GWU Elliot School of international affairs- is it worth it?
![[Post New]](/jforum/templates/default/images/icon_minipost_new.gif){kind=icon}
Anonymous
| My daughter was accepted here along with VT and W&M. She received a small scholarship ($14000) for GWU. For those who know, is GWU , specifically the international affairs program, worth the cost? |
Anonymous
| Are you in state for VT and W&M? If so, no way is GWU worth the price tag. |
Anonymous
| I don't know how you expect an answer for this. I graduated from ESIA years ago but I would have no clue if it is worth it for your kid. In my case I had everything covered but 10k a year in loans. It took me a while to pay back but I felt like it was worth it, even though I actually didn't work in international relations at all. |
Anonymous
Yes, in state |
Anonymous
|
My kid goes there and loves it. He was also accepted to W&M dual degree programme with St Andrews. With GW merit, they were the same price, so he went with GW.
If one is significantly cheaper than the other, go for the cheaper one. |
Anonymous
|
No.
(GW ESIA grad) Absolutely go to VT or W&M in state. |
Anonymous
GW alum. Have a DC in W&M dual degree Programme with St Andrews. Would choose the joint degree programme even if it costs more, kids get much more out of it. Regular IR program would give a slight edge to GW over W&M so would depend on bottom line cost. |
Anonymous
| It isn't about the education it is about the experiences. Go to GWU, and you can do internships year round. Network with people in your field. Go to WM and you can network in colonial Williamsburg. |
Anonymous
| GW has locational advantages wrt getting jobs etc. But W&M instate would be my choice. Save your cash for grad school (very important for IR careers) |
Anonymous
This being said, if cash is no object, I would go with GW for IR |
Anonymous
I disagree. The dual degree programme is very rigid, and my kid wanted other courses and study abroad opportunities, which is why he picked GW. He talked to the Scottish programme director when she flew over to W&M to Admitted Students Day, and compared with the Elliott School course offerings and his study abroad options, notably the Sciences Po option. Not saying it's bad! It's excellent. But it's not what every kid wants out of their International Affairs education, that's all. |
Anonymous
|
Agree with 11:20 and 11:21.
If cost is not a concern, do GWU. Better location for internships and networking opportunities with the faculty. Elliot has more IR professionals teaching and networking is important. But as 11:20 pointed out, having a grad degree from a reputable program is extremely important in IR. An undergraduate degree is not going to be enough if you want to advance beyond the lower tier of jobs in the field. So you might want to save the money for grad school, in which case W&M is an excellent choice for undergrad. |
Anonymous
|
GW has no campus. It's kind of depressing. I was driving my younger son home from high school and to avoid traffic cut through GW and said 'this is the campus'.
|
Anonymous
Agree about grad degree...and it's just not worth it to blow so much $ on undergrad, I don't care where. My kid is in at GU, GW, WM Monroe and UVA. Leaning to the last two now because after further consideration the $375k price tag for an undergrad degree does not seem worth it. He's also govt/politics-slight IR leaning. Frankly, our neighborhood alone has so many connections-the school isn't going to make the difference for undergrad. |
Anonymous
Actually my kid loves the integrated urban campus! We visited rural and suburban ones, and all he was interested in was the city feel. Which is so funny to me, because I grew up in a European capital and attended a city campus for undergrad, and was so happy to go to grad school on a campus with manicured lawns and country feel!  I suppose it's because he's been living in suburbia all his life...
|