Hi! I’m a current junior interested in GWU Elliott school. I’ve read the website couple of times, and if there are any current Elliott students or class of 2024 Elliott students I would love to hear why you chose Elliott, what you like about Elliott and what you don’t like about Elliott. I would love to hear inside voices on what the school is like since I’m seriously considering it! Thanks!
First and foremost, the Elliott School is a top 10 institution for the study of international relations. Its faculty boasts multiple former ambassadors and senior diplomats. Consequently, the people that teach there not only have an in-depth level of knowledge about foreign policy - they are people that have literally shaped foreign policy themselves. Example: My professor for Arab politics was Ambassador to Kuwait during the Gulf War and was working with President Bush to help respond to the Iraqi invasion. My International Relations of Africa professor was a former ambassador to several African countries. Another professor wrote speeches for President Obama. Another professor had to cancel class twice during the semester to testify before Congress. The faculty at the Elliott School is insane, and the academics are top-notch. Moreover, the proximity to Capitol Hill makes it super easy to land quality internships and bolster your CV. The department also has its own really nice, fancy building that was pretty new when I studied at GW (though it isn’t AS new now obviously). If you’re interested in studying international relations, there are very few better institutions you could apply to (Harvard, Johns Hopkins, Georgetown, Tufts, and Stanford off the top of my head).