<p>I got into both (International Studies major), and I'm having trouble deciding between the two. It may end up coming down to money, but if both are manageable... I feel like I'm comparing apples and oranges. Does anyone have any inside knowledge on the difference between the programs or anything else that could make or break a decision? Especially helpful would be people who had to choose between the two and why they chose one over the other. Thanks so much.</p>
<p>SUCH different vibes! My D took American off her list after visiting last year. Totally felt wrong to her but coudn’t put her finger on it.</p>
<p>My DS was accepted to both schools, visited, and felt much more positive about the vibe at AU. He had a great experience, caring profs, and many internships. You are exactly right that they are apples and oranges. One is not better than the other. You get to decide which experience you feel like having. Which campus do you like the best? Be aware that many freshman at GW do not live on the campus at Foggy Bottom.</p>
<p>^Actually many freshmen do live on the Foggy Bottom campus. Half of the freshmen reside at thurston, and a few hundred more at Crawford, Lafayette, and Potomac. I would say a little over a quarter of the class lives on Mount Vernon since it can hold about 700 people (upper and underclassmen and transfers). Foggy Bottom has its advantages with internships considering that it’s near federal agencies. Additionally, it will be easier to travel because of the proximity, whereas if you were at AU and landed and internship at the Hill, then it could be a hassle to travel.</p>
<p>they are really completely different schools when you get into the details. american is a one trick pony (but not in a disparaging sense): smaller, strong in IR/Poly Sci/Public Affairs but not much else. GW is more of a comprehensive research university and is stronger but not elite in science and engineering in addition to being strong at all the things comprehensive research universities are usually strong in. </p>
<p>AU endowment: $385 million
GW endowment: $1.3 billion</p>
<p>check the usnews rankings for both undergrad and grad programs to get a sense of what each university is best at. at first glace i don’t think there’s a discipline where AU is ranked higher than GW. (besides criminology). however for poly sci/ir they are about equal. gw probably has an edge in national name recognition thanks to the law school being top 20. go wherever you feel the most comfortable, unless you’re thinking of double majoring or something and want to do some undergraduate research at the hospital, new science and engineering center, etc</p>
<p>I got into both schools for IR as well and I ended up going to GWU. I personally liked the campus at gw better because I liked being more connected to the city. It was a hard decision though because I got into the honors program at American, but I didn’t even apply to the one at gw, so I started to consider American a little more after that. BUT then I got a larger scholarship to GW so I decided to go here.</p>
<p>If really you like the atmospheres at both schools, I would go to whoever gives you the most money. That may seem shallow, but since you’re an IR major like me, there’s a strong chance you’ll be going to grad/law school and the less money you have to spend on an undergraduate degree, the better. If money doesn’t end up being a big issue for you, then I would visit both campuses and pick the school where you can better see yourself going. They’re both completely different campuses with completely different vibes, so you should be able to distinguish a preference from that. I personally love GW, but to each his own! Good luck on your decision and congratulations for getting into both schools!</p>