great education, poor organization
Monday, October 19, 2009
Good: For tuition costs, GW is quite
socialistic. Many students pay the 50k bill outright, and instead of simply appealing to that select wealthy class, they give out tons of money to students who otherwise couldnt afford it. by graduation i will have less than 15,000 in debt, a miracle at a big city private school. All the university required of me was that i make use of subsidized gov't loans, and they took care of the rest. Once i left campus, i even got a return of 4k each semester, a great help with rent.. Bad: Its a little stuffy, and on the surface, the student body is very homogeneous. It is absolutely possible to find interesting and unique people here, but you really have to search.. Improvements: The academic advising system (at least in the elliot school) needs to be overhauled. The advisors are friendly and fairly available, but few are capable of really helping you plot out your courses. After my first session with my advisor as a freshman, I felt i had a well laid plan for what i needed to take and when. However, there ended up to be prerequisites and other oversights that severely impacted my ability to graduate on time.. Other: GW is a great school, but it takes a special kind of student. Its important you have a general idea of what you want to study right away (especially if you have IB/AP/college credits), as there isnt a lot of wiggle room for exploration- especially in ESIA. It is possible to switch or double major between colleges, but it takes a ton of footwork. The branches of the school dont communicate, making your successful graduation your responsibility. Make sure you have the drive and maturity for a DIY educatio.