Why would anyone send their child to GWU?

[Anonymous]

http://www.washingtonmonthly.com/college_guide/feature/the_prestige_racket.php

[Anonymous]

I have 2 good friends who graduated from GW. They enjoyed their time there, but I think they were both scholarship students.

I looked there for grad school. NO THANK YOU! I actually got to take a class from GW at George Mason in-state prices through the consortium program.

It is a good school, but I definitely don't think it is worth that price.

[Anonymous]

DH and I both graduated from GW in the 90s and saw most of the growth/cost explosion first hand. I was a partial scholarship student and I loved my time there. Very much. More recently I taught there for a few years which was an eye opening experience.

That said, I'm not inclined to donate money to GW. We feel we've more than paid our dues while we were students. DH and I give regularly to our grad schools though.

[Anonymous]

I went to GW a long time ago and also did some graduate work there. I went because I wanted to be in Washington (I'm from New England) and I absolutely did not want to go to Georgetown.

[Anonymous]

I work at GWU. I could have sent my DD here for free. I didn't. I don't like the school. They do have great internship options though.

[Anonymous]

12:01 That's a broad stroke swipe. What specifically don't you like?

[Anonymous]

For undergrad, I definitely would not go there or send a child there. I took my little sister on a college visit, and they scoffed when someone asked a question about financial aid. The same question was asked at GTown later that day, and it was handled in a much more positive way. The GW orientation seemed completely geared towards the 40% who can pay full tuition.

With that said, I did go to grad school there for a couple reasons: 1.) It was super convenient to work and home; 2.) My program is very well-regarded nationally, on the same level as GTown and better than George Mason, which is the only other school that would have been somewhat convenient; and 3.) Georgetown's program was super rigid and wouldn't have allowed one to work full-time and attend classes.

So, I sucked it up and paid a bundle, but I do have to say I had a great experience (Public Policy), and I have gotten 2 jobs through professors at the school. I don't mean to brag when I say this, but I think I really got a leg up because I attended a much more competitive undergrad school than many of my classmates and was perhaps more academically prepared. It seemed like professors, etc. went out of their way to help me and it honestly wasn't that hard to shine. I don't know if that would have been the case for everyone, but I really enjoyed my time there and learned a lot.

[Anonymous]

I went there for grad school recently (though work paid for it). I just needed a good education, wasn't worried about name brand and applied there mainly for convenience. I was actually very impressed with the quality of the faculty and the education I received there compared to my state school undergraduate university. I give back to GW when I can, but not my undergrad alma mater.

[Anonymous]

I went to GW for grad school. It was a part time, night school program. I had heard great things about it within my profession. It was a super easy program though -- I consider my entire Master's Degree a bit of a joke, but, hey, it doesn't hurt the resume. My company paid for it.

I will say that the internship opportunities going to GW undergrad gives students are really incredible. The school might be a bit of a racket, but at least students are getting an opportunity to network and get their foot in the door years before all the poli-sci majors from outside DC.

[Anonymous]

"Why would anyone send their kid to GWU?"

Depends on the kid. You are assuming that your child could get into a "better" school (i.e., more highly Newsweek ranked). GWU has good students, not super great, but solid students who are excited to be in DC. Maybe they don't want to go to a Catholic school (G-town--where you still have to take two Theology courses to graduate) or maybe they didn't like the suburban feel of AU.

Who knows? Once your child reaches college age, you may see that your child wants to go to GWU.

[Anonymous]

I went to GW and it really depends on the program. Some programs have great faculty and are very competitive but others not at all. If you are smart, it is EASY to get high grades in most classes. You need to motivated to seek out the more challenging professors and classes. GW is very much a back up school for people who did not get into an Ivy League school and compensate with stellar internships and work experience by living in the area. I doubt this has changed but to be fair I went back in the early 90s.

[Anonymous]

Interesting article. I would definitely try to steer my children towards UVA or UMD rather than GWU if they didn't get into the top tier - or to a liberal arts college where you might at least get more for your money than being crammed hundreds to a lecture...

I am not sure about the speculation at the end of the article though:
"What if we actually started measuring how much students learn at their colleges and universities? How would that change the competition among institutions? "

I think unfortunately, subjects like engineering aside, most universities are about signalling your intelligence/status rather than about what they teach you.

[Anonymous]

When I went to Georgetown, we always snickered at the GW students -- safety school for rich kids. (We were obnoxious about American, too, though.)

[Anonymous]

GW has good academics, beautiful facilities, a very international student body, and a million different opportunities to get involved on campus. Not everyone can get into Georgetown, and Catholic and American are a step down from GW and removed from the heart of the city. College is about so much more than classes and professors. It's a time for young adults to develop their interests, learn about the world, and start to navigate the world as an adult. It's so important to find a school that is a fit for a kid's academic needs as well as their personality.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:When I went to Georgetown, we always snickered at the GW students -- safety school for rich kids. (We were obnoxious about American, too, though.)

Yeah, this was me. A solid B student who paid full frieght. Best degree my dad's money could buy. I've done alright with it in my career, too.