<p>These two schools seem fairly similar in their orientation and advantages. How would you compare and contract between the two. Those of you who had a choice between the two, which did you choose and why?</p>
<p>This is a good thread:</p>
<p><a href=“http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/parents-forum/729202-georgetown-gwu-american.html?highlight=georgetown[/url]”>http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/parents-forum/729202-georgetown-gwu-american.html?highlight=georgetown</a></p>
<p>The three schools are actually quite different. I suggest visiting and searching this forum for threads pertaining to the comparison. For me, personally, Georgetown was too preppy, elitist, and Catholic. American felt like a glorified high school. George Washington is my number one choice.</p>
<p>Well I know American University is a religious university, and George Washington University is a private. Georgetown is more competitive. Georgetown is also a religious base school.</p>
<p>I wouldn’t call American “religious” in the same way I would categorize Georgetown.</p>
<p>agree with hello5, American is far from religious, and Georgetown, once a Jesuit university, is pretty open to any religion.</p>
<p>American is officially Methodist affiliated, but you’d never really know it - honestly, I didn’t know until I read about a Methodist scholarship there. It is probably the most liberal - or one of the top few - university in the country. Georgetown is Jesuit. Although it is open to any religion, there are crucifixes in all classrooms, there IS a theology requirement to fulfill, and it is definitely a Jesuit school. You’ll know it right off the bat, but it may or may not bother you.</p>
<p>Back to the OP, my D chose GW over American for international studies even though American offered more merit aid. She did not like AU’s campus, preferring GW because it is in the city. She loves being so close to the national mall. Her feeling was that while AU’s SIS is well-regarded, that GW overall had better academics. She is very happy at GW, and as I posted on some of the other threads, has friends who are happy at American.</p>
<p>My son applied to AU and GWU and got similar FinAid. GWU is by far a better school academically with an awesome location and top notch reputation for its IR school. Visited both campus and AU is too far from DC proper and the campus felt like an oversized private high school.</p>
<p>moraleem, are you a parent or student? From your posts it seems difficult to tell.
My son also was accepted to both schools with aid and decided on AU. From my experience, The AU campus only seems like a private high school if you attended a private high school, it’s nothing like the suburban public high school my S attended. And sorry but, GW is not that much better academically than AU. Look at the stats and not the rankings. The IR program at AU is the largest and oldest in the country. It is comparable, if not better than GW’s.</p>
<p>AU’s website says ‘over 2500’ students in SIS. GWU undergrads - about 2100 in Elliott (and 700 grad students). To me, the size difference in international studies is not that great to push AU over GWU. Students’ feelings about the campus are obviously very different. So nice your son likes AU, my D did not like AU’s campus and is glad she did not attend!</p>
<p>I agree, Mamabear. The best way to really know a campus is to visit and get a feel for the vibe there. Both are good schools.</p>
<p>hello5 I respectfully disagree with you. GW overall is a more competitive school regarding admission. Several friends of mine who were rejected at GW winded up at AU (GPA’s were all lower then mine). It’s obviously debatable whether the IR programs are comparable but I believe that the majority would choose GW’s program over American (minus financial factors).<br>
I also agree with moraleen re: AU’s campus. It felt like a private high school to me as well and I attended a suburban PUBLIC school. However, everyone has different preferences.</p>
<p>I really don’t get why AU’s campus feels like high school, I realize it’s not urban but is there more to it than that? As to GPAs, according to S’s Naviance info, GW had an admitted GPA of 4.03, American 3.93. Yes, GW’s is higher, but does that make it that “much better academically”, I don’t know.</p>
<p>Since this is a GW thread, I guess you would feel that way! lol</p>
<p>There have been many threads like this in the past (which I read last year while going through the process). Bottom line is the 3 DC schools are all completely individual and yes you should visit all three. That said, I found a couple of people who had transferred into GW from AU and someone who had transferred out of GW to AU. All felt the academic program at GW was more challenging…that’s not to say its better, just more demanding. I guess these are the only people that can truly compare. Personally I chose GW because the people I met on campus were friendly, and I felt really comfortable on campus (this coming from someone that wanted a “true” campus not an urban one). Can’t wait for move-in day!</p>
<p>I stated that GW was more Competitive regarding admissions. The “much better academically” issue is debatable at many different schools, on so many levels. And quite frankly, I am not certain that it matters re: which schools are academically better if one is unhappy!! It’s all about “fit”. If you are going to quote statistics, Princeton Review’s College Guide rates GW’s “Admissions Selectivity Rating” a 96 compared to AU’s 93. So although I may be bias as I am a GW student, there is published info which confirms that GW admissions standards are more rigorous.</p>
<p>This is my last post on this subject, it’s silly to debate something that is so much a personal decision, but I must get my two cents in. Yes, GW is more selective as I posted earlier, but if you look at the rest of the statistics from the page you referenced in the Princeton Review, you’ll notice that the two schools are close in admission selectivity stats.</p>
<p>lol I love this thread. Its nice to read both the camps’ ideas :D</p>