I am a senior who was admitted to Wellesley, American, and GW. I am very conflicted to the extent where I’ve stopped sleeping (lol) over where I should attend. I want to be in politics, but I’m scared of closing doors for myself because I have a huge diversity of interests (astrophysics, theater, dance, film studies, urban studies, etc.)
I love Wellesley, but I’m scared of the isolation and geographical restrictions from internships. Also, it does not have as many opportunities to be extracurricularly multifaceted as American or GW does.
In the DC decision between American and GW, I simply don’t know which school has more opportunities. AU seems to have more class discussions/smaller classes than GW, but its location is definitely less ideal for internships and the general DC city setting.
In choosing between Wellesley vs AU/GW, I am scared that going to AU/GW for internship and career reasons will force me to miss out on much of the college experience and haven that Wellesley would provide. However, Wellesley is such a different type of community that I might be more akin to in terms of discussion and collaborative, liberal arts education. Ultimately, on a resumé, Wellesley would probably look better, but it would be a lot more empty than if I went to AU/GW.
BASICALLY I have no idea what I want. Any advice? Please help me decide or further inform me.
First I’d try to cross out either AU or GW. Both are very liberal
GW is higher ranked in every realm except Communications. But not that much.
Compare the diversity at the two… Do you like the numbers you see?
Most importantly, visit.
Wellesley is even more liberal.
97% female!!
Seems to rank higher than GW in Poli sci and english… but around the same for everything else.
Small school.
Definitely visit all of them.
I would pick DC over Wellesley no matter what rank says; it’s in the capital of the best country in the world.
Tons of political internships there… and probably other kinds of internships and stuff too.
You have to decide if you prefer an all-women’s liberal arts college in MA or a larger co-ed university in a major city? It sounds from your post that the LAC environment may be better suited for you. I do think that you can arrange summer internships if you go to Wellesley so I wouldn’t let that deter you from going there. Also a number of colleges have an option for a semester in DC if that interests you (ex. my D’s friend at another LAC was able to do a semester at American).
I’m wondering if you’ve visited the DC schools, because they are very different colleges. If you like the campus environment of Wellesley, you are not going to like GWU which has very little distinction from the city. It’s not known as a big school spirit kind of place, though students form their own communities. So while it is more convenient for internships and certainly encourages them, it doesn’t seem in line with the kind of college you imagine.
American is certainly closer to that idea, with a suburban campus that is accessible to DC downtown. The campus is nice, if not stunning, and the school is smaller than GWU. Internships are valued there they have a new general ed type program that sounds intellectually interesting.
But if your heart is at Wellesley, than do the opportunities at other schools really matter? You can have summer internships and take diverse classes either way. Any of these colleges will get you to your future, so don’t select on some vague idea of how they’ll best get you employed. Choose based on where you’d like to learn and grow for the next four years.
I’m currently a sophomore who was choosing between Wellesley and Georgetown SFS. I ultimately chose Wellesley for a few reasons (liberal arts education, proximity to Boston/affiliation with MIT, and all-women’s environment). I was extremely set on politics my junior and senior year of high school. I was involved with civic organizations on the regional and national level, but ultimately I decided not to limit myself to such a strigent ‘career path.’
There are tons of opportunities at Wellesley; you literally have Boston at your finger tips. It’s not D.C., but it’s definitely a hub filled with non-profits, political groups, etc. At Wellesley, you have the opportunity to apply to the Madeleine Albright Institute of Affairs, Wellesley in Washington, etc. You also get tons of research opportunities with MIT, Harvard, and other Boston schools (if research is something you’re interested in).
I also do think prestige matters to a certain degree if you planning on going to graduate school. It’s fair to argue that Wellesley is regarded more highly than GW and American (I’ve had quite a few friends transfer from American actually because of the lack of academic caliber), but at the same time internship opportunities are arguably more accessible when you’re right in America’s capitol.
If you have any specific questions, feel free to message me! I’ve loved my time at Wellesley – it’s provided me with plenty of oppotunities. I don’t regret my decision at all.
@wordswithcolor My daughter was accepted to GW and American.
Specially, she was accepted to GW’s Elliot School of International Affairs (ESIA) and the University Honors Program (with a Presidential Scholarship). She was also accepted to American’s School of International Service (SIS) and the Global Scholars Program (three year BA/MBA program).
She choose GW because of the highly ranked ESIA program, the location of the college, the fact that the school is the most politically active in the nation, the fact that the school is #1 for internships and she can get summer housing on campus for those internship opportunities.
She is coming to the end of her freshman year and would not change a thing. She absolutely loves the ESIA! The speakers (political and international affairs oriented) have been a complete blast! She was recently elected to the GW College Democrats Executive Board and was chosen as a “highly qualified” summer intern with the Democratic Party in our home state. Yes, DC is expensive but we would not change a thing. She is also a Chi Omega sister and loves everything about the organization (so do we).
Of all the things she/we love about GW…there is one downside…living in Thurston Hall is CRAAAAAAZZZZYYY! This is an all freshman dorm. If you like quite there is the Mount Vernon campus. The VEX is a shuttle which goes between Foggy Bottom and Mount Vernon. The issue is traffic when you have early classes. My daughter chose Foggy Bottom (Thurston Hall) because it’s right next to the ESIA. Since she’s in Chi O, she earned a spot in Strong Hall next year (Chi O has the top three floors and rooftop).
It all depends on what your looking for. If it’s a quiet campus atmosphere, GW (Foggy Bottom) may be a hard fit. Mount Vernon is better.