I’m applying to GW and just wanted to know if its really competitive there. I’m a straight A student at a pretty competitive high school, have taken AP classes, and am willing to put in the effort but i’m still scared if I’ll be able to handle the rigor of college. Is it really hard to get straight A’s and compete with the other students?
Well, getting straight-A’s depends on a few factors: the amount of effort you put-in, your natural talent in that field of study, and the class itself (curriculum and professor). There are plenty of classes that an “average GW student” will be able to achieve an A with moderate effort, but there are also classes where the professor will really make you work for it (typically introductory classes to competitive programs like International Affairs, Political Science, pre-med, etc)
I don’t know a single person with a 4.0 and I’m a junior, but it’d be concerning if there were a ton of people with 4.0s. College shouldn’t be easy, but with work and effort, it is very doable.
It’s a competitive and tough school but in my experience it isn’t pretentious. Many students at George Washington are internship driven and just tend to be well-balanced people. Overall, I would say everyone is fairly smart and hardworking. The curve in some classes definitely makes things easier too. What school at George Washington are you applying to? I’m in the business school and I personally think it’s pretty chill and I would highly recommend coming here. There’s not an influx of academically brilliant people to the extent that it’s intimidating. Lastly, it totally depends on what school you’re in at George Washington and whether or not you get a good string of professors. You should certainly not let fear of under-performing discourage you from coming here or any other possibly higher ranked universities you get accepted to. I’m sorry if that sounds so cliche’ but seriously the higher the risk the higher the reward. You’ll be fine.
Are most people at GW focused on school? It’s not a reach for me, but I really want a school that has that very “studious” vibe. I’m not saying schools that are “easy” to get into don’t have very school focused, incredibly smart people, but I mean compared to a large state school with Greek life and football vibes, how is it?
Also, I’m not saying GW is easy to get into. I know admissions is competitive, but I just mean “easier” when compared to ivies and Georgetown
@Politicsrule George Washington University is absolutely a focused school as the school has a reputation for students that are internship driven. It’s definitely more relaxed than the Ivy’s as I’ve taken courses at Yale and Georgetown and just happen to come from a very academic family. I’m in the business school and overall people don’t mess around when it comes to studying and applying to internships. Though, if you want an incredibly studious environment I would go to Georgetown. If you’re trying to entirely get away from the whole party scene then Georgetown is a better option. What makes George Washington a lot different from a big state school is that it’s in the middle of Washington D.C so people sort of branch out there on weekends to have fun. You’re definitely not stuck in a campus full of party animals but there’s always irresponsible freshman at any college. What you will see is people coming back on Friday nights in Uber’s lights out drunk but it’s not at all claustrophobic or annoying enough to take away from the academic atmosphere.
@Politicsrule It’s a focused school with many internship driven students and it’s certainly a more serious environment than most big states school. It’s basically in between that and the Ivy’s if you consider the whole spectrum of college atmospheres. Georgetown is a much more sober atmosphere and the campus has a noticeably more intense academic feel to it. As for how it compares to the Ivy’s, it’s definitely more relaxed- I’ve taken courses at Yale and Georgetown and I come from a very academic family. But George Washington is definitely a good college and a number of students have gone on to the Ivy League for grad school if you’re interested in that- being a school where you don’t have to compete intensely everyday but good enough that the results you produce here will be taken seriously by adcoms at top ten universities. You’re not stuck in a campus full of party animals if that’s what you’re worried about. Because George Washington is in the middle of Washington D.C most people branch out into the city on weekend leaving the library at Georgetown and GW empty. Worst case scenario you’ll see people coming out of Uber’s punch drunk but it’s certainly not enough to take away from the academic seriousness of the university.
@GWYalie1994 Thank you! Georgetown is my first choice, but I’m definitely applying to GW. Going through the application process right now and am very excited and nervous! I’ve heard great things about GW and I find a lot of kids that get rejected from GU go there. Although, I also know that GW really isn’t all that easy to get into. Only time will tell! Thanks again for your response!
@politicsrule I honestly highly recommend Georgetown. My mom was a refugee in Laos and came to the United States for college- she was accepted into Georgetown, American and George Washington from community college. She didn’t really understand the difference so my uncle who went to American was able to convince her to go George Washington- where my parents met for there Master’s. But in many cases yes there’s a lot of people who get rejected from Georgetown that elect to come here. Georgetown is a beautiful university with many academically brilliant students so I would honestly go there if you get in. Georgetown doesn’t take spring transfers so when I was applying to transfer my only options were U.Va and George Washington. I wish you good luck and either way I think you will be happy. I actually just finished a five course summer semester with courses at both George Washington and Georgetown and loved it! McDonough and GULC are very good grad schools btw.
@GWYalie1994 Thank you for the advice! I’ve visited Georgetown a few times and did a summer program there. I fell in love with it!
I wish you the best with your studies!
@GWYalie1994 Also, do you have any connection with Yale? That’s also one of my top choices. I visited and loved it
I just studied abroad there and took some undergraduate courses for credit at GW. It was seriously the most sublime academic experience I’ve ever had…I snuck into the School of Management (Business School) and studied there everyday for 2 months. I thought I died and went to heaven; though, when I finally got to sneak inside Yale Law School, oh my God, it felt like 7th heaven. Beautiful place…beautiful people…life…
@Politicsrule (btw yes they do)… Just adding my 2 cents as another current GW student studying international affairs… I always tell people this; there’s no such thing as a ‘normal’ GWU student. There are of course some groups of students with certain traits that standout more than others. But really there is a niche for everybody. There are abundances of a party animals, intramural sports stars, theatre kids, library worms, and everything else in between.
I was like you when I was applying for college; wanting a studious, academic, and professionally driven environment. I was able to create that environment for myself as a GW freshman quite easily, despite foggy bottom’s crazy city life and even having to live in a notorious party dorm. I surrounded myself with these five other academically driven and ambitious freshman guys and gals like myself. Our little posse studied our tails off and collective had incredibly successful freshman years. At the same, one of my freshman year suit mates failed out of school due to excessive partying.
A GWU experience is truly what you make of it. If you end up coming to GW, I would bet with certainty you will find likeminded groups of people, be successful in your studies, and have a very successful collegiate experience.
Feel free to shoot me a message if you want to talk anything GWU related. I’d highly encourage you to apply!
Good luck through this process 