GWU campus life

Colleges and Universities A-Z George Washington University
1

I would so appreciate if anyone could answer any of these questions and tell me about GW.

  1. Do sports play a big role on campus?
  2. Where do students hang out on/off campus?
  3. What's the party scene like? Where do students party?
  4. Are students friendly, cliquey?
  5. Do different races/classes interact?
2
  1. No. Mens basketball games will get a fair amount of attention, but other than that, there aren't many mention of sports on campus. There are plenty of sports, don't get me wrong, but they're not typically high on a non-athletes list of priorities.
  2. There aren't many places that can house a lot of students at one time, so you'll find that students sprawl out just about everywhere. Studying-wise, most will be in one of the two libraries. Non-studying, you'll find students all over Kogan Plaza, University Yard, inside the Marvin Center, the basement of Shenkman Hall, and of course their dorms. Off-campus, students go all over D.C.- Georgetown is popular (the shopping areas, not the university), visiting the Smithsonians, Dupont Circle. etc.
  3. The parties have a fair amount of variety to them- it all depends on who's throwing them and where. Some are housed at the frat houses (you don't always have to be part of the frat to get in- it just depends); many are in the dorms, in which case you only need to know when and where... bigger parties don't really care who's there, but it's not as likely for you to bust-in on a smaller party full of close friends; there are also parties in off-campus housing (there are a few apartments either on or just off campus where many students live). So, from a freshman's perspective, most of it is just knowing about the party. If you find yourself in Thurston, there will be no lack of parties, and the culture in that dorm is so open that people bounce from party to party all the time. Even if you AREN'T in Thurston, you just need to know when and where the parties are and show-up.
  4. I would say, "it depends." There's such a diverse group of students at GW that you'll easily find both ends of the spectrum. However, I'd say the majority of students are friendly. Not necessarily "go out of their way to say Hi and be super cheery," but they're not going to snub you or be rude if you try to talk to them. As far as cliquey, I'd say mostly 'no.' There are definitely cliques, but they're a smaller percentage of the population.
  5. Absolutely. There's a fairly-large group of international students at GW (Middle Eastern and East Asian, specifically), and they seem to integrate well. I think the students from East Asia band together a bit more, but that's possibly just cultural and by choice- not because they aren't welcomed into other groups.