I will start by saying we are 100% letting DD make this decision. Curious what other folks here have to say about this, what you would look at to make the decision etc. And would you offer your $0.02 to your student? Background is DD’s DREAM for a long time was BU. It was by far her #1 choice. She was devastated when she was WL and to make matters worse, she was also WL at her 2nd choice, NEU. She ended up dusting herself off and looking at her other admissions and realizing she really liked GW. She is a Poli Sci major and was admitted to a special program there and getting some decent $ from them. It made her feel good and after going to the admitted student tour she was really excited. One commonality between the schools is she really wants to be right in an urban environment, wants to be in a big city with a lot of diversity and with good public transportation, and wants to have internships and abroad opportunities. Also we are Jewish and she’s super active in her youth group and she wanted something with that feel, whether very active Hillel, Jewish sorority, etc. So now just heard today about coming off the BU waitlist. She is ??? on what to do! What would other folks tell their child? Do you think the fact that she was on the WL and now is admitted should be factored into this decision (like “go where you’re wanted”) or will that be a distant memory once she were to start and not factor that in? Thanks in advance!
I wouldn’t put any weight on the fact that she was waitlisted. But, if she has fallen in love with GW, she shouldn’t feel she needs to take the spot on the waitlist just because BU was always her dream school.
Such a hard decision!
I would probably step back and let your D make the call. She can’t go wrong.
I also wouldn’t worry about waitlist vs regular admit unless it impacts housing.
I agree can’t go wrong. I’d tend towards GW with the factors you’ve described, but if finances permit it let her heart make the call. Wouldn’t be the first time that someone came off a “dream school” waitlist to discover that their second choice had actually become their favorite in the interim.
*I’m not convinced a housing issue should be a big factor either - it’s only one year out of four and imo not a big swing factor in where you want to study and graduate from? ymmv.
Thankfully it’s only May so shouldn’t affect housing so long as she decides in a day or two. I honestly can’t tell if she “fell in love” with GW or is making lemonade out of lemons, “fake it til you make it” with being happy at the school that was her next best option after getting WL at top choices. Maybe she needs look at this NOT like a WL decision, but just a regular head to head decision anyone who got into multiple schools would make.
Would you guys factor in any commitment she’s already made to GW in her decision ,making? We did pay deposit and tell them she’s coming. I’m willing to give that up but as a matter of being a good person, should that factor in the decision?
Schools understand that students come off wait lists. I would not factor that into the decision.
I would not assume on the housing. Students who deposited after May 1 at D’s school last year were not able to get on campus housing.
Schools are used to losing people after WL decisions come out. The lost deposit should cancel out any bad feelings 
Agree head to head is best.
(Btw we had a jewish tour guide on our BU tour and it seems Hillel is pretty active there, and I hear from a recent student Shabbat at GW is loads of fun. I think she’ll be fine on either campus from a Judaism perspective.)
would she have picked BU if they offered her back in March? Assuming BU is full pay, would the lack of a scholarship be detrimental to the family? (Is GW offering one of those $20k/yr deals?)
Was she able to check out the dorms and ‘food court’ at GW?
In answer to your question, thousands of kids get off a WL every year and are happy to attend. Sometimes, it’s not her, it’s the app reader. OTOH, there are kids that say, ‘they didn’t want me first so too bad for them’.
To me, Boston is a wonderful city in which to attend college. Can she visit BU and check it out as a place to call home for four years? (my D got of a WL and we quickly made a trip to the WL college so she could spend a day. She liked it better than deposit school, so she withdrew (and forgeited original deposit) and deposited at WL school. Bought a sweatshirt and other swag and never looked back.)
We have a lot of F&F in Boston so she’s spent a lot of time there and also officially toured. It is safe to say she has LOVED BU and told everyone who would listen that that’s where she’s going to college for at least 5-6 years. That’s why she was so crushed to get WL. She did not get out of bed (literally) for 24 hours when she first got the news. But we pushed her to really embrace GW because it seemed like such a good opportunity and also kept hearing what a long shot coming off the WL is. re: food – so weird how GW does it. (“G World.”) She was kind of happy in a way and I’m sure would just be eating at Whole Foods 3 meals a day.
BU is a fantastic school and Boston is amazing, but for political science, you can’t beat GW. The Politics and Values Program is very challenging, and internships (during the school year) will practically fall in her lap.
Last year my son had narrowed down his choices to GW,BU and Emory. To him, it wasn’t even really a debate…GW and DC was the hands down winner for my political son. He is in the Elliott School so his focus is more on international politics but nothing can top the opportunities, speakers, internships and general political environment found in DC. He is not Jewish but many of his closest friends at GW are and I can assure you that there is a very active Hillel and Jewish Greek life at GW. Now I really loved BU and Boston and I’m an Emory alum but the political pull of GW and DC (plus the money and the Honors Program) made this an easy decision for my son. He has loved every minute of his first years at GW and has already had so many unique opportunities. I hope his perspective helps.
Honestly, for a political science junkie, there’s no place like DC. And GW’s location is fantastic. She would have 4 years of being able to take advantage of everything the city has to offer. That’s pretty great.
I have to agree: the in-term internship opportunities are better at GW than nearly any other school I know. The politically oriented students that I know there work really hard- not least b/c they are doing a placement nearly every semester. Getting decently paid jobs in the polisci arena is hard going in the early career stages- there is an expectation that you will do a lot of internships first- and most of them are barely stipended. Working through that while in college is a meaningful advantage. Not to mention the guest speaker, the conferences, the events…Boston is a fab place, but if you are a politics junkie, DC is it.
The advice I would give as a parent (assuming you are okay paying for either option) is “Go where you really want to go.” I would probably ask her, “Where could you most picture yourself attending?”
I’m a BU alum and had to choose between BU, GW, and a few others. (Never got off the WL at my dream school, Georgetown, but I digress…LOL) In the end, the city of Boston was the selling point for me. I could see myself living in Warren Towers. And that’s what I did. My two best friends to this day were friends that I met the first week of school at BU; we lived on the same floor in Warren Towers.
Both are great schools. It comes down to preference. Both will have an active Hillel and both will afford her opportunities. For political science, D.C. would be ideal, so that would be a consideration as well.
Congrats and best of luck to her!
I personally would have had my eyes on GWU from the get-go if I was deadset on Polisci. How did BU ever become her “dream school”?
And an aside, but how is “dream school” different from “teenage infatuation”?
Is she 100%sure about polisci? Seems like so many kids change their major. Would she still be happy in DC if she decides polisci isn’t for her? DC and Boston have such different vibes. At the end they’re both wonderful schools…best of luck to her!
Pretend that it’s April 7 and she is deciding between all of the acceptances. Which one does she want to choose?
Which school is more affordable? BU is pricey if you are full pay.
Colleges know there will be movement in the spring/summer when kids get off waitlists for a variety of reasons (movement on WLs after May 1, students who for some reason don’t graduate HS as expected, students who decide to take a gap year, parents who can’t pay the deposit or tuition). Its called summer melt. That issue should not be part of the equation. But I agree with those who say if she is really for sure planning to pursue poli sci, GW is the better option. Good luck!
I’d give the edge to GW for political science. I think both cities have a lot to offer if you are willing to get off campus in terms of museums, music, theater etc.