<p>As a student that was admitted to George Washington, some of the information being provided in this thread is very degrading to GW as an institution of higher learning. While Georgetown has, admittedly, a higher ranking than George Washington—that is because their departments outside of political science, and international affairs, are much more well defined than George Washington’s (which allocates significant funding to both those departments). The faculty, institutes, and research opportunities at George Washington’s Elliot School are easily comparable to those at Georgetown. If you don’t believe me, go to the Elliot School’s faculty list and click on any associate professor/professor, and you’ll see their accomplishments to be as fine tuned as those at Georgetown. </p>
<p>And I take offense to the earlier remarks that our student body is filled with “stupid rich international students.” About 11% of Georgetown’s student body is international, 10% of GW’s campus is international. In both universities, most of the students are rich as both universities lack the necessary funds to allocate to international students that depend on need-based aid to attend. </p>
<p>Everyone that I have met from GW has been incredibly well-rounded, and well-spoken. They’re either at the top, or near the top, of their class. The truth of the matter is SFS is not that much better than the Elliot School. You should not be ashamed to be coming here, because the folks at Admissions have really done a fantastic job assembling the Class of 2018. People will say a lot of nonsense to make us look bad, but from the looks of it you’ve managed to look past it and realize the campus and student body is much more than “white rich folk.” </p>
<p>If you have any questions please feel free to message me. If you aren’t already on the Class of 2018 Facebook group, I can send you a link, and you will see just how great of a community we have just on social media. </p>
<p>@gwu2018 Thank you so much for responding! I agree, I have found the student population at GW to be absolutely amazing-- every single person that I have met so far from GW has been so kind and helpful to me (more than I can say about some of the commenters on this thread, unfortunately :/). I am humbled and inspired by their talents and experiences, and am honestly beginning to wonder what the big deal is about Georgetown - or if it’s even worth sending a few emails to have a chance of getting in (keep in mind- this is after six grueling months spent glued to my laptop trying to navigate the Georgetown application). After being so deeply, almost obsessively attached to Georgetown for so many years, it took a LOT to even make me think of anywhere else for my undergrad education – and GW did it </p>
<p>Take offense all you want lol; it is still true. Wealth is very noticeable at GWU compared to GU, especially since GU is so much more selective than GWU. Just being rich won’t get you into GU. </p>
<p>I think GWU is a pretty decent uni, but you can’t really argue that it doesn’t have more than a fair share of obviously-rich students. Did you not see that $500,000 McLaren that’s twice as expensive as your 4-year education? </p>
<p>@teenbodybuilder What part is true? The fact that our campus has rich kids, or that they are stupid? </p>
<p>You’ll have to provide some evidence that our campus has a far more exuberant amount of wealth in comparison to Georgetown. Because when I checked the financial aid statistics for 2011-2012 67% of students received financial aid, compared to Georgetown’s 56%. And the average aid package at Georgetown was $4000 less compared to George Washington’s (even though Georgetown offers to cover 100% of demonstrated need). So when you say that, “wealth is very noticeable at GWU compared to GU” I would say it’s actually equally noticeable. </p>
<p>The articles, and students, that discuss the disparity between the rich/poor at George Washington lop the argument to those who have had negative experiences because they could not move past the imbalance. That is not to say that there aren’t organizations on campus that surpass the socioeconomic disparities found on campus social life. You don’t need to be rich to make friends, or have a social life on campus. </p>
<p>And just so you know, my family comes from a low-income background. GW has provided me with enough (guaranteed) need-based grants to cover nearly the entire cost of my education. </p>
<p>@teenbodybuilder After a cursory look at your profile, I honestly don’t know if you can make an unbiased judgment of either school. Your dad works for Georgetown, so he has likely spoken highly of it to you, affecting your perceptions of the school and its competition. I’m not saying that Georgetown isn’t as good a school as you think, but I am saying that GW most certainly is not a bad school as you have dismissed it to be. You have absolutely <em>no right</em> to call any student body stupid, whether they go to Georgetown, or GW, or some no-name community college for that matter.</p>
<p>Also, you still haven’t given any real reasons why SFS would be better Elliott than the other other than complaining about GW having too many rich kids and sharing a link to a picture of an expensive car… which is kind of ironic coming from someone whose family income is 6 times the national average. </p>
<p>If this is what the people at Georgetown are really like, then maybe I shouldn’t even bother.</p>
<p>Stupid-rich is an expression meaning you have more money than you know what to do with. <em>not to be confused with stupid and rich</em> The car post was meant as a joke, even though it’s true. Usually people who get into GU and GWU always go to GU if the costs are similar. </p>
<p>If you “shouldn’t even bother” because of a joke post, then I don’t want you to go to Georgetown. I’d hope my classmates all have a fundamental grasp of reason.</p>
There’s a big difference between receiving financial aid and merit aid. According to GWU’s own common data set, only 44% of enrolled undergraduates qualified for need based financial aid, whereas 56% of GU’s students did. The difference between the types of aid is huge. One is used to attract students “out of the school’s league” (merit), while the other is awarded because the student’s parents do not make $300,000+ per year. Bill Gates’ kids could get merit based financial aid. They’re not getting need based aid.</p>
<p>According to both schools’ IPEDS data Georgetown* is generally less expensive than George Washington** for everyone making <110,000. Beyond that income level, merit aid starts becoming more important than financial aid, hence the slight difference in average net price (<$2,00).</p>
<p>GU is also need blind, meaning you don’t get accepted/denied based on financial need. GWU is need aware, meaning that they are more willing to accept you if you’re full-pay. GU meets need 100% of the time…GWU 57%.</p>
<p>So I got a call from GU today… and I was accepted. :o :o </p>
<p>I’m honestly still 50/50 about all of this, and in my case the money would be almost break even regardless of where I go (slightly cheaper at GU), so some facts about the actual quality of education, location, faculty, etc. would be appreciated right about now. I don’t really want to hear about how much money the people at either school have or how much need is being met. All of my financial need is being met at both schools, so I’d like to hear about how one or the other might meet my educational needs. </p>
<p>GW has a great location - right in the heart of DC. GU is a little further out of the way, which might be a pain if I want to do internships downtown. </p>
<p>I’m in the Women’s Leadership Program at GW. If I were go to there, I would live with other girls in the program, we would go on field trips every week and/or meet with guest speakers who work in my field of study. I wouldn’t be able to do something like that at GU. </p>
<p>My mom still doesn’t like Georgetown but we are going to take a look at the campus next week.</p>
<p>However GU does have a lot of name power behind it. I’ve read some books by Georgetown professors and would really like the chance to work with them. They are the number one ranked IR program for graduate school… It would be really nice to already have my foot in the door if I decide to apply there again as a graduate student someday.</p>
<p>I also like the idea of having an actual enclosed campus as opposed to an NYU type setup with no green space.</p>
<p>I’m not extremely religious, but I do like the relatively conservative atmosphere that Georgetown would provide. I do not and have no desire to drink or party.</p>
<p>Which school has more flexible scheduling options? Smaller class sizes? Better access to public transportation? What about food? Housing?</p>
<p>What specifically does your mom not like about GU? Jesuit influence? </p>
<p>Public transport: GW, since it is right on the subway line</p>
<p>The others are personal choices. For example, what you find as a positive for GW (“right in the heart of DC”), my kids found as a negative – college buildings surrounded by/interpersed with government office buildings. For some/many, the Georgetown area of DC easily beats Foggy Bottom.</p>
<p>Food: GU – when we visited, GW’s main dining was a fast food court, but that might have changed.</p>
<p>Housing: GU – it’s right on campus. GW is split.</p>
<p>If you want to get into Georgetown, especially SFS, apply as an international student. They positively go ape over them. I go to an international school in Britain and Georgetown accepted every one of the 5 students who applied. That said, for most international students, Georgetown is too conservative and too American. </p>
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