My son will be applying to GWU for 2020 admission. He is strongly considering double majoring in Econ and International Relations. My question is this, how should he select a particular school Columbian vs Elliott since the majors are housed in separate schools?
FYI, his grades, AP Scores, and ECs are VERY strong, however his ACT is in the middle 50% (28).
As someone who got into ESIA (that’s the acronym we use for the Eliot school) I’d personally recommend choosing that school and major first, because as Freshman we do have to take both ECON 1011 and ECON 1012 (which is macro and micro economics respectively) for the major anyways. As well as another higher level Econ class in the future so with that option he does get both international affairs courses and economics course in his first year anyways. Also some International Affairs courses they are locked for those students only, so he may not be able to take it as a Colombian student. Also, whereas Elliot does have certain courses for International Affairs students that must be taken in the first year (not including general courses needed to graduate as required by the university), Colombian doesn’t and most of their requirements align with the general courses required by the university. So in my personal opinion it would be better for him to apply to the Elliot school, then during the first semester, talk to his designated councilor and add on the Econ major; that way he has already had an introduction to Econ with Econ 1011 so he’d for sure know that he wants to take on the major ( it is not one that many people like/ prefer - not just in GW but in general) and he’d already have be able to so some of the required ESIA courses during his first year. Also don’t worry to much about his ACT score, we are a test optional school anyways, so it doesn’t really matter, I’d still put it on because he may be able to receive a scholarship for it if he does get accepted.
@Metrynahelp Thank you for the quick response, very helpful. He may have AP credit for the entry level ECON courses, but you make a good point on getting the International Affairs requirements scheduled. We’ve been debating on whether to submit his ACT scores. His rigor, exam scores, and AP results are much more in line with a low 30 range. He’s done it three times and prepped pretty hard for this summer. It is what it is I guess.
I am also an Elliott student and would recommend applying to Elliott over Columbian. One reason is that the academic advisers in Elliott are incredible and really know their stuff, and you have a specific adviser that stays with you all four years. Because Columbian is so much bigger and with so many more majors, you may end up seeing a different adviser every single time and it is NOTORIOUS for being absolutely awful. I also agree with what the last person said about Econ being part of the Elliott curriculum and that bridge is really easy to create.
The only thing I will say is that is likely easier to get into Columbian because there are so many majors, whereas because Elliott is one of the best IA programs in the country it does increase competitiveness. But, I wouldn’t use that as much of a deterrent if your son has strong grades and feels strongly about starting out in Elliott. The Elliott school has a pretty strict suggested schedule for freshman to start the path to their degree that would be easier for him to do if he was admitted to Elliott. One other thing to consider is that it’s fairly easy to switch home schools once you’re a student - if he decided to make one of the majors a minor or drop one all together for something else.
Briefly on ACT scores - I work for admissions and it really makes no difference to submit them or not. If you think they might hurt his prospects and you choose not to send them, that won’t be taken as a negative thing - we don’t assume that no test scores on an application means that they were low. We’ve become test optional so that students can feel most comfortable with how they are representing themselves. Best of luck to you!
He should apply to Elliott as the posters have suggested with good reasons. Also, have your DS looks at the BS in International Affairs degree. This is a new degree that makes double majoring in a science (and Econ) a bit more manageable. The IA degree requires a lot of classes including 3 years of a modern foreign language. So my advice is that your son consider the coursework needed to double major and look at the degree plans.
@abbygwu @txstella Thank you for your comments, I will pass them along to my son. @abbywgu, we haven’t been able to make the trip from the northern plains to DC for a campus visit (maybe during our Thanksgiving break). Do you have any suggestions to demonstrate interest?
Thanks again everyone!!
@roper1313 The best ways to demonstrate interest are contacting the admissions office with questions, getting on a newsletter, taking an official tour (if possible), etc. Basically, anything you can think of that will have your son’s name on a list at GW somewhere.