<p>about thurston–do you think it is going to be harder to get to live there if the quads are becoming triples? and does the time you turn in your housing thing have anything to do with if you get your first choice (like is it first come first serve --i know edi and edii have pref over Rd but other than that…if that makes sense)</p>
<p>Okay, so I have lots of questions… but thanks in advance, it’s really nice of you to answer our questions gwsenior!!</p>
<ol>
<li><p>I was just admitted as a Freshmen into SMPA. What exactly do most Political Communications Majors do after they graduate?</p></li>
<li><p>Is it true the the professors don’t really care about students… especially if they are “super professors.”</p></li>
<li><p>If I’m in the honors program and SMPA, is it possible to major in political communications along with a double major, or is that major really work intensive?</p></li>
<li><p>How hard is it to get into the graduate program… the one where you get a B.A. and M.A. in five years (I think you apply as a junior).</p></li>
</ol>
<p>Thanks in advance, you’re the best!</p>
<p>Liz90- I hadn’t really thought about that, but I suppose it would be somewhat harder to get into Thurston. They just built a new dorm on the Vern, so I’m guessing they’ll be putting more freshmen in there. Still, Thurston is huge, so I’d say you have a much better chance of getting placed there than the other Foggy Bottom frosh dorms. Housing is NOT first-come-first-serve. After the deadline passes, they assign dorms to EDI, then EDII, then RD people.</p>
<p>HannahB:</p>
<ol>
<li><p>I’m not sure what “most” do- I only know a few. One is working at the Washington Post; another who is graduating this year got hired to do PR for a lobbying firm. I would think you would have a pretty wide range of options, and whatever internships you have while in undergrad can certainly lead you to a job offer after graduation!</p></li>
<li><p>Oh my gosh, nothing could be further from the truth! I’m not sure what you mean by “super professors,” but I have had a few pretty famous professors, and they have been just as accessible as any other. At the very minimum, all professors will have office hours and be accessible by email. But the majority I’d say go beyond that; a whole lot will help you find internships, connect with alumni in your field, point you to research opportunities, etc. Also, professors always do their own lectures; you won’t have a TA teaching your main class (just a discussion section, if it’s a large lecture).</p></li>
<li><p>I suppose it could be possible to double major in SMPA. I think a lot would depend on how work-intensive the other major you want is. I’d recommend talking to your adviser about it.</p></li>
<li><p>I don’t know how competitive the 5 year program is, but a good number of people do it. You don’t apply until your junior year, I think, so make sure to keep your grades up from the very beginning!</p></li>
</ol>
<p>I know college rankings dont really matter and the real way to decide on a college is by looking at how you fit in and if meets your needs. However I am strongly considering GW and I just can’t get it out of my head that GW is ranked 53 on US News. I understand that ranking do not correctly portray a schools academic reputation but I still wonder why GW is ranked as it is. I have always been under the impression that GW is an excellent school with plenty to offer to any student. I guess I am asking for calming reassurance about either the inaccuracy of the ranking or the reputation of the university.</p>
<p>congrats for bringing up a touchy subject! I don’t know much but will comment on my observation. One of the things I truly love about GW is the committment the school has to fit. This school consistently seems to choose students that have done their research and want to attend the school for what it has to offer instead of it’s rank. If GW chose to admit based on stats they could most likely move up the ladder slowly but my guess is that rankings are only part of their long term goals. I have gone back as far as I could to try to figure out the type of students that enroll. I could only find one person who was unhappy and that was due to having to transfer due to financial reasons (read finaid). So guess I’m saying, focus seems to be on the student versus stats to raise the rankings. :)</p>
<p>Im an international student, and i wasnt eligible for Financial Aid.
I did not see any info about merit scholarship in my packet, so im assuming i have to pay
58000/year in order to go to GW…</p>
<p>I got accepted to Elliott by the way</p>
<p>would this be worth of me+my parents money??</p>
<p>and will there be some opportunities for me to get some aid, even in my sophomore year?</p>
<p>GoHakers - I am going to go to the Elliot School in the fall and I am not an international BUT my parents and I had to discuss whether it was worth going and paying all the money. We talked to several people who said the internships, exposure to the political scene and the strong potential for a job after graduation was worth the price. Professors take care of their Elliot students and you may find that going on to grad school is not necessary if an entry level job ends up having the potential for a well paying career in the future. Let’s put it this way, that is what my parents and I are willing to gamble on.</p>
<p>ra3003: GW loses a lot in non-academic areas that US News considers, including alumni giving and the high percentage of adjunct professors (which is due a lot in part to the fact that many professors have day jobs in what they are teaching). But as your gut is telling you, ranking is definitely not everything- it’s all about what you want to do and where you want to be during college. If your idea of the perfect college experience is sitting on a big green field discussing poetry…well, GW probably isn’t for you. GW is only worth the high tuition if you take full advantage of what it has to offer, and that means getting internships, networking, attending lectures and special events on and off campus, and appreciating a practical education that is really geared towards making you successful in your desired career. </p>
<p>GoHakers: In all honesty, international students are really at a disadvantage when it comes to receiving aid. If they didn’t give you any your freshman year, I doubt they would give you more after. You can browse my responses to other questions on this board (or see above) to find out what I think GW has to offer, and I would also recommend contacting the International Students Office at GW and see what they have to say.</p>
<p>since im an international student, i cannot write a check 
how should i pay the deposit???
is it okay if one of my friend’s family writes a check ? does it matter?</p>
<p>I think the check issue would be OK as long as your GWID is on it but send them an email or post on the GW message board to make sure.</p>
<p>I know that this has already been addressed, however I would like to know a little more about the “fun” parts of GW. I live in a suburban part of New York, about 30 minutes away from the city, so I know my fair share about city night life. Would you say that a majority of the time you spend your weekend nights in a club or bar or at house/apartment/dorm party, or a good mix of both? For the most part I’m looking for a relatively good mix, the club thing can get old, just as fast as the “frat” like party can. Thanks for any input.</p>
<p>Does GW guarantee housing all four years? Two years? Do Sophs get left at the bottom of the housing lottery?</p>
<p>DFeld: I’d say it’s a good mix. Freshman year we usually would go out to a club on Friday and to a frat or house party on Saturday (I never went out Thursdays, but that’s a big club night too). Usually there are multiple things going on though, so if you get sick of something there’s almost always an alternative.</p>
<p>bluebayou: Housing is guaranteed/mandatory for the first two years. There are certain dorms that only sophomores live in, so you’re not going to be competing with juniors/seniors for the same rooms. It is likely, but not guaranteed, that you will get housing if you want it for junior and senior years.</p>
<p>Thanks a lot gwsenior, one last thing, I will be visiting GW this upcoming Monday, and staying in DC from Sunday afternoon throughout Monday night. Is there anything special going on Sunday night? Or do you have any recommendations of places to go/visit in my spare time?</p>
<p>Can you clarify: In general how big are the class sizes? Any or all in large lecture halls?</p>
<p>DFeld: Walk down to the Mall and see the Cherry Blossoms! They are only in bloom for a few more days. The festival is going on through this week, so there are probably random events going on too in that area.</p>
<p>downtoearth: Class sizes vary a lot at GW. The largest courses out there are the popular intro courses that are probably around 200 people, but you will have a discussion section once per week with these that are at most 20 people. Also, you frequently don’t HAVE to take the huge class; you can often find smaller sections of the intro classes if you are willing to have a night class or go to the Vern. Non-intro classes are almost never that big; they range anywhere from 15-40ish people. Oh, and you have to take a course called University Writing your freshman year, and this class is capped at 15 people.</p>
<p>How many students get jobs after graduation?</p>
<p>Which wireless carrier has better coverage/reception in DC? Verizon or ATT?
Thanks!</p>
<p>nbg127: Verizon all the way!
You’ll have a problem with any other carrier. With verizon, even inside the Subway the coverage will be present. I don’t know if it’s true, but I had heard the city has a deal with Verizon, that won’t let the other carriers work properly.</p>
<p>When I was in DC for the Inauguration, we had no trouble with our Verizon phones. I don’t know for sure, but it seems to me that most people in this area have Verizon. I meet very few people who have another carrier, and those who do either switch to Verizon or have an iPhone.</p>