Recently accepted, scared and dont know where to start! Need all the help I can get!

Colleges and Universities A-Z George Washington University
1

<p>Hi,
Thank you for looking at this! Going to get straight to the point:
I do not know how I was accepted into GWU considering my GPA and test score (I believe changing my app from rd to edII helped a bit...) but I am so greatful I got in since it was my top choice!</p>

<p>But now I'm in a slump. From what I've been reading, mostly rich kids get in and freshman housing is horrible and overall its not worth my money. Would you agree?</p>

<p>I want to give it a try because I ultimately wont know until I try it out for myself. I want the best possible education I can receive for my moneys worth because my family is far below middle class and is greatly taking high-risks to get me to a college such as this. Where I'm getting at is:</p>

<p>°what should I start doing right now to receive as much funds from the school as possible so I can attend?
°am I too late?
°whats the best dorm for a quiet person like me?(I don't mind socializing or partying but I am going to focus hard on my studies above all else)</p>

<p>I have more questions but I'll ask them once I remember...</p>

<p>Thank you so much for your time!!</p>

2

<p>From what i know if a school gives you a bad financial package for ED and you can’t afford it you can try fighting the school to give you a lower price and if they don’t then you CAN get out of early decision. personal i think they cost of GW is a bit too much but there are a lot of positives about the school (name, rank, D.C. in the city, etc) Also you will find rich kids at every school you apply to so that is a given. And do not worry too much about the freshman housing i am sure it is not that bad and if it is it is only for one year.</p>

3

<p>GW is not only for rich kids. They are generous with merrit schlarships more so than other prestigious schools. As for the dorms, if you are quiet, try Mitchell. Single rooms, no kitchen, just a room. No roommatesGoo
Good Luck</p>

4

<p>GW offers pretty good financial aid packages - we have students of every background who are able to attend. Freshman housing is not bad; if you’re not interested in parties and are quiet, don’t live in Thurston. Madison, Potomac, and Crawford are all great options.</p>

5

<p>In terms of our housing not being nice, I think that is completely false. I’ve visited a lot of my friends dorms are multiple other schools and their dorms are terrible compared to ours!! First of all, we don’t have communal bathrooms (only Mitchell does, but that is for Sophomores anyways). Secondly, the rooms are very nice and bigger than the ones I’ve seen at other schools. A few of the residence halls might be considered “nicer” because they have been renovated recently.</p>

<p>I really recommend living on the Mount Vernon Campus. Its quiet, but there’s still a community feel and we all still go out on weekends and have a good time. I’m extremely close with everyone on my floor and it’s nice to have a quiet hall to come home to (I live in Somers hall). If you come for April visit days I highly recommend coming up to the Vern to look around! People will say that they hate the Vern ( I thought I would too!) but it’s one of the biggest misconceptions about GW in my opinion. It’s great to be able to go out and be social and go to parties, but always have the option of coming back to the Vern and getting homework done. </p>

<p>If you want something on Foggy I recommend Madison, Crawford, or Potomac since they’re much smaller and (usually) quieter.</p>

6

<p>I agree with tlc, however full disclosure about the Vern: you really have to budget your time when shuttling from the vern to foggy for classes, especially if those classes are during rush hour traffic times. The vern is really beautiful, since most of our athletic fields are there and it is in a more suburban area. The dorms are also nice. However, for me personally one of the reasons I loved GW was because of the city, and I wanted the total experience of living in the city. I lived in Madison freshman year and my room was huge, it’s a very quiet dorm so I could study and sleep easily. It’s true that on the vern you definitely can go out and still experience everything in DC and Foggy, but I wanted to actually live in the city and get that freshman experience.</p>

<p>Since you’re ED you will probably get housing priority, so choose wisely. However, GW is in the process of moving almost all freshmen onto the vern for 1st year housing, since housing space in foggy is becoming more limited with each incoming class.</p>

7

<p>If you want quite housing here is some great options.
Southhall (single rooms (4 per room)with shared kitchen and bathroom just like a suite).</p>

<p>City Hall (2 ppl per room, large living room, nice sized kitchen and marble top bathrooms). I personally lived here before and it was great. Studied in my room ALL the time and it was very very spacious. This building used to be a hotel/apartment.</p>

<p>Ivory (4 ppl per suite and 2 ppl per room with a living room, kitchen and bathrooms). Have some friends living here. The building is pretty new.</p>

<p>Philips Amsterdam (4 ppl per suite and 2 ppl per room with living room, kitchen and bathrooms) This has a similar set up as Ivory. Currently living here after my semester abroad and it’s great. Spend a lot of time in my room getting work done.</p>

<p>All housing in foggy bottom is expensive. If you want cheap, go foggy top (mt vernon), but it takes 15-35min each way by shuttle depending on traffic and that’s 30-1hr per day. They say time is money but truth be told, money can’t buy time hence money is more valuable. If you are this conscious about success you’ll need to do more research on where you want to live and which dorm will be closest to your classes.</p>

<p>I am just 1 block away from the business school. I save A LOT of time.</p>

8

<p>Yes, GWU is a “monied” school.</p>

<p>There are still middle class and poor kids here, too.</p>

<p>Financial aid here can really suck, especially for the middle and upper middle class students. Talk to the financial aid early before deciding to go here. Some people get royally screwed by financial aid here. If you’re poor, great… you’ll get aid. If you’re middle class, you might get aid. If you’re upper middle class, forget it. </p>

<p>Find out what financial aid you’ll get in aid ASAP, and don’t assume you’ll get any more aid than what they offer later. Plan accordingly. Don’t pay $200,000 in cash and loans for a Bachelor’s degree. That’s absurd, and completely not worth it. Bottom line. If GW doesn’t give you substantial aid, go somewhere else. It’s not worth that much in loans. </p>

<p>Watch your money freshmen year. Avoid credit cards and large student loans. Seriously.</p>

<p>Living at MVC means quiet, but it also means commuting on the shuttle. I say pick a quieter dorm on Foggy Bottom. Go to the library to study. Get ear plugs.</p>

<p>You’re required to live on campus,… I’m not sure why you say “it’s horrible and not worth the money.” Most freshmen dorms suck. Most dorms are relatively expensive. You have to live on campus, so that’s irrelevant. Even if you could get an exemption to live off-campus, you’ll be paying a lot for an apartment in DC, assuming you can even qualify for you (parents would have to co-sign with you, and even then, it would be difficult).</p>

<p>You’ll have nasty, noisy, expensive freshmen dorms at most colleges. It’s not horrible. If you don’t like your dorm or roommates when you get here, request a room transfer. </p>

<p>Potomac House would make a good place to live.</p>