<p>Calling all GWU students (Freshman, Sophs, Juniors, Seniors):
Kindly answer this question</p>
<p>If I knew then what I know now....</p>
<p>(looking for practical, helpful, everyday things, that if done, can make a huge difference).</p>
<p>1) Don't give up if you come across some administrative red tape (which occurs at any semi-large school). Figure out who is in charge and go directly to them in person. Be polite but firm. </p>
<p>2) Join a lot of different extracurriculars freshman year. You won't regret it. You'll get to meet different people, and if you're not interested or are too busy, you can always drop them later on. </p>
<p>3) Meet the people in your dorms. At my freshman dorm, we all kept our doors open during the day... It was a friendly and great environment.</p>
<p>4) Study like crazy... Most people at GW were at the top of their classes in high school. Many assume that they can keep their study habits and still end up at the top of GW... Not gonna happen. You need attend every class and study because it's much harder and the professors do NOT practice grade inflation (unlike many other private schools). Many professors act as if they don't keep track of attendence, but I guarantee you that it will count when they're figuring your final grades. I thought that since my professors never called on me, I could skip classes my freshman year. In one class, I ended up getting a 92 gradewise but he gave me a C+ because I skipped like 6 classes that semester. So, don't skip.</p>
<p>5) If you're poor like me, the grocery store at the Watergate, Safeway, is a great place to stock up on food. DON'T go to provisions, which is a total ripoff. My roommates and I ate Safeway food every day because we were all poor college kids.</p>
<p>6) Once you are allowed to live off-campus, don't live so far from campus that you won't be able to socialize. Some of my friends moved out to virginia and they hated it... They became like total hermits. My friends and I moved into a tiny apartment in Dupont Circle but it was so much fun because it was close to the school and to adams morgan (where a lot of people hang out on weekends). We also saved a ton of money (again, important if you're poor like me) -- I only paid $400/month for rent because three of us shared a one bedroom apartment.</p>
<p>7) Do NOT bring a car. It's just not worth it. I brought my car and I had so many parking tickets, it's not even funny. I seriously paid over $2000 in tickets over two years because each ticket was like $200 and I got ticked all the time in DC. Also, parking is really expensive in DC and it is very unavailable.</p>
<p>8) Keep up with your high school friends... You'll be glad to have them when things get tough at college (it happens at some point to everyone at any college).</p>
<p>I fully agree with what Serendipity has posted. </p>
<p>Keep up with all the friends you made freshmen year. There are a lot of sophomore buildings and some of those friendships might fall through the cracks.</p>
<p>Get to know your professors. Identify which ones might help you by writing a recommendation or give you advice on internships and jobs.</p>
<p>Research your GCRs and major requirements, so you're on track to graduate on time.</p>
<p>Go abroad.</p>
<p>Make sure all transfer credit and AP credit arrive and get processed in time.</p>
<p>If you plan on hosting a party in your room, make sure you control the noise volume. You'll get a knock on your door if you're too loud and if they see anything illegal in the room, they can write you up for that, too.</p>
<p>Make sure to have a touristy DC day every so often. Not only is it fun, but it's a great way to de-stress.</p>
<p>College is the time to start anew. Take advantage of it and have the time of your life!</p>
<p>Agree with both...</p>
<p>Freshman year is the most opportune time to socialize/meet new people at G-dub. Get involved--it does help. You really have to put yourself out there to have fun at G-Dub.</p>
<p>Acdemically,
Pace yourself and go to your professor's office hours. It helps me!</p>
<p>8) "Keep up with your high school friends... You'll be glad to have them when things get tough at college (it happens at some point to everyone at any college)."</p>
<p>VERY, VERY, VERY, VERY TRUE! They picked me up when I was feeling blue!</p>