<p>I just got accepted to the Elliott School of International Affairs at the George Washington University.</p>
<p>I'm thrilled :]</p>
<p>Glad to say my admission process is FINITO!</p>
<p>Good for you. A good place to be, college and city, for someone interested in international affairs.</p>
<p>congratulations~XD</p>
<p>you're going to love DC =) live 20-30min from it my entire life, and still think its one of the best cities to live near, especially for your major...</p>
<p>Top 10 Tips/Advice/Warnings
1) DO NOT, i repeat, DO NOT venture into SE (the city is divided into "downtown", NW (rich/family area that borders MD and the river), NE (northern parts are pretty nice, but venture too close to SE and not good), SE (they find bodies in rivers...when you hear about shootings/crime, its in here most of the time), and SW (small, next to VA, nice neighborhood-type area)) its a bad, crime-ridden area, no matter how much they say its improving
2) streets are #s east and west, and letters north and south, starting at 1st St and A St respectively...at the end of the letter/number there will be NE, NW, SE, SW to show where you are...so, if you ever get lost trying to head to 2nd street and you're at 5th, walk 3 blocks towards downtown and you're there! also, once letters run out at W, they start with two-syllable names starting at A again (Albany, Butterworth, ect) diagonal streets are state names
3) dont ever say "im visiting the Smithsonian"....there are like 10 of them, literally...Air&Space, Natural History, American History, ect...go to all of them though...also, botanical gardens, sculpture gardens, Hiroshimo Art Gallery, and National Gallery of Art are awesome places
4) the Metro is actually really decent...wont take you far into NoVa (WHICH BLOWS when you live there >=O ), but it will get you around DC cheaply and is reliable and convienent, just dont expect rocket science down there
5) Rock Creek Park is amazing...so is the National Zoo...take time to visit both, frequently...not only are they free, but they're so much fun
6) FDR Memorial and the WWII memorial are absolutely beautiful places...also, the FDR is right on the tidal basin, so its nice to take lunch and sit and watch the boats and g'Town crew
7) L'Enfant (DC's initial designer..however, Washington fired him because he couldnt get along with contractors (wiki L'Enfant, he's really neat) so two others took over) liked circles...a lot...get used to driving DC and encountering circles...learn to observe Yield signs, or you will be hit
8) People in DC/NoVa/lower Md drive horribly...and theres a million cars on the road...learn to deal with traffic, and learn to be considerate and calm, even when you have a million idiots on the road...try to avoid 495, 295, 270, 66, Dulles Toll Road, and the Woodrow Wilson bridge at rushhour...basically, dont drive during rush hour unless completly necessary
9)go visit the Senate or H of R during a session (go visit your Senator or Rep's office, they'll give you a ticket to get you in)...its really awesome to watch, especially with all of the politics going on today and when they vote, it can get nasty
10) lastly, take time to walk around DC and enjoy what there is to do...theres always something going on, whether its a festival, a special collection at art galleries, a fundraising walk/run, Cherry Blossem Festival (!!), Kite Festival, or whatever...DC is beautiful in many ways, and most of all, ENJOY IT!</p>
<p>Wow thanks shoebox10!
I'm printing that out and it's going into my wallet :D</p>
<p>And btw - I doubt DC/NoVa/lower MD drivers are worse than French. Seriously, NO ONE is worse than the French when it comes to driving haha</p>
<p>Good Job!!! Have fun :)</p>
<p>you'd be suprised...trust me haha</p>
<p>NICE JOB!!</p>
<p>Congratulations!</p>
<p>Congratulations! GWU is a great school</p>
<p>But juz curious, did u apply for financial aid since GWU is like one of the most expensive schools?? Were you satsified with the aid if you did apply for it?</p>
<p>good job :)</p>
<p>B407 : I applied for Fin Aid, though I'm not sure I'll be applicable (sibling in another private university. Although unfortunately I don't think they'll take cost of living into consideration, since I live in one of the top 10 most expensive cities in the world... :S)</p>
<p>I haven't received a <em>possible</em> Fin. Aid package yet, but hopefully I'll at least get something.</p>
<p>:O awesome!!!</p>