<p>wondering how competitive admissions has been for all three of these DC schools... anybody out there who can help with all these questions? ??? :)</p>
<p>Georgetown is the highest rated of the 3, and is the most competitive for admissions. (As in extremely competitive.) IMO GW is better than American, and in a better neighborhood. Toured GW w/ D -- it's not a defined campus; many school buildings are only identified by the GW flag flying out front. Didn't get to see a dorm room, but they always rate very high since GW has taken over some nearby hotels.</p>
<p>GW gave my D a half-tuition merit scholarship. Period. 53K - 15K = $38,000 a year. Her financial aid package at Georgetown reduced the family's total contribution to $12,000.</p>
<p>FWIW, my son transferred out of GW after one year (to a small LAC, where he was much happier). He really hated the lack of true campus at GW. His dorm was in the building that used to be motel where the Watergate break-in folks stayed during their escapades. It still looked and felt like a motel, was quite a few blocks from the rest of the buildings (too far to go back between classes), and had no cafeteria anywhere nearby, so he and his friends tended to eat street food. It felt like living in an apartment and going to work everyday. A huge number of freshmen do end up in a single enormous dorm, more centrally located, that is a regular stop for ambulances on the weekend to pick up those who have overdone it on some substance or another. Five hundred freshman in one dorm=much chaos. A very large proportion of the undergrads were into clubbing in Georgetown--my kid had neither the inclination nor the funds to do this. I think you have to really be into an urban lifestyle, independent, and sure of yourself to be happy at GW. American is clearly weaker academically than GW, but is in a part of town that has a more suburban feel, and has an enclosed, traditional campus, yet is close enough to the rest of DC to get there whenever you like. It's important to visit; the differences in lifestyle will be pretty apparent. I'll add that we toured GW on a glorious sunny, dry day and had a delightful, engaging student guide; they gave us ice cream at the end of the tour. It's very easy to let that sort of thing unduly influence you--I think I was as dazzled as my son. Try to be objective and look past the salesmanship!</p>
<p>MommaJ - "Look past the salesmanship" may be worth starting a thread of its own. Over the past couple of weeks a lot of CC students have returned from accepted student weekends, gauging their feeling about the schools on the fun they had and the people they met during those weekends. By mid-fall, the likelihood that they're going to be spending significant time with those fun people they met last month is pretty low.</p>
<p>I live in the DC area so can give you some insight.</p>
<p>Frankly, I wouldn't go to either American or GW. Georgetown is clearly the best. Although all are in great areas, GW is a close second in quality. They have some top notch folks teaching there. </p>
<p>Although American is in a great area, I really don't like the school academically. They have had a number of problems with their presidents and with faculty. Frankly, You are better off going to either Georgetown or GW or , a good state school such as Maryland.</p>
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IMO GW is better than American, and in a better neighborhood.
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<p>?????
American is right near Embassy Row -- one of the nicest neighborhoods in DC!!</p>
<p>there is no such thing as a college that is "better" prep for law school -- you can study just about ANYTHING undergrad and go to law school. gpa and lsat scores are the most important factors. go to the college where you will enjoy your four years of college the most -- academically, socially, etc.</p>
<p>My sister went to GW and loved the experience she had there. She was RIGHT in the city, unlike American and Georgetown. It's a tradeoff between a traditional campus feel and living in a city - she loved being in the city. Her dorm freshman year was down the street from the White House, and a number of her friends interned there during the school year because they purposefully schedule almost no classes on Fridays for internships. I don't remember where she lived after that, but her dorm junior year was directly adjacent to the IMF and World Bank. I thought that was pretty incredible. She had internships most semesters with think tanks and such and that really helped her define her career goals and also build up her experience. The academics are very important too, and she was in the interdisciplinary political communications program, which was perfect for her. FWIW most top colleges are very, very liberal. Especially in DC - and they're some of the most politically active as well. CNN's "Crossfire" used to be taped in the SMPA building at GW, and they have many prominent political leaders speak on campus.</p>
<p>Law school admissions is almost exclusively based on GPA and LSAT score so the only relevant question may be "which school has the most grade inflation?" which I cannot answer.</p>
<p>I have been looking at the same few schools, and here is my take on the entire situation.</p>
<p>Georgetown: Extremely prestegious, especially if you want to go into SFS. This is by far the toughest of the three to get into, but is probably the most widely known for your field of study. It has strong roots in the jesuit culture, and can sometimes appear preppy however. It is also fairly expensive.</p>
<p>American: Really good if you want to go to the School of Public Affairs or the School of International Studies. It has one of the highest rated programs in the country for International Studies (8 last time I checked). It is also really politically involved if that floats your boat. The downsides are that it is not as well rounded as one would hope, and its prestige is somewhat low. It can also be expensive.</p>
<p>George Washington: The highest sticker price of the three schools, and some might say it has a preppy atmosphere. Other than those negatives, there isn't really much of a downside to this school. It has good academics, it is well respected, and it is in a good part of DC.</p>
<p>Of the three here are my rankings for politics</p>
<p>Although I don't like American University for a number of reasons, let me clear up one incorrect statement: it is in a fabulous area. It is by the embassies in Wash DC, which is well -patrolled by police and has very little crime. In fact, I would say that there is less crime where American is located than that of Georgetown.</p>
<p>George Washington is a very underestimated school. It has some terrific programs and has some very top notch faculty. For example , the school of law has some well-known judges who teach there. A number of other departments have some great, well-known people as well.</p>
<p>However, as noted above, I am not sure that any school is worth the tuition that GW charges. </p>
<p>Other than the location, I was not impressed by American University. It certainly doesn't have the status of either Georgetown or GW. It's programs, for the most part, are considered mediocre at best. They have had a lot of public turmoil dealing with their presidents who have commited a variety of documented violations from making porngraphic phone calls, to embezzlement. They really have had a number of political problems,which the trustees haven't necessarily handled well.</p>
<p>Sorry everyone -- my mistake about American's location. I was remembering (or mis-remembering, as the case may be) what the mother of one of D's HS classmates said after they visited. I know I remember correctly that they didn't like American -- but clearly I didn't remember their reasons why. Apologies.</p>