<p>A friend of mine visited, and it sounds quite nice. The location is a plus, because I would love to get hands-on ecological experiences along the Chesapeake Bay, and the town of Chestertown is supposed to be very quaint/historic. I just have a few questions about the school for anyone familar with it:</p>
<p>1). Is the small-town atmosphere confining at all? I've grown up in a small town, so it's not like it will be a huge change, but my small town is rather boring...I want to go somewhere with culture, and a sense of community, regardless of size. Will Chestertown fit the bill? Are DC and/or Baltimore accessible from Washington should I want a bit more excitement? (I probably won't have a car, at least freshman year...are their shuttles?)</p>
<p>2). How are the colleges International Studies, History, Anthropology and Environmental Studies programs? Are there opportunities for hands-on learning/internships in these disciplines?</p>
<p>3). Washington is rather small...are there enough extracurricular opportunities? A good quality school paper and/or lit. mag is very important to me...does Washington have these offerings? </p>
<p>4). Since the school has a rather large price tag, how is financial/merit aid? I know they offer a minimum $10,000 for being in NHS. It's a rather long story, but my school wouldn't let me into NHS despite the fact I have a 4.1 GPA, the volunteer hours, and the extracurricular activities. Do you think Washington would be flexible and grant me merit aid anyway?</p>