I’m looking to transfer to GW in the fall. I made the mistake of going to my state flagship instead of following my dream of going to college in DC. I’m just not happy where I am. I am not a big partier and the social scene here is over run by frats. What is the scene like at GW? I know there are frats, but do they dominate? What else do people do for fun? Are people politically active? How hard is it to meet people that don’t party hard? Do people actually care about politics at GW?
What dorms are best for guys who aren’t into the party scene? I hope I don’t sound like a total tool, I like to have a good time, go out and do stuff, stay in and play games and watch movies, I don’t care if other people drink, it doesn’t bother me, it’s just not for me.
Any current students care to weigh in? Other transfers?
It sounds like the University your looking for is American. Fraternities do not dominate the campus as they are not allowed to have houses on campus. Students are very liberal and politically active. It is very easy to meet people at the transfer only orientation they offer and current students are always looking for new people to talk to.
GW has an administration that is not transfer friendly. They do not value the contributions transfer students bring to the overall student body. I’d look elsewhere.
—For the record, I was accepted as a transfer into both Business schools this past December, and currently attend neither.
I’m not a current student (graduated in 2011) but I’d love to help you in any way I can. First, I wrote an extensive post on the general atmosphere at GW if you care to read it: http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/george-washington-university/1624808-good-and-bad-of-gwu.html
To your more specific questions:
No, frats don’t dominate. They’re definitely visible, and mostly in good ways. You’ll see plenty of students walking around in their colors, fundraising events, events centered on awareness of a topic, etc. You’ll hear loud parties at some of the houses on campus Thursday-Saturday nights. I’d say that’s about it. It’s pretty easy to not be bothered by Greek life. Also, @NativeFlash is wrong in that fraternities DO have houses on campus. There’s Townhouse Row on 23rd street that has roughly 8 frats and sororities. There are also a few other buildings strewn about campus that house fraternities.
GW is VERY politically active. This is something that you won’t be able to escape if it bothers you. No, it’s not obtrusive or anything, but you’ll see flyers, politically-focused events, and students in classes that love to talk politics. GW is more on the liberal side (naturally) but the College Republicans student account is large and vocal as well.
As far as non-party dorms, that’d be anything that has singles (West Hall on the Mount Vernon campus or Mitchell on Foggy Bottom). As a transfer I think you’re limited to only one dorm but I’m not sure which it is this year. It used to be Lafayette but I think it’s still under construction. Now, with that said, just about any dorm (other than Thurston) can be pretty chill and you won’t be bombarded by parties if you’re not out looking for them. My dorm on the Vern was very quiet, and the next three years at Ivory Tower (now Shenkman Hall) were mostly quiet. There might be parties down the hall but you wouldn’t know it unless you walk by the room and hear music. They typically don’t spill-out into common areas.
So yeah, if you’re not into the parties but still want to have fun other ways don’t worry about it- I was just like you. I went to one or two parties my four years. I’d mostly get together with friends to play video games, watch football, etc. You won’t be out of place if you’re not out all the time.
Feel free to shoot me a message if you have any other questions!