Hello,
I’m pressed for time and am looking at several universities. I’m interested in majoring in engineering, but I also am looking for social and political diversity, as I go to a high school that isn’t. Any pros or cons of attending this school?
Disclaimer: I have not attended GW, but I recently applied ED 1, have toured/visited many times, and have spoken to the admissions officers extensively at multiple overnight programs. Perhaps some current or former GW students could also reply to this post 
While I don’t have great knowledge of SEAS (their science and engineering school) I have heard nothing but great things about it. Anyways, if you’re looking for social and political diversity, this is the school. Admittedly, it does seem to lean left-wing, but there are very vocal conservatives and other political ideology-adhering students on campus, all of which coexist pretty well. GW also champions diversity in a way I haven’t seen at other colleges, and if you get the chance to visit, you should stop by their Multicultural Student Services Center. In general, it seems to be a very accepting and empowering environment.
An obvious pro is it’s location. While American, Georgetown, and CSU all do reside in DC, their location is incomparable to GW’s. I’m from a big city (LA, obviously hahaha) and I love how seamlessly the college blends with it’s city surroundings. It’s as urban as it comes, and if you love cities, that’s a huge pro. However, it will not provide you with a stereotypical college campus feel, so if that’s a deal breaker for you than GW may not be a good match.
Other pros are the internship opportunities (90% of students have had some kind of internship at graduation), the dorms (all but one dorm has their own private bathroom), and the politically active student body (ranked most active in the country. Some cons would be the price tag (one of the most expensive colleges in the country), the meal plan if you’re not used to careful budgeting (there are no dining halls, money is allocated onto a student card to purchase meals in the city), and the campus feel if you’re not a “city slicker”.
Hope this helps, and good luck!
Thank you so much for the great answer! I too am from Los Angeles, so it’s great that I can see where you come from with your opinions. To be honest with you, I don’t know what I am looking for; I don’t know whether I prefer a “stereotypical college feel” or have the city life blend within the college. Ive been going to very small private schools throughout my life that were very socially inept, and I want to escape that, which is why I am looking at larger schools. I am also a city person, but I still don’t know if any of these things come into play for whether or not I want that “stereotypical college feel”
@Ashfire Hahaha, go LA! And I totally understand your dilemma there, about not being sure exactly what atmosphere you want in college. Even though it’s always been clear to me that I want to continue living in the city, I definitely had my doubts when visiting GW after visiting more traditional college campuses like UCLA or USC. I inevitably ended up deciding I preferred that integrated city feel, but I understand the struggle. That being said, GW also has a second campus called the Mount Vernon campus which is just three miles out of the city, and does provide a more typical college campus. Here’s a link: https://www.gwu.edu/mount-vernon-campus
There’s a lot of controversy over “The Vern” (some GW students love it, some hate it), but if you do decide you prefer a more peaceful environment that’s still at an arms reach of the city, that campus may be an excellent compromise. If you’re not sure about the city, and don’t mind the shuttle in and out of the city for classes (I wouldn’t because I already take the train to school everyday anyways, lol), it could really be a great alternative.
All in all, I say definitely apply and then when you get all your notices, evaluate your options and then see if GW and its environment suits you. Best of luck with everything 
Sounds like GW could be a great match for you if you decide you’d prefer the city atmosphere over a more “traditional” experience. I’ve responded to quite a few questions like these so I’m going to cheat and link to my previous replies
http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/discussion/comment/18881094/#Comment_18881094
http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/discussion/comment/17764251/#Comment_17764251