<p>Hello CC community. I need your guidance for a decision I am going to make. Right now I am waitlisted at Boston College and if I am accepted, I will most likely join. However, realistically I will most likely not be accepted to BC. My next top choices are Syracuse and GWU. Here is the dilemma: Syracuse offered me a $12000 scholarship as opposed to GWU offering me nothing. I intend to major in Political Science so GWU seems to be the obvious choice when looking at its location. I would feel guilty burdening my parents by going to such an expensive school. I am personally leaning towards GWU, but I feel like it is a selfish decision. I equally like GWU and Syracuse's campuses. However, I think I would be more academically and intellectually challenged at GWU. Also, GWU's location provides great oppurtunities for internships. Any advice would be greatly appreciated. Thank you...</p>
<p>It is understandable why you would prefer GWU. However, the Maxwell School is one of the top schools in the country. There has been an ongoing debate about this undergraduate program becoming it’s own school, but the central administration has resisted this. However, you would have the professors from this program for your courses and projects - which is a great reason to attend SU.</p>
<p>sethg,</p>
<p>My son is a sophomore in Poly Sci SU. He was choosing between Brandeis and SU, but chose SU due to the strength of Maxwell, and the differences he felt (the “gut feeling”) when participating in admitted student’s day. We arranged for private meetings with poly sci profs from both schools when visiting during their admitted student’s days. But the SU experience was much better. Prof Kristi Anderson (Maxwell undergrad director) arranged for us to meet with Prof Mark Rupert, who was the Chair of the Poly Sci dept. We met in a private board room, and he had the poly sci advisor bring in the entire course catalog, which was extensive and had a wide range of courses. Between the gut feeling and the personal touch in Maxwell helped sway him to SU. All it took to get a private meeting at SU was looking up public contacts for Maxwell where I found Anderson’s name – one e-mail later we were lining things up. At Brandeis, we arranged things while on campus, which wasn’t hard to do. If you visit either schools, consider that extra step to see what they have to offer.</p>
<p>Similar to you, he had the $12K scholarship. Also in honors, which has other pluses. With $12K merit (assuming Merit and Founders Scholarship), you can petition to get into honors if not offered.</p>
<p>Good luck in your final decision.</p>
<p>Thank you everyone. I am waiting to see whether or not I get into the honors college at SU. If I do, then that may be what sways my decision.</p>
<p>BillysDad, does your son thoroughly enjoy SU? Does he feel challenged and is he happy with the curriculum?</p>
<p>He loves SU. He wants to work with political analysis, and ended up adding a 2nd major in the iSchool for that endeavor. So he’ll graduate with BA Poly Sci, and BS IT. There’s a Poly Sci PhD from Maxwell in the iSchool, which is a plus. He’s also working the pre-law slant, and got an internship last somer at a major Boston law firm, which was a great experience. Still getting out in 4yrs due to coming in with 5 APs for starting credit.
He’s got a 6 hour/wk campus job, and just landed a Director’s slot in University Union. Very busy, but having a blast.</p>
<p>Honors program - Our daughter got in honors for SU too for class of 2016 - civil engineering. She got the honors notification a couple of weeks after acceptance (first wave). If you’ve gone beyond that, give them a call and toot your horn. A mom on this forum from 2yrs ago did that with success (our sons were on the same honors floor in Sadler first year).</p>
<p>Ditto the petitioning honors idea…when my D was a freshman she was told that if you were a Founder’s Scholarship recipient, you were permitted to petition; she chose not to (being in Newhouse) but the opportunity was there…</p>