GW senior taking questions

<p>thank you for your answer. You really are doing good deeds for all of us here! I wish you all the best with your legal career!</p>

<p>I am a senior in high school and will be applying to schools this fall. GW is high on my list due to its location and the opportunities it provides. I am interested in Computer Science, with a double major or a minor in International Affairs. Would this be possible and if so would this be a good idea? I’m not sure how difficult it would be to have classes in two different departments.
Also, what would you say GW does better than any other school, and what personally drew you to GW? If you don’t mind me asking what other colleges did you consider before choosing GW?</p>

<p>Hi Senior (or anyone else who knows), my daughter visited GW this summer and fell in love…she wants to major in English and GW does not get mentioned in any lists I have seen for good english programs. Any thoughts on that? Know anyone who has had a good or bad English department experience?</p>

<p>What’s GWU percentage for ED? Because I absolutely am attracted to their political departments and its generous financial aid. I live in Minnesota so would it be an advantage? </p>

<p>I also have a EC that is very focused in helping a 3rd World Country Vietnam. I am taking all honors/AP except math with a 3.77 gpa.</p>

<p>Thanks</p>

<p>dlim: Technically, yes, it is definitely possible to double major across schools. However, I’m not familiar with the requirements of the Computer Science major, so I’m not sure how hard it would be to make sure you get all your requirements completed for both majors. I’d recommend applying as a computer science major, and then speaking with an adviser if you decide to come here about how hard it would be to pick up another major/minor.</p>

<p>As far as what drew me to GW…To be honest, I wasn’t nearly as into the college-search process as a lot of the people on here. I only applied to 4 schools, and GW was among them because I liked politics and the idea of being in DC. In the end, it came down to GW or my flagship state school, and surprisingly GW gave me so much financial aid that it was cheaper to come here! </p>

<p>I think that GW has the best opportunities for internships and networking out of any other school. If you don’t plan on having an internship or job at some point in college, I honestly would not recommend coming to GW. What I really liked is that I felt the education we received was really aimed at preparing us for future careers; instead of learning esoteric concepts, I felt like the things I learned had a really practical application to our future careers.</p>

<p>dkloos: GW isn’t particularly well-known for its English department, but I know several English majors who seemed happy with their experience. GW offers a pretty wide variety of English classes too. I think what you should really be focusing on though is what your daughter wants to do with her degree. If she wants to be an English professor, she should probably go to a school with a more well-known program. However, if she is thinking of grad school, or wants to work at some sort of institution in DC, GW is a great choice.</p>

<p>kenny: I don’t work in admissions, so I really can’t speak to what will give you a boost or not. The only thing that I can say with certainty (that has been repeated on this board a lot) is that GW cares a lot about you showing interest in the school. Visit if you can; if not, really research what you like about the school and make sure your essays reflect how you would take advantage of what GW and DC have to offer.</p>

<p>Just to chime in about the English department: I’m currently an English major at GW going into my junior year and I’m loving it. I didn’t originally come to GW to major in English and really didn’t know anything about the English department when I applied, but we’ve had a number of readings from pretty prestigious authors like Ed Jones and Michael Chabon. We also have well-known writers (like Ed Jones) coming in to teach classes and hold book club sort of things every semester. And also, while the opportunities in New York City are most likely much more prevalent, there are a lot of English-related opportunities in DC. I interned at a top literary agency last semester, and DC is home to top institutions like the Folger Shakespeare Library. </p>

<p>If you want more specifics the English Department keeps a pretty good blog - gwenglish . blogspot . com - whose most recent entries include information on what undergraduates have been up to as well as faculty achievements and the like.</p>

<p>GWSenior-
How many internships have you manage to get during your time at GW? What law school they you get accepted to?
And I am planning to visit GW soon and was wondering if they keep names of people who visit? Because like you said interest is key.</p>

<p>Thanks Sorry for a lot of questions.</p>

<p>kenny- Technically, I never did an “internship,” per se. I had a work-study job my freshman year, and then I worked as a paid employee for two years at a federal agency. This was by choice however; I know people who did a different internship every year or semester. I think it’s better though to focus on quality, not quantity, of your internships/jobs- that will lead to some great recommendation letters and references when you apply for jobs or grad school!</p>

<p>GW does make a note if you visit- you will fill out a card at the information session, and they will add it to their system.</p>

<p>hey gwsenior</p>

<p>im an entering freshman and i was wondering if you can order laptops through the gw bookstore online? do you have to preorder first and pick it up later? or can you just buy it like a few days before school starts and you’ll get it on that day??
i emailed the bookstore like…a month ago and they never replied lol </p>

<p>thanks ;)</p>

<p>I know the question is for GW senior, but I want to add something to the topic, if you don’t mind: You can buy any computer, doesn’t have to be through the bookstore, which happens to be most times the most expensive place to buy electronics. try instead, tax free weekend in the 1st weekend of august at Best Buy, Staples, Office Depot or the like, will save some money to your parents, trust me!</p>

<p>Multi is right; there is no need to buy it from the bookstore. However, if you do decide to do that, there is no need to pre-order; just go to the bookstore, they’ll spend about 20 minutes configuring it, and you’ll walk out with it that same day.</p>

<p>Personally, I’d recommend buying a Mac at the Apple store so you can get a free Ipod touch, but that’s just me :)</p>

<p>Agree with you, GWsenior, money can be stretched in better ways if you purchase anywhere but from the bookstore!</p>

<p>Do you know anything about continuing financial aid? GW is my far and beyond first choice, but it’s all contingent on financial aid (or else I’d apply ED and just get it over with!). I am low-income (<$25,000) with a pretty good application, so I am praying for a great package from GW. But if I get a great financial aid package from GW, what will it look like in my continuing years? Have you met or been in a situation where the financial aid package has dropped? I’m hoping to graduate <$25,000 in debt.</p>

<p>applicannot: If you get a GW Guaranteed Grant as part of your FA package (which I’m almost certain you would, as I did with a family income a lot higher), it is guaranteed that you will get at least that much for the next 5 years. If your income does not change, the rest of your FA package is unlikely to change as well (if anything, they will give you more aid).
Since I’m pretty sure you will qualify for Pell Grants from the government in addition to GW aid, I think your need will be well-covered.</p>

<p>hola gwsenior, so i’m being forced into off campus housing (boo), which are the complexes that tend to have the most gwu students, and should i just go to craigslist to find an rm? </p>

<p>i’m a transfer, so i’m just trying to be in an area with a lot of fellow students, i don’t to isolate myself and make finding friends that much harder.</p>

<p>Is University Writing required in First semester of the freshmen year? or is it possible to take it in second semester?</p>

<p>Thanks, gwsenior. Our income will actually decrease in the coming years because my mom works for the state and it’s cutting employee pay a couple of percent this year and next.</p>

<p>Speaking of moving off campus, are finances taken into consideration? I can only attend GW if my financial aid package is excellent. That means it has to cover room and board. If I get booted off campus, I’ll have to somehow come up with my own rent money, which is impossible unless I work a LOT, which I’d rather not do. Does GW somehow take into account that I can’t afford to live off campus? Would that somehow make it easier for me to stay on campus all four years?</p>

<p>you can take it in the second semester, Go HAkers</p>

<p>GoHakers - Multi is right, you can take it either semester. At CI they told us not to freak if you didn’t get it first semester bc then they make sure you get it second semester. Best of luck in the fall!</p>

<p>kurt: You’ll be fine in any of the apartment buildings that are on or very near campus. I lived in an apartment my senior year and to be honest, you don’t really meet very many people in your building itself. Rather, a better way to meet people is to join a student organization, and then make sure that you are close enough to campus so that you can really be involved in campus life.</p>

<p>applicannot: If you are not picky about where you live, you will almost for sure get on-campus housing your junior and senior years. Even if you are placed on the “waitlist” at first, if you explain to housing your situation I feel like you will get priority. Even if for some reason you have to move off campus, your loans can be used to cover rent (your financial aid will not go down either).</p>