Washington, DC: George Washington University, or GW,may not be the choice for students who dream of the ivy-covered brickbuilding college experience.

In my opinion, however, the Mall(large park in the center of Washington), the Lincoln Memorial, WhiteHouse, Library of Congress and other important and beautiful landmarksof D.C. make up for its unique placement. GW is an urban university andwithin walking distance of the heart of Washington with a view of thePotomac River. GW is a competitive school and listed in Cass & Birnaum'sGuide to American Colleges as "highly selective." The total enrollmentis about 20,000 which places it in the medium to large-size category.The most popular majors are international affairs (not surprising,considering the location) and business administration. As a liberal artscollege, it offers a wide variety of majors.

One special featureof GW is its incredible internships for students in D.C. Opportunitiesin our nation's capital are endless. Although academics and future jobopportunities are very important to the faculty and students of GW, itis not a school that forgets to include a social experience. Sports,clubs and other activities are very popular. Students have no complaintsabout the nightlife, and there are many dance clubs, restaurants, bars,theaters and other entertainment in this exciting city.

As wellas touring the school, I spent a Sunday night in a dorm room with fourother girls. I had fun and was able to get a first-hand look at thetypes of students at GW, as well as what an average day (includingclasses) is like. I was pleased with both. The classes seemed bothchallenging and interesting while the students were diverse andfriendly. Another perk is that some dorms are converted hotel rooms andthe school cleans the bathrooms and sweeps the rooms every week. Acleaning service at college can't hurt!

George WashingtonUniversity is an academically demanding school with unparalleledinternship opportunities and a social life like nowhere else. A+


Reviewed in 1999