<p>Well, what do you want to do with your degree? An extra 30k in debt is a serious issue but at the same time it shouldn't be your parent's decision - it should be yours. Also, your education is probably the best thing TO splurge on at this point. If you think about it many people go 30k into debt over a CAR - why not go 30k into debt for a lifetime experience and gain something (for a much lower interest rate) that not only will never depreciate but rather grow in value? Compared to all kinds of other debt other than maybe real estate, student loans are definitely more desirable.</p>
<p>I sent an email to that lady that told me my HS scores and lack of econ was going to prevent my admission and I never heard back from her. I think I'm going to send emails out to different people within the school, and try giving her another call tomorrow.</p>
<p>Other than that - yeah, I'm still thinking about GWU. Just in case Georgetown falls through I'm trying to get myself psyched up for GWU. I visited the Elliot School yesterday and tried to imagine myself walking around as a student. We'll see I guess.... the area is nice and the gym is way better.... but still, I like the historical campus that GU has to offer. Sigh....</p>
<p>just a question...what's the draw for GW? just about the most expensive school in the country for only moderate academics. maybe this is a parent's viewpoint( as with pinkdillo's) but sound, just the same.</p>
<p>Well, I am 24 and I have been financially independent of my parents for the last six years. I will be continuing to finance my own education and, despite high tuition, GWU still has a draw.</p>
<p>Every campus has it own unique quirks that people are willing to pay for. I like GWU because it's extremely close to a metro station, it is within walking distance from quite a few classic DC landmarks (The White House being one of them) and I like the surrounding area of Foggy Bottom with its wide array of restaurants and political powerhouses. The new Elliot School building is very nice (although I think it could do with a few more nooks and lounges to up the "comfy" factor) and the academics for the degree I plan on pursuing (International Affairs, unsure of the concentration) are not simply "moderate." If they were then I wouldn't have applied. It is one of the top schools for my educational goals. It's also got a kicka** gym (how many floors?!?) - although American's is pretty nice too.</p>
<p>GWU students are smart and I want to surround myself with like minded people who have something interesting about them or simply work hard studying. It is an expensive school but if anyone on this board lives in DC or the surrounding areas (as I do) then they can attest to the fact that DC is, in and of itself, an expensive place to be. </p>
<p>Georgetown's still my number one though! Can't beat history...</p>
<p>For McDonough acceptances, I called Chip today who is responsible for evaluation of transfer credit and he said we will be sending out a batch today (possibly through email?) and will have the rest out by the beginning of next week. Just so you know.</p>
<p>I agree with you smile - I think it should be my decision, but my parents are pretty much jerks and refuse to let me to that, or so they say. I plan on doing Teach for America for 2 years after I graduate and I know some loans get waived when you do that, and so I think if I explain that to them then maybe they will reconsider.
YT, I know $30,000 seems pretty minute in comparison to what alot of people take on here at CC, but I think to take on much more than that would be crazy, for me at least. I want a law degree and I hope to be an attorney, but I don't want to be paying off my loans forever!</p>
<p>Oh, smile, I also emailed people at Georgetown admissions and they never emailed me back. Maybe it's a policy? </p>
<p>Still waiting for the official decision... ahhh...</p>
<p>I want to do teach for america too, but I just read about how competitive it is. Do you think coming out of a school like Georgetown will help get a spot?</p>
<p>And as for the GW/Gtown debate... of course most of us, given the chance, would choose Georgetown over GW for the prestige and the better academics, this by no means makes GW a bad school! I love the location of GW (metro to Georgetown is a hassle and that shuttle to campus is like $1.75 each time or something if I remember correctly) and I would love to be in DC. GW also has the Political Communication major which is what I would pursue if I attended - I don't think any other schools offer GW's type of PoliComm degree, theirs focuses on journalism whereas most schools call a degree in communication studies with a few govt. classes "political communication" which is BS. My current school does that. Annoying.</p>
<p>Yeah teach for america is pretty competitive but I also believe alot matters on where you would like to be placed. I'm pretty sure if I applied and wanted to go to a not so popular place like Hawaii (sure, nice to vacation, but alot of people don't want to live so far from home) I figure it would be a little easier. I also know of a girl who got in and she seems to have my stats.</p>
<p>Well, it looks pretty bad.... I requested that my application undergo a full review and not be negatively impacted by my need for a tentative decision earlier on. This is the e-mail I got in response:</p>
<p>"I can assure you your application received a full and complete review. Many applicants ask for an early review of their application, and we always try to accomodate them so they can make the best decision regarding where they deposit.</p>
<p>I would encourage you to go ahead and deposit at GW.</p>
<p>Regards,
xxxxxxxxx"</p>
<p>Ouch.... </p>
<p>Congrats Sara. At least you got in with a DLI background!</p>
<p>Well, if GU really doesn't want me GWU has offered me a pretty fantastic financial aid package. All in all (including some military benefits of around 8k or so) I would only be responsible for $1,600 out of pocket. Yay for small victories! </p>
<p>Only a tiny part of me is still holding out for GU but for the rest of you who were accepted good luck and I'm really happy (envious, but happy) for you!</p>
<p>ckdunton-
The Financial aid was really good. No suprises. Well, except for that my GI bill is to be subtracted from the whatever GU scholarship they would have given me anyways. "VA Benifits replace GU scholarship on a dollar-for-dollar basis." </p>
<p>In a nutshell I got 58% scholarship, 28% loans, 7% work study, and 7% EFC. But they are throwing a lot of money at me when you consider that the Financial aid covers fees, room and board, books, travel, and personal expenses. I thought I would only get money for tuition. I will probably just use the loans to pay off my EFC. My husband and I were not expecting help for room and board and hopefully we will not need it.</p>
<p>Thank you for the encouragement. Maybe I'll see you while I shop in Georgetown. </p>
<p>Pink, </p>
<p>Well, I never got an email back from the original lady that I emailed so I called her direct number and found out that she would be out of town for the next week. I'm not sure how long she was out or if she ever recieved my e-mail. So, I called up the admissions office, explained I was working with so and so but she was out of town and they referred me to someone else. I sent THEM an e-mail and, well, you saw the response. </p>
<p>I read in another post that if you feel you didn't get enough aid you can appeal and sometimes the results are very positive. Or maybe you did get something that was around what you expected. </p>
<p>Either way, where will you be happier? What kind of loans are they? Are they subsidized or unsubsidized? You want to be an attorney - well, if you go private practice you'll probably make a pretty good amount of money to help with loans. Also the Teach for American should (maybe) help decrease them as well. </p>
<p>Why don't you look at other scholarships instead of just what the school will offer you? Are you a minority at all? Do you have some extra time to write a few essays and maybe score a few grand that way? </p>
<p>I hope you figure out what is best for you! If things head where it looks like they are then maybe I'll see you this fall! That'd be awesome. If only it were at GU - ah well. Everything happens for a reason. I think I'm going to try for the honors program at GWU.</p>