Hi all, I am a high school junior doing lots and lots of college research. I know I want to major in PoliSci or Public Policy, depending on what the school offers. My top schools right now in no particular order are GW, UMD, Georgetown, and American. (See a pattern?)
I had the opportunity to visit UMD in April and I really loved the entire campus however the academic program leaves some things to be desired. This is where the DC schools come in, but specifically GW. Out of the three DC schools I am interested in, GW is definitely my top choice. Their academics are amazing (including a really cool 5-year Master’s program), there are great internship opportunities, they’d take most of my AP exams, and I’d even be able to keep music in my life while having direct access to DC which I absolutely love.
Being how there isn’t a traditional campus, how does the campus that does exist feel? How easy is it to socialize and meet people? I have heard there is a general lack of school spirit and I wonder if the campus situation plays into that. Does anyone ever wish there was a traditional campus (aside from the Vern)?
I am visiting my DC schools next month but I’m trying to do some more research beforehand. Thank you guys and if you have any comments about the other schools, I’d love to hear them.
GW’s campus will definitely feel different than all the others you’re interested in. How I typically describe it is: when you’re there, you can definitely tell that you’re on a campus, though it’s not like what you’d actually expect from a campus. The urban vibe is strong, and no, I don’t think that’s why school spirit suffers. School spirit is a product of a university’s identity, I believe. If you attend a school that’s great at sports, then tailgating and pep rallies will be spectacular. If you attend a school that prides itself on internships and being super accessible to the nation’s capital, then what’s spectacular (or touted) is the adjunct professor that’s taking time away from their day job on the Hill (or at State) to teach your class; one of the popular forms of “small talk” among students is discussing which Congressman they’re interning for; there’s numerous people in class dressed-up for their internship after class.
As far as wishing there is a typical campus, I suppose that depends on the student. I’d say that in general, students wouldn’t be opposed to a larger quad. I think that’s evident during the first few weeks of spring when students cover every inch of green space in Kogan or U-Yard to bask in the sun and take a break from finals. My friends and I routinely took advantage of the open space on U-Yard to toss a football or frisbee and would have liked a little more room.
When you visit Georgetown and AU you’ll see that they both offer something unique, as well. Georgetown is a gorgeous campus, but its accessibility isn’t quite the same as GW. You know you’re “in DC” when you’re there, but the campus has its own vibe. AU is similar in that while it’s in DC, it feels much more “traditional” and almost suburban. Granted, you’re only a short shuttle ride from the nearest Metro, but Friendship Heights/Tinleytown is very different from Foggy Bottom. My brother-in-law and his wife both attended AU and had a very positive experience. I used to visit when he had wrestling matches and appreciated the accessibility of the school and free parking, lol.
I agree with a lot of what NHuffer said. I personally never miss having a real campus, even though that’s what I thought I wanted when I was doing my college search. There are still a lot of nice places to hang out and be with friends or do homework outside and especially in the last year GW has tried a lot to make more public spaces. You can absolutely feel where campus lines end around the perimeter, and you’ll generally just see students and business people on campus. The national mall is also only a couple blocks away when you want more quiet and greenery!
We do have a lack of school spirit, and I’d say a lot of it has to do with GW being a very individualistic, career-driven school. While academics are great and there are tons of students with high GPAs, what we are really competitive about is internships and jobs, since we live in DC. Many more students have off campus internships and jobs than the average university, so it does generally mean less students might be on campus than schools of similar size, but since the campus isn’t that large it never feels like no one’s around. People do get excited to go to basketball games and they have a band and cheerleaders and dancers and all that, but games definitely not an entire student body type of events.
What I will say in terms of spirit and meeting people is that where people do find their passion for GW and a lot of times their place is in student orgs. Rather than feeling like a part of the school by tailgating the game, students are always attending events for their student orgs and they care a lot. Every student organization is a different type of commitment, but almost everyone I know is in at least one that they dedicate a significant number of hours to a week, and that many of their friends are a part of. So, in terms of meeting people my biggest suggestion is to go to the org fair in the first few weeks of school and find some to try out - it’s always easier to connect with people when you have something big in common. I’d also say the freshman dorms make it easy to meet people too! Good luck!