GW,Richmond,W&L: Politics/IR/Business

Colleges and Universities A-Z Washington & Lee University
1

<p>I have been accepted to these schools.</p>

<p>I want to study politics/IR because as a high schooler, I have had some federal GO and NGO work and found them to be quite fascinating. Business, however, seems the way to go, especially if I'm going to be in debt after college.</p>

<p>GW-Elliott School</p>

<p>Pros: City campus: internship opps. esp. in pol/gov't but also in business.
Got in University Scholars.
Sorority houses on campus.
I already work in the District every summer.</p>

<p>Neg:City Campus: God-awful dorms, no cafeteria.
Good dorms are all a shuttle ride away.
Low ranking USNWR ranking.
Perception of others; GW= Georgetown Waitlist</p>

<p>Neutral: Some Greek Life,
supposedly good dorms as upperclassman (didn't get to see them)</p>

<p>URichmond</p>

<p>Pros "REAL" Campus that looks/feels like a campus. Some internships at the state level. 92% of students live on campus. Moderate Greek life. Got in Law School as hs student (maintaining certain college GPA)</p>

<p>Neg: not as highly ranked as a LAC as W&L. No sorority houses.</p>

<p>Washington and Lee</p>

<p>Pros: Another "real" campus. HUGE Greek Life. Very strong alumni network esp. in DC. Seminars in Washington/NY for Spring Term. Sorority Houses.</p>

<p>Neg: Only fr/so live on campus for the most part. Lexington, VA is in the middle of nowhere. </p>

<p>Neutral: the "southerness" of W&L, </p>

<p>These are just my impressions. I need to decide soon.... Opinions?</p>

2

<p>You seem to know a lot about all three schools. I can't help you choose as my preference is obvious but I'll add these tidbits:
-Look up Mock Convention if youre interested in politics
-Though many jrs/seniors live off campus, Lexington is so small that it really doesnt matter. In fact, many of them live closer to the main part of campus than the fraternity houses and most are within walking distance.</p>

<p>GW is a great school - but if you're looking for the "college feel" its going to be much harder to get there than at the other two schools on your list.</p>

<p>W&L is the only top-ranked liberal arts college with an accredited business school</p>

<p>Don't concern yourself with reputation (like as "Georgetown Waitlists") - the people that matter (employers, grad schools) know that GW and W&L are both great schools and are impressed by their graduates (btw, many GW students are there under the ED plan). I don't think Richmond has the same reputation - at least not yet.</p>

3

<p>Tartan - </p>

<p>My husband is a GWU Law grad, but went to a "real" campus (Wake Forest) undergrad. Similar story for me -- UMd Law (city campus in Baltimore), Wake undergrad. Had wonderful experiences at all of our schools. But it's no contest from our perspective -- we strongly recommend the "real" campus-centered experience for undergrad! (W&L or Richmond) </p>

<p>This is the only four years you will have to live entirely in the moment, in the community you choose. (Grad school is much more like a job.) So it matters far more in your undergrad years who is living in that community with you (who are the other students you will be spending 100% of your time with?), as well as what daily living standards are in that community (dorms/housing, Greek life, security, food, ECs, Honor Code). </p>

<p>As for W&L v. Richmond, both are fine schools. As you note, W&L's business and politics majors enjoy a stellar reputation and outstanding law/grad school placement results. And you probably are aware that Richmond's current Dean of the Jepson School of Leadership will be returning to his alma mater as W&L's President this summer. </p>

<p>What put W&L at the top of our S's list (over UVa, Wake, Vanderbilt, and Richmond - also offered law admission) is the personal commitment that the University makes to each and every student -- and vice versa. W&L "walks the walk," and it has been doing so for generations. We see it in every aspect of the school, from the admissions office, to the professors whose classes our S visited, to the people in the bookstore, to the students who hosted him on and off campus, to the Honor Code as it plays out in daily life (schedule your own exams, leave your backpack on the steps of Elrod during lunch, buy bluebooks by dropping your change into an open unattended jar on a bottom shelf in the bookstore - college as it should be). </p>

<p>We visited lots of campuses over the past few years, but by the end of our S's last visit to W&L, we had to drag him away. For him, it's not about W&L's great reputation, amazing beauty, or even its impressive grad school and networking prospects; it's about the people who will be living next door, sitting at the desk beside him, and cheering their friends on the playing fields, as well as those who will be standing in the front of the classrooms -- nearly all of whom will share his passion for W&L -- whether that happens on CC (Dima, KidsIn, and JeepMom!); between classes along the incomparable Colonnade; at a weekend fraternity party; or in a courtroom, boardroom, or operating room long after he graduates. He's looking foward to going to school with people who feel such a connection to W&L, its values, and each other. </p>

<p>Best of luck with your decision -- no matter what it is, you cannot make a bad choice with those options!</p>

4

<p>Tartan:</p>

<p>As a graduate of Wake Forest undergrad, W&L law, and Georgetown law, to me the "true campuses" of Wake Forest and W&L made the experiences there much richer than the "city campus" atomosphere of Georgetown- which I suspect is much the same as at GW. </p>

<p>What you perceive to be a negative of W&L- it's rural location, was to me one of the biggest positives of the area. As someone who has lived my entire life in a 1.0 million population city, living in a true college town such as Lexington (which was not the case at Wake Forest), especially when combined with the surrounding mountains and all they offer if you like out-of-doors activities such as mountain biking, hiking, fishing, climbing, tubing, kayaking, hanging out on the rocks at Goshen Pass (see <a href="http://www.geocities.com/billh1970/pics/goshen1/goshenp.htm)%5B/url%5D"&gt;www.geocities.com/billh1970/pics/goshen1/goshenp.htm)&lt;/a>, sitting in a lawn chair and drinking beer in the middle of Buffalo Creek while at Zollman's (see <a href="http://www.buffalocreek.wlu.edu)%5B/url%5D"&gt;www.buffalocreek.wlu.edu)&lt;/a>, etc. (also not the case at Wake Forest), was one of the best parts of my experience. Also, the arrangement where many live along the river or in the country their last two years is something that makes W&L truly unique and is something that I believe makes W&L grads think so fondly of their time there.</p>

<p>Finally, what was said above about the Honor Code is true, and was not present at the other schools I attended (even though they professed to have an honor code).</p>

5

<p>Are there any women grads who can weigh in?</p>