Student Profile
Steve
- Class:
- Major: Sport Management
- Gender: M
- High School: Thayer Academy, Braintree, MA
- Transfer Student: N
Big Picture
GW is proud of it's diversity, whether it's through ethnicity, religious views, or sexual preference. We are very unique not only with our student body, but our location. Since we're the only school 4 blocks away from the White House, we have a lot of resources other American schools don't have. In the beginning when I told people I was enrolled at GW, then immediately thought Georgetown; however, now GW has it's own image. GW has grown a lot over the years after what SJT had done for the University, but the best way to see the progress is when GW reached a $1 billion endowment. There is a lot of red tape at GW for anything, but they have improved a lot of it when scheduling classes and selecting housing. Since GW is in the heart of DC, it is difficult to provide beds for EVERYONE, so some people can be forced to live off campus. Greek life has been growing immensely. When I first joined my fraternity about 11% were involved in Greek life, but now it is closer to or above 20%. One complaint from some students and families is the food options. Since we don't have a cafeteria it is easier to eat unhealthy; however, this doesn't mean there aren't healthy options. It's all there but some choose some meals over others.
Academic Life
GW has increased it academic ranking each year. I know of seniors that were graduating a few years ago when I was a freshman and they said they probably would not have been accepted to GW now. It has become much more competitive in all schools. Class participation is common and teachers do know your name, but it all depends on the size of the class. When you go past 50 students, the name knowing drops off and so does some of the discussion, but that's expected (at least from me). A lot of conversation outside of class relates to politics or current events in America and the world. This goes in hand with being in DC. Since we are in DC, there are a lot of resources for jobs. I think GW does a great job on preparing their students for the real world, whether it be in the classroom or going out to find a job. This can be through the career center, in class, out of class seminars, career fairs, and list serves. There a multiple opportunities to find a job, so when students say they're having trouble, they're not tapping the resources available hard enough.
Student Body
One of the main reasons I left New England to come to DC was because of how diverse GW is. You can find any type of student here, like students paying their way through school or a student who doesn't need to work a day in their lives. This results in a variety of groups on campus, so it all depends which you associate with. I have a lot of different types of friends, but that's my decision. Others just like to stick to their 3 best friends and don't really care about anybody else or what they think. Most students are from the East coast, but there are a lot of people from the West coast (mainly California). GW also has a high foreign percentage, so I have a lot of classes with people from other countries (ranging from England to Iraq to Korea to Argentina). GW is a VERY liberal school, but CR still has a strong presence as well. Once again, being in DC brings out the politician in everyone, which can be good and bad sometimes. The majority of students here are studying to see how and when they can make the most money possible. I'm in the business school, so there are a lot of finance majors who want to go into investment banking. We care about our success and futures because money is important to a lot of people here.
The Best Things
Location
The Worst Things
Prices
