Need advice for college selection

College Search & Selection
1

<p>Hey everyone,</p>

<p>I'm a student from NJ, and right now its the start of the summer between my junior and senior years in high school. I'm still in the process of finding colleges. </p>

<p>My main interest in political science/government, and I've been looking extensively for schools around the Washington D.C. area. </p>

<p>The first one I visited was Georgetown, and I had thought prior to seeing it that it was going to be the place I wanted to attend. However, upon seeing it, I came to dislike its traditional and secluded nature. To be honest - I wanted to leave before my tour guide was even halfway done taking us around. I was looking for a college in/around D.C., and while at Georgetown I became so tired of its campus feel that I found myself thinking "where is D.C.?".</p>

<p>I then went on the GW, and I absolutely loved the "urban" style feel of the area. I felt like I was right in the heart of D.C, and it just seemed more attuned to a modern, rather than traditional age. And because of this GW has moved to essentially the top of my list. </p>

<p>Thank You!</p>

<p>However, I can't just apply to one school. I have looked elsewhere, at places like University of Maryland and Boston University. But UM just doesn't seem to have the same feel because its not "city" style, and Boston just isn't Washington (especially for someone who interested in politics). </p>

<p>I know some people would probably say - "Well all you have to do is take a bus or metro to DC from Gtown or UM, its not that far". That really just doesn't seem the same to me though. If it were the case, I probably would end up being on "campus" more than I'de like to. </p>

<p>Georgetown is really out of the picture for me now, I'm sure. Not only did I not like it, but it may not be very easy for me to get into even though I'de have a fair chance (and they have extra app requirements). They also don't often give much financial aid.</p>

<p>Financial aid will be a factor in my decision, but I'm going to say that I'm not going to attend a place that wouldn't be enjoyable simply because they are offering me a free ride. </p>

<p>I hope that with information some of you can give me some advice as to what I should (and should not) look for. I know in the end the decision will be mine to make, but it's nice to have some input. I'de just like to say that I'm not trying to turn this thread into a choice between two schools, but rather to address the fact that I'm only interested in one school at this time.</p>

2

<p>I would look at American University which is also a great school in D.C. ([American</a> University Washington D.C. | Schools, Colleges, Undergraduate, Graduate, Admissions, Academics, Degrees, Faculty](<a href=“http://www.american.edu/]American”>http://www.american.edu/)). American University is also said to have one of the most politically charged student bodies in the nation.</p>

3

<p>I’m planning to take a trip down to D.C. again later this summer, and I’m going to take a look at American then. Seeing as I haven’t seen it yet, I’m not going to say anything definitive about it at this point. However, it does seem to have that secluded campus style which so far (at other schools) I have not liked. </p>

<p>Nonetheless, with or without American, I still only have 1/2 schools on my list, something that I have been unable to correct.</p>

4

<p>Yes, while it is within the city limits of Washington, AU is much more suburban than GW. My son chose AU over GW primarily because of a bigger merit scholarship. AU’s location did not slow him down from going all over the city via the metro to clubs, museums, internships, etc. If you really set on studying poly sci in DC (as my son was), then Gtwn, GW, AU, UM-CP, and maybe Catholic U. are what you are likely to be choosing amongst.</p>

5

<p>Do NOT apply ED. </p>

<p>GWU does NOT guarantee to meet full need. If you are accepted ED and aid is insufficient you will be in no position to negotiate for more aid. If, on the other hand, you are accepted in the spring and have other offers in hand, and GWU accepts you with insufficient aid – you may be able to use those other offers to negotiate for an improved package from GWU. </p>

<p>GWU DOES offer merit aid, and merit aid can often be used to reduce the self-help (loans and work-study) portion of a need based award. Such merit money goes to students who are at the top of the applicant pool, and for most schools there is a strong incentive to offer merit money for RD applicants to entice them to the school. IF you are a candidate for merit money at GWU, then you would be highly likely to be accepted RD — there is NO advantage whatsoever to you to apply ED, since merit contenders get accepted whenever they apply. </p>

<p>GWU puts a very high loan burden on its students… Average debt at graduation is [url=<a href=“College Search - BigFuture | College Board”>College Search - BigFuture | College Board]$31K[/url</a>] GWU has one of the highest tuitions of any school in the country, and costs of living in DC can be much higher than reflected in the COA, especially if you want to take advantage of all the city has to offer. </p>

<p>It is HUGE mistake for you to limit yourself geographically to one are. Do apply to GWU and other DC area schools RD, but also widen your horizons. You may get better financial aid offers from peer institutions located farther afield from where you live – so consider applying to some colleges on the west coast, midwest, or south – as noted above, they may give you some ability to negotiate for more aid with GWU. (For that, look for peer institutions that may have generous merit aid policies, where you would be a good candidate for merit aid; a suburban or rural college may offer you more, and when it comes to negotiating aid, GWU doesn’t know you’ve got your heart set on downtown DC).</p>

<p>Also look for colleges offer need based aid only, but guarantee to meet full need – and consider LACs as well as universities. You don’t have to apply to schools that fit your present idea of “dream school” (urban, downtown DC location) – again, widen your horizons.</p>

<p>On the other extreme, look for schools that would be safeties for you but would be likely to offer generous merit aid.</p>

<p>Don’t be dumb enough to think that you have to attend school in DC to have a DC experience. My son had a semester long Congressional internship in DC, that provided him full costs of room and board, plus a monthly stipend - AND paid full tuition at his college - AND provided MORE than a semester’s worth of college credit – and included regular meetings with top administration officials as part of the organized program. My son was attending a west coast public college at the time – and that particular program was offered via his university. You would be amazed at what colleges throughout the country are offering their students – many have exchange programs with DC area colleges as well as an array of internship opportunities. </p>

<p>Keep in mind that many colleges throughout the US are located in or near their respective state capitols, and a variety of internship opportunities may be available. That obviously doesn’t sound like it is as exciting or as much fun as DC – but if you truly are interested in government and politics, that is where a lot of learning takes place, and there may be more opportunities when there is less competition for internships.</p>

6

<p>If it HAS to be D.C. and it HAS to be uber-urban, and it HAS to be reasonably selective, then you’ve narrowed your list to only GW. That’s a problem, since GW is the most expensive school in the country and isn’t known for great aid. AU is more secluded / suburban than Georgetown. If you’re all about political sci / government, I’d recommend William & Mary which has a lot of appeal to me, but W&M is three hours south in a small city with a leafy, suburban feel.</p>

7

<p>What about NYU or Columbia? These are two very urban schools where you should be able to find internships related to government and international affairs. Columbia’s financial aid is much better, but then, it’s more selective too.</p>

8

<p>If GW is your dream school, you need admissions and financial safeties. Think about downtown, urban campuses in other politically active cities, especially state capitals. Georgia State (Atlanta), U of Minnesota (Twin Cities) and Pitt (Pittsburgh) come to mind. Yes, they’re less selective than GW, which may mean that you qualify for merit aid, like in-state tuition. Hopefully you’ll get into your dream school and be able to pay for it, but focus on the elements of GW that you can find in other places. For what it’s worth, the political science rubber meets the road in state and local governments, not in DC, and it will be much easier to get your hands dirty in state government than joining the throngs of students struggling for internships in DC.</p>