The George Washington University – where the world is at your fingertips

Imagine having your college commencement ceremony with students from all over the US and 130 other countries around the world on the National Mall. This is an honor experienced only by graduates of The George Washington University in Washington, D.C. During your time as an undergraduate, you would have had behind the scenes access to the Smithsonian, museums, the Library of Congress, US Capitol and other national treasures. You probably also had top political officials and other influential leaders serve as a guest speaker or visiting professor in at least one of your courses. 

 

Established in 1821 by an act of Congress to fulfill George Washington’s dream of having a national university in D.C, GW has two campuses – one in Foggy Bottom on Pennsylvania Avenue and the Mount Vernon campus near Georgetown. Students live and take classes on both campuses and travel between on the “Vern Express” shuttle which runs 24/7 during the academic year. 

 

Here are a few quick facts about GW:

Acceptance: 43%

Freshman retention: 88%

Freshmen out of state: 99%

Most popular majors: international affairs, political science, finanace

4-year Graduation rate: 79%; 6-year: 85%

Student Community Diversity: 7.6% Black, 11% Latino, 11% International

 

Housing: 61% of students live in campus housing, which is required for the first 3 years. Rising juniors, however, can enter a lottery that grants a limited number of exemptions. Some of the most popular places to live off campus are in Foggy Bottom, Dupont Circle and Georgetown. 

 

The university meal plan allows students to dine at both on-campus cafes and more than 100 off-campus vendors with a great variety of options including food trucks and nicer, sit down restaurants. Being in the middle of an urban campus can raise concern; the campus offers many services to ensure security on campus. 

 

Academics: All GW undergrads are required to complete a 19-credit core curriculum with courses in writing, natural or physical sciences, math or statistics, social science, and the humanities, as well as 2 writing-in-the-disciplines courses. During the first year, all students take a University Writing course. 

 

GW offers an honors program and a number of accelerated undergraduate/graduate degree options. The workload is described as heavy but also not as competitive as one might expect. 52% of classes have fewer than 20 students. Professors teach lectures and seminars while TAs lead discussions or labs. Students who wish to study abroad will find more than 300 programs available in more than 60 countries; 31% of GW students take advantage of this opportunity. 

 

The Center of Career Services connects students with more than 12,000 internships, which includes opportunities on Capitol Hill, the Kennedy Center, the Smithsonian and many other local organizations. Volunteering is also a big thing at GW. More than 70 courses combine academics and service work in the D.C. community. 

 

Similar colleges to consider: Boston University, NYU, Northeastern, UMiami (FL)

 

Social: With everything to do in D.C., no student should ever be bored. 15% and 19% of women, respectively “go Greek” and there are 475 on-campus student organizations students can join. The most popular annual events are the Fall Fest and Spring Fling carnivals, which feature free food and well-known musical performers. Every 4 years, GW has its own Inaugural Ball to celebrate the swearing in of the new President. 

 

For students who want to venture further off campus, popular road trips include Ocean City, Maryland and Virginia Beach. Philadelphia and New York City are accessible by bus or train, which is a plus because most GW students don’t have cars. 

 

While GW doesn’t have a football team, their 27 varsity teams play in the Division I Atlantic 10 Conference. Men’s and women’s basketball teams regularly make NCAA appearances, and women’s basketball and gymnastics, and men’s swimming and diving teams and water polo have been recent conference champions. 20% of students play sports recreationally in 25 intramural and 34 club sports. The mascot for the Colonials resembles a certain Founding Father, however there is also an unofficial mascot – the hippopotamus. 

 

Financial: GWU has a fixed rate-plan that guarantees that tuition will not increase for up to 5 years of full-time undergraduate study. GWU offers need-based aid, as well as non-need based merit scholarships and 175 athletic scholarships. The average percent of need met is 93%, with 81% being fully met. Although the tuition and fees are $83,000, the average financial aid package is $42,000. 66% of students receive some type of financial aid.

Choosing a College: How to Find the Right Academic Fit

Choosing a College: How to Find the Right Academic Fit

Choosing a college isn’t a quick or easy decision for most students. Students must consider five key features of a school when choosing a college: Academic fit, Social fit, Financial fit, Vocational fit, and Cultural fit. 

 

Choosing a college based on academic fit

 

Today, we’re going to discuss academic fit. As you can imagine, choosing a college with the right academic is critical. But what does it mean?

Academic fit refers to how the faculty teaches, the academic priorities of the college, and what the learning environment is like. It also refers to the distinct curriculum types a college may offer. A complete review of the college’s website and a campus visit can help with determining the academic fit and choosing a college that’s right for you. 

Make the most of your campus visit with these five top tips. 

Before even taking your first steps, it helps to understand the bigger picture of how colleges are distinguished by their different academic curriculums. In my experiences working with families, few give consideration to these distinctions. Often, they aren’t even aware they exist.

From a college admissions perspective, students should at least be aware of these distinctions when they write their application essays or interview at colleges. Once admitted, the college that the student attends can make a significant difference in the classes that students can take in college and their satisfaction with the academic rigor.

So, what are the three types of academic curriculums? Open, core, or distributed.

Let’s briefly discuss each type and their key differences, along with colleges to explore.

 

Is an open curriculum the right academic fit?

 

There are only a hand-full of colleges and universities that provide a truly open curriculum.

This means students are free to choose which classes they want to take. There are no general education requirements and students can design their own path to a major or concentration. There may be specific requirements within a particular major, but students are free to pick from any range of classes.

Some schools with an Open Curriculum:

The thing is, not every student can handle an open curriculum. Sure, these colleges may have the brand name. But students must be very disciplined to navigate four years of undergraduate in a school with an open curriculum.

 

Is Columbia University’s Core the right academic fit?

 

The use of a Core curriculum started in 1919 at Columbia College. It remains their primary approach to higher education. A Core curriculum means there are specific courses all students must take, regardless of their majors. (In fact, when you visit the Columbia campus, a building lists the authors of core readings for all undergrads.)

The idea is to provide every student with a broad range of knowledge in many subjects and to support intellectual growth.

Other colleges with a core curriculum:

  • Auburn University
  • Boston University
  • Purdue University
  • University of Chicago
  • University of Notre Dame

 

Academic fit can be different at most colleges

 

A distributed curriculum is a hybrid of a core and open curriculum.

There aren’t specific classes that every student is required to take. But, there are guidelines to the number of classes that each student must take in a given academic area. This curriculum provides the student with the flexibility to choose a class that interests them. At the same time, still providing a structure to their education.

Most colleges in the US have distribution requirements. What I enjoyed about a distributed curriculum when I attended Stanford is that I took classes in areas that I may not have learned about otherwise. For example, as an undergraduate, I studied Calculus, Petroleum Engineering, Philosophy. But I fell in love with Linguistics (a topic I had never heard of before college!).

A photo from my trip to Georgetown University

Colleges with distributed curriculum:

  • Bowdoin College
  • Cornell University
  • Dickinson College
  • Georgetown University
  • Northwestern University
  • Reed College
  • Stanford University
  • Swarthmore College
  • University of Tampa
  • Wellesley

Now, the next step to take with this insight is to match the needs and interests of the student. Let’s say a teen has an interest in engineering and doesn’t enjoy writing. Then, it’s important to research colleges that offer engineering with little to no writing requirements for graduation. An official campus visit is the next step before applying if a teen is still interested after the research is completed. 

How have you helped your teen with finding the right academic fit?

If you’re looking for one-on-one guidance to help you find the school with the right academic fit, click here to learn about my webinar.

 

Want to see more posts like this? Don’t miss these: 

 

7 College Essentials Worth Investing In For Your Freshman Year

Top 10 must-dos for college-bounds juniors

7 ways to support your child during the college application process