bblucy Posted April 15, 2011 Posted April 15, 2011 I guess it hasn't started yet, but I'm eager to hear back from those who are attending GWU's open house today. I won't be able to attend and am interested in everyone's impressions!
Carthage Posted April 17, 2011 Posted April 17, 2011 I went to this open house as well as Syracuse's and AU's, and was definitely the most impressed at GWU. Syracuse was a fairly close second, and AU a distant third. The student-teacher community seems great at Syracuse, and while the lower price/cost of living difference/shorter overall time makes it very attractive, the fact that I can specialize at GWU to a much greater degree than at Syracuse makes it more attractive. If I went to Syracuse, I can choose security as one of my main two focuses, while having a regional focus as well. At GWU, I can choose security as my only focus, and actually choose areas to further specialize within security. Plus the DC location means I'll have the chance for multiple internships, instead of the one I would likely have at Maxwell. I also hate winter, so... AU was a letdown. A majority of the prospective students seemed to come straight from undergrad, which was surprising given AU's ranking in IR programs, and the fact that they said 17% of surveyed SIS graduates were still looking for a job after 2010 graduation was a little mind-boggling as well - that's nearly 1 in 5 students!
bblucy Posted April 18, 2011 Author Posted April 18, 2011 Hi Carthage, thanks for your response! Did you get any kind of feeling of the sense of community/collaboration amongst students at GWU? (this is something that has been talked about a lot at some of the other schools I'm considering, but I haven't heard much talk of this RE GWU)?
Carthage Posted April 19, 2011 Posted April 19, 2011 Hi Carthage, thanks for your response! Did you get any kind of feeling of the sense of community/collaboration amongst students at GWU? (this is something that has been talked about a lot at some of the other schools I'm considering, but I haven't heard much talk of this RE GWU)? Everyone seemed very friendly, but if I recall correctly, there's about 300 students per year, and a number of students will have jobs or internships that limit their involvement on campus. If community is that important to you, I'm not sure I'd go to GWU, or really, any of the DC schools.
CalSeeker Posted April 19, 2011 Posted April 19, 2011 Everyone seemed very friendly, but if I recall correctly, there's about 300 students per year, and a number of students will have jobs or internships that limit their involvement on campus. If community is that important to you, I'm not sure I'd go to GWU, or really, any of the DC schools. I think this might depend on your concentration. I will be starting the international trade and investment policy program, and the people I have talked to have made it sound like a pretty close community (only about 20 people per year). Some of the courses must be taken with your cohort, so you end up knowing the people in your year pretty well. It might be different for other programs, though. I was not able to go to the open house either, so I would love to hear more impressions, even though I have already made my decision.
canesfan2011 Posted April 21, 2011 Posted April 21, 2011 When I was at the open house student panel, all of the students (about 7 or 8) were from different concentrations but seemed to know each other and have inside jokes and a couple seemed to hang out together outside of school. They told us that it was a mix- some people were older or worked full time and came to class and went home, but a lot of them made an effort to get to know each other and form a community. So I think it's really a mix of both!
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