Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Went to GWU in the 80s when it was the top ranked school of the 3, Georgetown was in 2nd place and AU 3rd. Georgetown and GWU have since flipped. Yes they all attract students interest in poly sci or IR as top majors with business also in play for undergrad.

Bullshit. GWU has never been ahead of Georgetown, ever. In fact, in the 1980s it was probably number three.

I was in HS in the 80s too and I was going to say similar (but perhaps a little less vociferously).

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Do these schools attract the same type of students (academic profiles aside) essentially looking for a DC college experience? We are curious how the campus cultures differ socially, without getting into an academic debate.

OP, if your kid can’t do the most basic of research, maybe they are not ready for college.

Do you have anything to contribute?

Anonymous wrote:Do these schools attract the same type of students (academic profiles aside) essentially looking for a DC college experience? We are curious how the campus cultures differ socially, without getting into an academic debate.

OP, if your kid can’t do the most basic of research, maybe they are not ready for college.

Anonymous wrote:Nice summary PP, except GW also has a med school and hospital

PP here - Yes, which is why I said that of the three, only AU doesn't have a med school or hospital so would be the weakest for science.

One other thing I want to add: The DC area has a lot of colleges and if you are from out of town, you may just be focusing on these three when there are other schools that might fit the bill. For example, UMd is better than any of these three for engineering, computers and even some 'random' majors like journalism, criminal justice and speech pathology. Catholic doesn't get mentioned too much here but it's a nice school with a traditional campus and solid academics with way easier admissions than Georgetown. It's not an IR school but it has some very good programs, like social work. George Mason also has a nice, contained campus and a program for LD/ADHD kids and the school may be less expensive and easier admissions (and a bit less left leaning, if that's important) than AU.

Nice summary PP, except GW also has a med school and hospital

These are very different school vibes. They're also not the only schools in the DC area.

Georgetown is the most prestigious and the strongest academically. That's not just for IR - it has a medical school, a hospital, and is very respectable across the board although IR is where it shines.

Back in the 70s-90s, GW was a commuter school and had lots of night school classes and practical career-oriented programs. It was and isn't prestigious although its downtown location attracted professors working in their field and so it was a good career school and plenty of succesful people got their start at GWU with internships. It has transformed itself into a school that attracts rich international and first generation kids.

AU is a do-gooder school in an enclosed campus which attracts traditional age kids looking for a campus experience. It has always leaned left. It has solid academics and is most known for its international relations program and its communication school. It is the only one of the schools that does not have a medical school so would hands-down be the worst of all three in sciences, I think. It has an excellent program for kids with LDs/ ADHD. Like GW, it strongly encourages students to take advantage of the city and do internships, which many use to launch a career.

In my experience, no. Georgetown kids are generally very smart, obviously, but also a lot of really wealthy kids. If your kid hasn’t been exposed to that before, they may feel out of place. GW has a fratty vibe, also lots of rich kids. AU has a huge LGBT population and is also predominantly female.

Anonymous wrote:Do these schools attract the same type of students (academic profiles aside) essentially looking for a DC college experience? We are curious how the campus cultures differ socially, without getting into an academic debate.

Here we go again, OP.

Ok, I’m sure the GW fan gets the hint. He/she misspoke. Get over it. Jeez. This whole thing reminds me of when I went to Boston University in the 1970’s. As you know, that’s when BU was considered better than MIT and about even with Harvard….

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Went to GWU in the 80s when it was the top ranked school of the 3, Georgetown was in 2nd place and AU 3rd. Georgetown and GWU have since flipped. Yes they all attract students interest in poly sci or IR as top majors with business also in play for undergrad.

Bullshit. GWU has never been ahead of Georgetown, ever. In fact, in the 1980s it was probably number three.

Agreed. I went to AU in the 80s.. Georgetown was the top!

Sorry, OP, that no one is addressing your question!

GW will give aid to disappointed kids that didn’t make it into GU.

I thought historically in terms of relative strength it was

GU
…
GWU
…
…
…
AU

And now it’s more like

GU
GWU
…
AU

The question is about campus culture and the overall student vibe, not rankings or prestige.

L O L at the GW booster. The first US news ranking to expand to 25 was in 1988. Georgetown was 17th on that list and has never dropped out of the top 25. GW has only cracked the top 50 once, in 1997. Laughable.