Georgetown vs. GWU

College Search & Selection
1

<p>I am 17 at the moment and I will hopefully get into the University of Sussex in Brighton, England to read American History. I have been told by an American History lecturer to start thinking about my year abroad destination now because if I sort that out in my first year, I'm almost guaranteed to get my first choice.</p>

<p>I will be going to university starting September 2014 and my year abroad will start September 2016. I know this is very soon, but as the AH lecturer said, it's better to start thinking and researching it now.</p>

<p>I have 42 universities to choose from and I need to pick 5. I know for sure I want to go to a city, and Washington DC is where I want to be. 2016 is election year and being in DC I will experience it. I will also be able to go to the inauguration, etc. in 2017. I have currently got these schools down as my top 5 (in no particular order):</p>

<p>Georgetown
GWU
Roosevelt
UPenn
Pitt</p>

<p>I really like the look of GWU over Georgetown, and it would be easier for me to go around the city with the Metro on campus and all. However, I am wondering about the experience I would get at GWU compared to Georgetown. I heard GWU doesn't really have a campus, and most students are part-time, older people. How true is this?</p>

<p>I know UPenn is the best school on the list because it's an Ivy, but Philadelphia isn't a place that's really interested me (apart from Independence Hall). I'd prefer DC and Chicago. Roosevelt has an amazing location, but the academics aren't all that great if my research has served me right.</p>

<p>What would university would you suggest? Are the things I said about GWU true?</p>

<p>Please note, my eventual goal is to become a lawyer and I hope to get a scholarship in the US to go to a law school there. I'd need to go to a good university on my year abroad to make my application look impressive overall.</p>

<p>I know it's early to start looking, but I'd need to apply VERY early (at the start of my first year at Sussex) to get my first choice.</p>

<p>Thanks</p>

2

<p>I feel like you’ve posted this before…</p>

<p>Georgetown has a campus shuttle that takes you to GW’s metro stop, so, win.</p>

3

<p>Whoever told you that most students at GWU are part time/ non-traditional was wrong. Most students at the school are 18-24 and attend full time while living on or near campus. </p>

<p>Within the US, Georgetown has a far better reputation than GW. Both are likely to provide you with an excellent education in politics, and I know a couple of students at GWU that have taken full advantage of its DC location to network in American/Chinese politics. I only know one student at Georgetown studying international relations, but based on her postings in a facebook group I’m part of, she also seems to be establishing some excellent connections.</p>

<p>Scholarships to non terrible US law schools are almost unheard of for internationals. Don’t choose a US university because you want something that basically doesn’t exist.</p>

4

<p>Somebody I was talking to on a British Expats forum, whom is studying at Harvard Law School and is a Brit, said this:</p>

<p>All law schools except the top three (Harvard, Yale and Stanford - who offer prestige so refuse to do this) will offer a certain amount of money to basically “bribe” better students into their school. Unfortunately I wasn’t going to the Midwest and so don’t have specific info on those schools. [Top</a> Law Schools](<a href=“http://www.top-law-schools.com%5DTop”>http://www.top-law-schools.com) is the best resource for specific data. U Chicago is the best school here though. It’s a top 6 or 7 law school I think. </p>

<p>For reference, I had a 3.8 GPA equivalent and a 175 LSAT and I go to Harvard. But I turned down a full tuition scholarship at Columbia and Georgetown and a full ride (with stipend) at the University of Virginia, which is ranked about the same as U Chicago. </p>

<hr>

<p>Is this a lie do you think? I don’t know the person, only via the forums - so have no idea if it’s truthful or not.</p>

<p>If I don’t need to pick universities based on prestige then Roosevelt would be my choice. I love Chicago and it’s in a great location.</p>

<p>Georgetown seems better than GWU from what you’ve said, thanks :)</p>

5

<p>^Why don’t you consider University of Chicago and Northwestern? They are in/near Chicago and have bettern history programs than Georgetown/GWU</p>

6

<p>If you have a choice Georgetown and Penn. The others aren’t even close academically or prestige-wise.</p>

<p>Second the notion about Chicago or Northwestern, but the latter is not in the City, but in a neighboring town.</p>

<p>btw: Your friend is correct. Law school is almost all about GPA+LSAT, so go where you can maximize A’s. But, I’m not sure how useful a US law degree is for an international. (I have no idea how hard it is to practice here.) So, I would go for name brand on a resume.</p>

7

<p>If your goal is to experience DC, GW should be favored because of its location. You will be in the center of it all, compared with Georgetown where you will be on the outskirts. Georgetown also has a religious affiliation that turns a small percentage off.</p>