</p>

<p>I agree with Dunkaroo regarding American and GW. GW is generally considered a bit more prestigious, but many people prefer American for its superior location and traditional campus feel.</p>

<p>If you are interested in DC area schools, I suggest that you look at James Madison. JMU has a very good reputation and is not too far from D.C. It seems to fit your academic profile as well.</p>

<p>If you are at all interested in liberal arts colleges, Goucher is an interesting choice. Goucher is closer to Baltimore than it is to D.C., but it is only about an hour from D.C. They have an interesting international relations major (though I believe that they call it something a little different). I also think that Goucher attracts a fair number of international students. Though not well known outside the region, Goucher has a very good reputation among grad schools and professionals. </p>

<p>The following article from the Baltimore Sun should give you some interesting background on Goucher:</p>

<p><a href="http://www.baltimoresun.com/community/guide/bal-question0806,0,1882291.story?coll=bal-relocation-features%5B/url%5D"&gt;http://www.baltimoresun.com/community/guide/bal-question0806,0,1882291.story?coll=bal-relocation-features&lt;/a>
Good luck.</p>

<p>heyyy thanks for the great advice...Yeah i think i would def place Amer over GWU also bc of the huggee expenses of GWU, not to say American is cheap...well i'll be applying to as many surrounding D.C schools as possible..we'll see what happens!</p>

<p>I go to American, I'd say you have a good chance of getting in... feel free to contact me if you want more info about the school</p>

<p>Didn't apply to GWU though, so can't tell you much about that</p>

<p>hey thanks for replying lg08...if you don't mind me asking what ur stats were? also how do you like american? and i know the price is kinda steep in price, how will did ur financial aid work out?
Thanks!
~monica</p>

<p>Also consider schools such as George Mason, which is near D.C., too. Catholic university is in D.C. You don't have to be Catholic to go there. I am not sure how either is in international relations, but their location would probably mean lots of opportunities in that field.</p>

<p>American will provide ample opportunities, GW would be my first choice if I were you with American a close second</p>

<p>i had a 4.2/3.8, 1480, lots of extracurricular and community clubs and that sort of thing, but nothing really out of the ordinary</p>

<p>i didn't apply for need based aid, but got merit based... i think they are pretty good on both though i don't know for sure</p>

<p>i like American a LOT... there have been so many great speakers that I have seen so far this year, and i've only been here three months (julian bond, arthur dewey- assistant sec of state, ari fleischer, two lectures on sudan, the italian ambassador, governor of puerto rico, etc etc) and that's just on campus - i have also been to a lecture at the woodrow wilson int. center downtown and a forum at the IMF... the SIS programs and classes are very excellent as well, great profs, great advisors</p>

<p>the campus is also nice b/c we're right at Mass Ave. and Nebraska Ave, but we've got a campus with trees, grass, etc. A regular campus but right in the city, so it's nice to not worry about getting run down by traffic every time I walk out of my dorm, haha</p>

<p>GW is pretty hard to get into. I would consider it a reach for you. As far as comparing it to other D.C. schools, I think it is very different. The GW students utilize their city as much as possible and choose to be involved as much as possible. There are so many internship opportunities, with CNN's Crossfire for journalism students, The White House two blocks away, and the The Mexican Embassy on campus. Unlike GU and AU, GW's campus IS the city, which can be good and bad. It's an open campus that stretches anywhere from the white house, the smithsonian, to the capitol building. In Art history classes, students don't just study books, they actually live the city and use the awesome opportunities that the city provides. </p>

<p>Also, for International Affairs, GW has the Elliot School, one of the best in the nation. Students can choose between seven concentrations of interest, such as Global Health, Conflict and Security, and International Politics. The school doesn't just give you a regular IA degree, it let's you explore your interests in the field, and offers incredible internship opportunities also.</p>

<p>And GU and AU are still good, but I really wouldn't say that AU is on nearly the same level as GWU, just as I wouldn't say that GU is the same as GWU. These are just completely different ballparks here.</p>

<p>OK, question about GW's campus. My mother is under the impression that it's a nasty inner-city campus surrounded by barbed wire where people get murdered and raped at every corner. I've been looking into DC schools and I doubt her impression is based on factual evidence, but neither of us have ever been to GW, so. Can someone clear this up? I know it's a very urban campus, but barbed wire? I mean, that must not be anywhere close to true, considering GW's reputation as a pretty good school.</p>

<p>GW is not dangerous. Students must take the same precautions that everyone takes in cities, but other than the occational purse snatching, GW is in a good area. Plus, GW has cops EVERYWHERE, which can be a bad thing for students trying to drink, but a good thing for safety. </p>

<p>Remember that dorms in DC are watched by the secret service. Since it is so close to the white house, the SS is always around patroling the area.</p>

<p>Students do have to take the subway, so that should be your main concern.</p>

<p>And GW has a BEAUTIFUL campus with trees and flowers planted everywhere, and nice brick townhouses lining the street corners. And there is no barbed wire, I promise.</p>

<p>About Catholic, I've heard that it has good academics and international relations BUT even though you don't have to be Catholic to go there 80% of the student body is and they're also quite conservative. So a very different atmosphere than other schools discussed.</p>

<p>Thanks, Hoo_29. I guess we need to visit GW to dispel my mom's fears. Both times I have visited DC, I made extensive use of the metro system, so I'm pretty comfortable with that...but dorms being watched by the SS is kind of creepy. Guess it makes me feel safe, though.</p>

<p>Tell your mom not to worry so much! I've been in DC MANY times. GW is definitely an urban campus (like BU and NYU) but it is not in a bad area. It's not too far from the Kennedy Center and Watergate and not too far from Georgetown. The eastern neighborhoods in DC tend to be more dangerous than the western neighborhoods. You need to use the same precautions that you would use in any city. The metro is clean, fast, and safe. I've gone all over with no problems.</p>

<p>American is in a more residential neighborhood. A VERY nice neighborhood!</p>

<p>yeah, the metro/subway isn't an issue at all... even if i'm alone or at night or anything like that, no big deal as long as you're aware of what's around you, like you always have to be in a city anyway</p>

<p>lg08-I think I might apply to AU RD. How much is tuition and living? Just wondering. Thanks! Btw, it sounds really nice.</p>