I plan to study Political Communication Even if I switch majors I’m pretty surebit will end up being poli sci, communications, or international affairs. I’ve read reviews saying it’s mediocre and other ones saying it’s fantastic. Some also say the social life isn’t great. Is that true? Is the expense worth it? Would it be better to save money and go to grad school?
Well, the “expense” is relative. How much are you really paying out of pocket, whether cash or loans? For me, I ended-up taking-out about $30K in loans, and I’m very glad it wasn’t a penny more. I know a lot of people that go into debt $60K+ for an undergraduate degree, and I don’t think that’s worth it. Ultimately it should come down to what your career intentions are. Certain fields can “absorb” a large amount of debt by paying more initially or soon after starting. Most of these fields, though, require a graduate degree. I can’t think of any (though I’m sure they’re out there) jobs that only require a bachelors and the name on the diploma matters. A school’s name will help with getting into a graduate program and/or networking for a job.
The real benefit for GW’s undergrad, in my opinion, is its location and internships. If you’re not using GW’s connections when it comes to local internships, you’re not getting your money’s worth.
As far as reviews on GW’s programs, consider the source. Any respectable source of rankings consistently has GW ranked high in international affairs. Poli Sci might not be as high, but I don’t believe the rankings take into account availability and caliber or internships (which, in my opinion, put GW quite high for any politics-related programs).
Now, in case I wasn’t very clear in my first paragraph… graduate school (if that is your intent) is where the name of a school matters much more. If you want to attend GW or someplace similar for grad school, racking-up a lot of debt from undergrad would be unwise, because you’ll most likely pay full-price for grad school ($40K+, I believe). I really think you’d be doing yourself a huge disservice to have a mountain of debt upon finishing grad school. Now, depending on your program, there is a possibility that grad school will be subsidized if you can get a teaching assistant gig, or if you can find a way to become an employee of the University (last I checked, I think there’s an 80% discount towards classes if you’re a full-time employee). Just a thought…
Do you happen to know anything about their political communication program? I know not many schools have it, but what’s it like at GW?
Sorry, can’t say I know anything about it.
I’m going to break down your question into 3 parts
- Is it worth the price?
- Political Communication vs. Other Similar Majors
- Social Life
cracks knuckles
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Is it worth the price?
Whether or not something is worth the money to you is subjective. Nobody can make that determination but yourself, because only you know your goals, ambitions, and financial situation. What I can say however, is that GW is a great place to study your specific interests, because of the access to networking opportunities in DC. People often make fun of political science majors for wasting their time studying a topic that doesn’t lead to employment. And frankly, that criticism isn’t entirely false. However, if you work hard and utilize the opportunities available to you as a GW student, you can have rewarding internships (and eventually a career) in the political world, while students at other schools will be struggling. I can speak for this first hand as a GW International Affairs student. Furthermore, it is worth noting that GW tends to be quite generous with merit awards, which can help mitigate the high upfront cost. -
Political Communication vs. Other Similar Majors
For information on the political communications program specifically, I’d recommend taking a look at the classes you’ll be taking in that program, and comparing them to the classes you’d be taking as a political science or International Affairs student at GW. (I’ve linked the degree requirements below for you). Those degrees may sound similar, but in fact they are VERY different, especially international affairs. If you’re an IA student like me, be prepared to study at least 6 semesters of the same foreign language and a minimum of 3-4 classes of math-based economics, while not even taking Intro to American Government. I repeat for emphasis, Political Communication, Political Science, and International Affairs may be related, but they are very different fields of study. A good analogy would be a science person saying they’re interested in chemistry, biology, and chemical engineering.
GW Political Communication: http://bulletin.gwu.edu/arts-sciences/media-public-affairs/ba-political-communication/
GW Political Science: http://bulletin.gwu.edu/arts-sciences/political-science/ba/
GW International Affairs: http://bulletin.gwu.edu/international-affairs/undergraduate-programs/ba-international-affairs/#generalrequirementstext
- Social Life
Social Life at GW is unique compared to other schools, but I wholeheartedly disagree with those saying that the social scene is dull. It’s not a “traditional” experience by any metric. We don’t tailgate, we don’t wear blue and gold for our sports teams on game days, nor do we have luscious fields of grass to play frisbee on. But we still have a lot of fun. We go trick or treating at the Russian embassy, we have the best election night parties in the country, there’s an occasional snowball war with georgetown, and we get fat eating captain cookie on the steps of the Lincoln memorial. In short, If you want a “traditional” college social life like you’d see in the movies, GW will disappoint you. However, if those things don’t matter to you, you’ll have a lot of fun while receiving an awesome education.
Did I break a record for the world’s longest reply? 
Hope this helps you!!!
This helps so much thank you!!
@rosebud21 It’s ultimately what you make of it- in my experience I would say it’s worth the tuition. I’m in the business school and overall it’s a serious environment- people are serious about internships and grades but not so much that it’s a pretentious experience where everyone tries to undercut everyone else just to get into an Ivy League grad school. Many of my classmates are very content with the internships they’ve received. Also I would highly recommend coming here as an undergrad. George Washington will open up a lot of doors for you and it’s no surprise that it’s a school that realistically produces Ivy League grads.
What net cost do you see after running the NPC?
What is your parents’ budget?
If you’re full pay without more than belt tightening or the NPC an affordable net cost then GWU is worth it.
If you would need to take on more than the federal loans, then you’re better off attending a less pricey school and spending the money for your Master’s degree.