Many students who think they want to study in our nation's capital naturally just add schools like GW, Georgetown, and American University to their list, not realizing that the only thing these schools have in common is geographic proximity. If you are a real go-getter, someone who wants to be in the middle of an action, someone who is searching for a less traditional college campus experience and more of a pre-professional urban lifestyle, GW may be the place for you.
Five Fun Facts about George Washington University:
1) GW is the largest institution of higher education in Washington D.C. with 11,000 undergraduates students. GW has two campuses - Foggy Bottom, which is 4 blocks up Pennsylvania Avenue to the White House, and Mount Vernon (The Vern), which is 3 miles from the Foggy Bottom campus and accessible via the Vern Express shuttle that runs between the two. Students aren't choosing one campus over the other - they are spending time between the two over the course of their education.
2) The School of Engineering and Applied Science is the only engineering and applied science school based in the center of DC. Researchers at SEAS are actively working on projects to help combat COVID-19 - GW researchers invented their own COVID-19 test that they administer to members of the campus community. GW's Science and Engineering Hall, which opened in 2015, is the largest academic engineering building in DC. Oh and by the way, 40% of undergraduate engineering students at GW are women.
3) When you apply to GWU, you apply to a primary school and and alternate school. As you can imagine, studying and gaining real-world experience in Washington D.C. is a priority for students interested in journalism and political communication. So, it is no surprise that the School of Media and Public Affairs is home to two of the most popular and competitive programs for admission - Journalism/Mass Communication and Political Communication. If you are interested in one of these fields, experience on the high school newspaper or yearbook and an internship with a local news media outlet can be valuable - take advantage of opportunities to gain exposure to media in high school so you can increase your chances for admissions into one of these programs.
4) Since GW is not a traditional campus, students won't find a traditional dining plan. As I heard their Dean of Admissions explaining, students who are interning on Capitol Hill can't be expected to return to a dining hall to grab their lunch. GW's Dining Cash can be used at over 105 dining partners, which include grocery stores, restaurants, coffee shops, food trucks, and fast-casual dining options.
5) The Elliott School of International Affairs offers both a Bachelor of Arts and a Bachelor of Science in International Affairs. The BS integrates more STEM courses in the curriculum to give students the skills they need to navigate science and technology requirements as they pursue their global career path. More than 70% of Elliott students study abroad.
GW has an ED I deadline (November 1), and ED II deadline (January 5), and a RD deadline (January 5). Students interested in the 7 year BA/MD program, a joint program of The George Washington University Columbian College of Arts and Sciences and the School of Medicine and Health Sciences, must apply by November 15.
Learn more about The George Washington University at https://www.gwu.edu/undergraduate-admissions.