NYU vs. George Washington

<p>I know I want a city school, but can't decide between these two. My visits to each were unfortunately brief. I'd love to apply to one ED to help my chances, but I liked both of them!
Is one better academically? Is one harder to get into? Are the students/social life very different? If anyone has attended either of these schools I would love to hear the pros and cons - when I toured the guides just made everything seem "perfect"for someone wanting to attend a city school. I haven't decided on a major so that doesn't help. Thanks.</p>

<p>Hehe my sister had exactly the same predicament... only it was after she got into both. They both offered here a good scholarship and all, but she ultimately chose GW for three reasons:</p>

<p>1) She was offered a spot in the Honors Program
2) They told her that there are no classes on Fridays so they can be reserved for internships (that was a lie - all foreign language classes are on Fridays; but as long as you don't plan on majoring in one, it shouldn't be a problem, and no other classes are on Fridays)
3) She got into the School of Media and Public Affairs (SMPA) at GW, and the College of Arts and Sciences at NYU. It was more specialized, and she liked that.</p>

<p>Alright, onto your questions.</p>

<p>Academics - it really depends on what you're going into. Political science and law programs are great at GW, whereas NYU has better arts and business programs. Generalizations don't help; all that matters is the department you go into in the end.</p>

<p>Selectivity - NYU is more selective in most ways. But if you're applying to the Honors Program or SMPA or whatnot, GW could be considered harder to get into.</p>

<p>Social life - GW is full of rich preppy kids - with a prominent asian population. There are exceptions, though; one of my sister's best friends came from a farm in Kansas and was well below the poverty line. I think NYU is more diverse in many ways - socioeconomically, ethnically, and academically. Plus, they have all the Tisch and Stern students - somewhat on opposite ends of the spectrum.</p>

<p>If you can't decide on just one school, though, I wouldn't recommend applying ED.</p>

<p>It depends what sort of environment you want and what you want to major in, mostly. Business, arts, or econ - go to NYU. Public affairs, poli sci - go to GW. Both are good schools, but NYU edges GW.</p>

<p>If you're worried about security, the area around GW is much safer than NYU.</p>

<p>I guess I think that assessing the areas around the schools is rather subjective.....I don't agree that NYU is definitely unsafe compared to GW. How are you determining this??</p>