The Philosophy

Medium (12,500), 4 year, private university 
TEST OPTIONAL
275,000 in 150 countries alum
Believes education empowers people to change history

The Classes

7 yr BA/MD - 9 students accepted, 1% acceptance rate
Average upper classes 27-29. Larger classes average is 120 with break out sessions with TAs
Shadowing doctors part of some classes
Desks that face each other for interactive learning

The Path

Financial Aid Feb 1

If apply for honors program and don't get in, will consider you for regular status
4 yrs honors program -apply at the time of application (2 extra essays)
Freshman day of service at the end of orientation week
7 schools - declare major end of sophomore year
Mt Vernon campus first year living 15 minutes away. 1/4 of freshman live there. Can live there all four years
All freshman take at least one class on the Mount Vernon campus
95 undergraduate degrees, 75 majors

The People

47% students of color
40% faculty of color
53% female faculty
Is very large but feels accessible and community minded

The Aid

Financial aid travels on study abroad programs
11,000+ Internships and 25,000+ jobs available per year
Grants, scholarships, loans, and work study all available

Not so long ago, GW was a backup school maligned for its lack of identity. But the allure of Washington, D.C., coupled with ambitious leadership and an intellectually stimulating educational environment, has made it increasingly selective. Located steps away from the State Department. Among the most expensive private schools in the country, it is also a national leader in internships per capita.

Like Washington, D.C., itself, the George Washington University draws students from all over America-and 130 countries around the world. Upon arrival, they find a bustling campus in the heart of D.C., enriched with cultural and intellectual opportunities, including internships with the Smithsonian Institution, the U.S. Capitol, the Library of Congress, NASA, and other national treasures. GW offers a front-row seat to history as top political officials and influential leaders serve as frequent guest speakers and visiting professors-and it is the only school in the country to hold its commencement on the National Mall. “We are the students who will make change in the world and we are at the center of the important things that are going on right now,” says one confident junior.

GW was established in 1821 by an act of Congress as a testament to George Washington’s dream of a national institution of higher learning in D.C. Today, as GW enters its third century, undergraduates experience life on primarily two campuses-the Foggy Bottom campus on Pennsylvania Avenue near the State Department and the Mount Vernon campus, three miles away in the Foxhall neighborhood. (A few other satellite campuses in the area serve mostly graduate students.) The Foggy Bottom campus has a mix of renovated federal row houses and modern buildings and is virtually indistinguishable from the rest of the neighborhood, while the wooded Mount Vernon campus spans 23 bucolic acres near Georgetown and includes athletic fields, tennis courts, and an outdoor pool. Students live and take classes on both campuses and travel between the two on the “Vern Express,” a shuttle that runs 24/7 during the academic year. The 500,000-square-foot Science and Engineering Hall is the largest academic building in D.C. dedicated to STEM fields.

Incoming students may enroll in the School of Engineering and Applied Science, the School of Business, the Elliott School of International Affairs, the Milken Institute School of Public Health, and the largest undergraduate division, the Columbian College of Arts and Sciences (which also houses the School of Media and Public Affairs and the Corcoran School of the Arts and Design). All undergraduates are required to complete a 19-credit core curriculum in the following areas: writing, natural or physical science, mathematics or statistics, social science, and the humanities, plus two writing-in-the-disciplines courses. During their first year, all undergraduates take a University Writing course. Some of the strongest and most popular majors are international affairs, political science, psychology, and finance. GW’s political communication major, which combines political science, journalism, and communication technologies, is one of the few undergraduate programs of its kind and benefits from its Washington location. Programs in public health, geography, biomedical engineering, interaction design, and archaeology are also well regarded. A number of accelerated undergraduate/graduate degree programs are available. Students warn that recent budget cuts have impacted several humanities and arts programs, including women’s studies, music, and dance.

The workload at GW tends to be heavy, and a human services and social justice major says the climate is “less competitive than you would expect, with definite space for collaboration (at least in liberal arts classes).” Fifty-two percent of the classes taken by undergraduates have fewer than 20 students; professors handle lectures and seminars, and TAs facilitate discussions or labs. Almost half of GW’s faculty members divide their time between the halls of academia and real-world positions, many of them governmental, but the quality of teaching is said to be “hit or miss.”

For about 500 highly motivated and capable students in all majors, the University Honors Program offers special seminars, independent study, and a university symposium on both campuses. Thirty percent of students study abroad in more than 300 programs in more than 60 countries, including GW-run programs in England, France, Spain, and Chile. The Center for Career Services hosts job fairs, offers career coaching, and connects students with more than 12,000 internship opportunities. “Students intern at Capitol Hill (we call it hill-terning because of how common it is), the Kennedy Center, the Smithsonian, and many other local organizations,” says a junior. Volunteering is big, too, and more than 70 GW courses combine academics with service work in the D.C. community.

“Students who go to GW are driven by success,” says an economics major. “They know what they want and they will go after it.” Ninety-seven percent of undergraduates come from outside D.C., including 12 percent who hail from foreign countries. Eight percent are African American, 11 percent are Hispanic, 11 percent are Asian American, and 4 percent are multiracial. Many students come from wealthy backgrounds (and pricey nights out on the town are a common diversion), and a senior comments that the campus “remains fairly segregated according to race and cultural background.” Diversity training is now mandatory for all incoming students. As you might expect, political issues of all sorts are important here. Merit scholarships are available, averaging $21,700, and athletes vie for 126 awards. GW is need-aware, not need-blind, in its admissions.

Fifty-eight percent of GW undergrads live in campus housing, which is required for the first three years, although rising juniors interested in living off campus can enter a lottery that grants a limited number of exemptions. “Most dorms are converted apartment buildings that are old and in need of renovation,” reports a senior. Those who move off campus typically find group houses in Foggy Bottom or go to fashionable nearby neighborhoods like Dupont Circle and Georgetown, just a short walk from campus. GW’s meal plans allow students to dine at on-campus cafés or at more than 100 off-campus vendors, which means there are a “variety of options ranging from fast food, to food trucks, to nice sit-down dinners at fancier restaurants,” according to one sophomore. Given GW’s open, urban campus, safety can be a concern, but one student says, “There are many services to ensure security,” including the university’s police department. A junior adds, “Student organizations like Students Against Sexual Assault (SASA), Allied in Pride, the Feminist Student Union, and others work very diligently to increase awareness of sexual assault and provide students with the tools to protect themselves and others.”

“If you’re bored at GW, you’re doing something wrong,” states one business administration major. “Whether it’s on campus or off campus, there’s always something to do.” Five percent of GW men and 9 percent of the women go Greek, and there are more than 475 student organizations on campus. Alcohol consumption is allowed on campus for those of legal age. Major annual events include the Fall Fest and Spring Fling carnivals, with free food and nationally known musical performers. And every four years, GW celebrates the beginning of the new U.S. presidential term with a formal Inaugural Ball of its own in January. Popular weekend trips include the Blue Ridge Mountains and the beaches of Ocean City, Maryland, and Virginia Beach, Virginia. Philadelphia and New York City are easily accessible by bus or train, a boon because most GW students don’t have cars.

GW doesn’t field a football team, but its 27 varsity teams (the Colonials) are competitive in Division I Atlantic 10 Conference play. Men’s and women’s basketball make regular NCAA tournament appearances, and recent conference champions include softball, gymnastics, men’s and women’s swimming and diving, and men’s water polo. Sailing and men’s and women’s squash are also competitive. Seventeen percent of undergraduates participate in the recreational sports program, which offers 20 intramural activities throughout the year, in addition to 37 club sport options. And while the school’s official mascot resembles a certain Founding Father, its quirky, unofficial one is the hippopotamus.

Perhaps it’s fitting that a university located in the nation’s seat of government would generate complaints about red tape: “Stop with the bureaucracy,” grumbles one student. “The simplest of problems for students could be fixed if we didn’t have to go through so many hoops to just get an answer.” Still, despite the bureaucratic annoyances, GW continues to build its reputation by putting its location to good use. “The opportunities are endless,” says a student. “Picking and choosing what you want to do is the hardest part.” For students interested in urban living in the heart of the nation’s political establishment, GW may fit the bill. But that bill will be hefty.

-Fiske Guide