I got admitted to both UVa and GW. I’m looking to major in political science with a possible double major in environmental science, history, economics (idk). I’m in-state Virginia but got a good amount of scholarship from GW so money isn’t a very important factor.
I just want to know about the quality of the political science programs and overall school reputation and feel. I don’t mind a party school. I would also prefer a more liberal college environment but it’s college so that’s guaranteed anywhere.
I was hoping to be able to visit because I really want to go to school in a big city, which GW has, but is Charlottesville a good place to live? Obviously it’s not like DC but a city is important to me.
There are reasons to pick GW over UVA, for example, if a big city is what you need. But every ranking I could find has UVA higher rated than GW. And Charlottesville is a great town, and the history of and campus life at UVA would be tough to beat.
And the political science department at UVA is arguably better than GW’s.
I do like the idea of living in a big city, especially DC since I want to do political science but I’m not sure if the benefit of DC outweighs the prestige of UVa
Now that the threads are merged, I would like to offer an opinion on OP’s original post in this thread.
OP: Based on the content of your original post in this thread, it seems like you prefer GWU primarily due to its location in a major city. And that is an important distinguishing factor between semi-rural UVA & urban GWU since the COA is about equal for both schools.
I do not know which school’s political science major is better, but GWU certainly has a location & access to adjuncts who should assure a very strong political science department in addition to relevant year-round internship opportunities.
OP, do you want a traditional university experience with major sports & Greek life or do you prefer an urban experience with abundant year-round internships related to your interest in political science ?
I’m a current GW junior majoring in international affairs and minoring in political science, so I can only speak to GW’s assets, but academically I think either school would provide you solid job prospects and a quality education - so congrats on both your acceptances! GW’s political science program is really strong and massive, there are a million very cool and specialized classes you can take in the department. What we benefit from is our location (like other have mentioned) and I’ve had an off campus internship for three of the six semester I’ve been on campus for (I went abroad for one and worked on campus the other two). The accessibility to internships during the semester that most students would only be able to do over the summer is huge. In political science, almost any job you could want is available in the city, you’ll just have to work for it and chase what you want yourself. There’s a joke at the school that everyone’s been a “Hilltern” and interned for their state congresspeople, and while its fun to make fun of its actually insane how many people have done it. I’m also an economics concentration under international affairs, and I’d say our economics department is fair and you’ll learn a lot, but it’s not one of our strongest departments.
For culture I think GW is a good balance between a party school and not. I’d say this is mainly because students will go out off campus a lot, so even when there’s lots of “partying” happening you don’t necessarily always see it. Frat houses are townhouses so parties there can be fun but in no way dominate social life. Again, I firmly believe you can find anything you want - super party-oriented people and people who don’t really go out. You’ll find that there is a general lacking of school spirit, and I think again its partly because we’re such an individualistic, career driven school that it’s more a place for self-starters and independently minded people than those who really want to enjoy a college bubble while they can. Student orgs and greek life are really where people find their place and their passions for GW. And no worries, GW is very liberal (you can find any side of the conversation though, it’s just way more liberal leaning in general)
(you can find any side of the conversation though, it’s just way more liberal leaning in general)