<p>Hi, we are a CA family planning on touring George Washington, U of Virginia, U of Maryland and U of Delaware in August. I'm trying to determine the order we visit these 4 schools. Our plan is GW first after flying into Dulles , and we have a full 4 days before we leave for NYC and our flight home a day later. So that's a school a day. Taking the expense of public transport and car rental into consideration, what do you recommend for the second, third and fourth positions? Also, do you think we're missing anything close to these 4 that we should add on (2 in one day) for our son, who has mid-600 SATs, B+ average, great community service/leadership record and who's highly interested in polical science/history?
Thank you for all your help!</p>
<p>First, yes, I would suggest he visit American. I’m assuming he’s interested in larger universities only? Because, if not, I would add in William and Mary which has a strong history program and his male gender may help him a bit. </p>
<p>But ok… UVA is 2 hours south of DC and UDE is 2 hours north. GW is downtown and UMd is right on the northern edge of the city. I would probably hit UVA first since Dulles already puts you in VA. Then I would hit GW, American and UMd before driving north to Delaware. You can see 2 of the DC schools (GW, American and UMd) in one day but 3 would be pushing it. So, if you include American, I would say 1 day for UVA, 1 day for Delaware and 2 days for the DC schools.</p>
<p>UVA is very difficult for out of state students to get in. I would check the Common Data Set before applying… </p>
<p>That said, if you are still interested in keeping UVA on your list, I would visit it first after landing at Dulles. Then you could visit GW and the University of Maryland at College Park, and finally, the University of Delaware before driving to NYC.</p>
<p>GW and University of Maryland are close enough such that you could visit each school in a day-- for example, visit GW in the morning and then visit College Park in the afternoon.</p>
<p>Other nearby schools to check out for a prospective political science / history major…</p>
<p>George Mason University - [url=<a href=“http://chss.gmu.edu/programs/show/LA-BA-GVIP]Government”>http://chss.gmu.edu/programs/show/LA-BA-GVIP]Government</a> and International Politics<a href=“in%20the%20suburb%20of%20Fairfax,%20Virginia”>/url</a></p>
<p>American University - [url=<a href=“http://www.american.edu/spa/gov/index.cfm]Department”>Government | School of Public Affairs | American University, Washington, DC]Department</a> of Government | Political Science & Applied Politics in Washington, DC<a href=“in%20Washington%20DC”>/url</a></p>
<p>Agree that if you’re flying into Dulles and decide to keep UVA on the list, you should go straight down there first. Cville is about two hours from Dulles (with no traffic problems or stops), but Cville is at least three hours from downtown DC (will realistically be more like 3.5). I’d emphasize that UVA is a <em>very</em> tough admit, even in-state, although it is a lovely drive from Dulles and Central Virginia is a beautiful area. (W&M is just as tough an admit and will add a chunk of time. Williamsburg is two hours from Cville.)</p>
<p>Would also recommend adding American to the list if poli sci is an interest. UMD is inside the Beltway, so you could do two of American/GWU/UMD in one day (and probably all three if you just want to walk the campus). </p>
<p>I think 2college’s basic itinerary makes sense–head south first if you decide to go there, then do the DC-area schools, then UDel.</p>
<p>Echoing the suggestion that he look at American. GW was a match for my son, but he far preferred American. It may be a good safety.</p>
<p>Echoing the American U suggestions. Great poli sci/international relations/public service majors and beautiful campus - much more “campus like” compared to GWU.</p>
<p>I would definitely head to Charlottesville straight from Dulles, rather than going into DC, then heading down. Traffic on the highways has been awful this spring/summer because of all the road constructions on the west side of the Beltway. (I66 backs up going east for miles, even in the late morning/early afternoon). If you go to Charlottesville first, you can avoid that area much easier. I95 has had lane closures so avoid it as much as possible also.</p>
<p>If you can fly into Reagan airport (DCA) you can do the in-city schools without renting a car, which is so expensive to park. Then pick up the car and head out of the city. If you fly into Dulles, go to UVa first and see if you can drop off the car at Reagan (usually no extra charge) and rent another one later. Taking the metro to the GWU area is very easy. Save an extra day to tour DC - there’s so much to see, and it’s a good break from all those college tours.
I would agree that, as a male, he has a better shot at W&M than at UVa, but both are great places to visit.</p>
<p>Is Georgetown a school that could be on his list? If UVA is a possibility, it might be a consideration to add GT. Since, it, like GW is in DC proper, it would easy to add it to the list. If GW is a reach, American is a better bet to visit. W&M is not easy for out of staters either. Really more selective for OOS kids than GW. If GW is a reach, UD, UMd are good choices with American thrown in there. </p>
<p>We are going to be visiting American, Catholic, UMD and UD and our son has stats similar to yours.</p>
<p>Adding to the group suggesting a visit to American – if nothing else, to see the contrast between it & GW. GW is going to be a reach for B+ and mid-600 SAT. D had B+ & high 600’s, great EC’s, etc and did not get admitted to GW but did get in to AU and is enrolling in the Fall (also from CA & finding lots of CA kids heading to AU)</p>
<p>You need to add Georgetown, American University and George Mason University to your list because ethey are all good schools and VERY close to GW.</p>
<p>You might want to hit William and Mary in Williamsburg, VA and maybe Johns Hopkins in Baltimore on your way up to New York. Have you considered the University of Maryland at College Park, in the D.C. area as well.</p>
<p>Given the student’s credentials, I think that UVA (for out of state), Johns Hopkins, and Georgetown are far reaches. Maryland is a reach (even in-state students with mid-600 SAT scores do not necessarily get admitted). Delaware, George Mason, American, and GW are better bets, and all four have much to offer. </p>
<p>So if you want to concentrate on schools where the student’s chances of admission are good, it might be best to skip the trip to Charlottesville. There would be no harm in going to Georgetown, but the student might have a more positive view of GW if he doesn’t see it as see a second choice to Georgetown. (It is said in some circles that the letters GW stand for “Georgetown Waitlist,” but probably you don’t want you son to think of it that way.)</p>
<p>Not entirely off topic; My daughter, who attends a different college, is staying in the GW dorms this summer while doing an internship in Washington. The dorm she is living in is by far the nicest she has ever seen. New. All singles. Suite-style. Full kitchen, washer and dryer, and two bathrooms in each four-student suite. This particular dorm is reserved for seniors, but if it’s any indication of the quality of living conditions at GW, wow!</p>
<p>The kids who go to GW seem to love it. My son could not get past the lack of campus (and the satellite campus did not count in his eyes). He refused to even stay for lunch. “Mom, forget it, I am not applying here.”</p>
<p>He applied to Georgetown, which was a superreach for him (B+/A- student with 1480/1600 SAT scores) and didn’t get in, but he liked American better than Georgetown anyway. He got merit money and admissions to the honors program at American by the way.</p>
<p>My oldest applied to both GT and GW. He liked GW better, which was a surprise to many folks. He just did not like GT. He was waitlisted there, but did get into GW. </p>
<p>Looking at the student’s stats, which I did not do carefully when I last posted, I agree that UVA is a way out reach. So is Wm & Mary and GT. GW is a reach but not out of the stratosphere. American, UDel and UMd are more realistic choices. I would recommend looking at GW, American, Catholic (all in DC proper), UMD and UDel. American is particularly a good addition to the list.</p>
<p>Statistics from 2009-10 put W&M admission rate for males at 44%, higher for ED; that’s why I would not rule it out for the OP’s son. It’s a unique institution, well worth a visit.
<a href=“http://web.wm.edu/ir/CDS/cds_0910_part_c.pdf[/url]”>http://web.wm.edu/ir/CDS/cds_0910_part_c.pdf</a></p>
<p>W&M is more difficult for OOS kids. My son did get accepted, but only as an athlete. With higher stats than the OP’s student, the coach said he was still a bit short of getting accepted with just an athletic nudge; he would need to be an athletic recruit. Son brought up SAT scores to the 700 levels which then put him over and only a tip was needed.</p>
<p>He might also want to look at James Madison University in Harrisonburg, VA. If his GPA is a 3.3 he is on the lower end of the admitted student range depending on the rigor of his course load… however, JMU is generally an easier admit than UVA or W&M… particularly for OOS students.</p>
<p>JMU is about 1 hour from UVA on I-81… and about 2 hours to DC.</p>
<p>Thank you to everyone who replied!! I find your generous responses to be very helpful!!</p>
<p>Don’t just do a drive-through at UMD. We did that and the campus just seemed huge and D could not get a feel for it at all. However, we went back and did the tour and info session and D loved it. With the tour, it seemed more manageable.</p>
<p>All great schools you are planning to see. My D’s top 3 chioces were Maryland, Delaware and American (even though American and the other 2 are so different) - she will be going to Delaware in the fall.</p>