Anonymous
09/04/2013 18:04
Subject: What are a few words that come to mind with these schools?
As a GW grad *both undergrad and graduate school* I do feel I need to chime in to say bottom line my experience there was excellent. Today, four years later I am making an enviable six figure salary at not even 29 years old. Fantastic and accessible professors, really exceptional internships (for those ambitious to seek them out) and I met an amazing array of international students, many of whom i am still friendly with. In fact going to a wedding of a former classmate in Spain next March.
I was a student in The Elliott school of International Affairs which is a highly regarded, very highly ranked program (one of the best in the country). When I was accepted, I passed on other higher ranked schools including one Ivy to attend this program. Now are there plenty of rich kids who come to GW for other things besides the academics? Of course, but tell me what high profile school doesn't have their share.
On a sidenote JHU and UNC are both also excellent institutions.
I was a student in The Elliott school of International Affairs which is a highly regarded, very highly ranked program (one of the best in the country). When I was accepted, I passed on other higher ranked schools including one Ivy to attend this program. Now are there plenty of rich kids who come to GW for other things besides the academics? Of course, but tell me what high profile school doesn't have their share.
On a sidenote JHU and UNC are both also excellent institutions.
Anonymous
09/04/2013 15:06
Subject: What are a few words that come to mind with these schools?
Anonymous wrote:All good schools in their own ways. JH excellent reputation but much more of a grad school than undergrad and as an undergrad, typically science and/or lacrosse. But excellent school to be sure (they have a very good English Dept too but my sense is really a grad school dept).
Yes, JHU is kind of like University of Chicago in that sense -- a very grad-oriented institution. That said, smart/highly engaged undergrads in the liberal arts can become sort of honorary grad students (e.g. take grad seminars, get attention from faculty) if they're so inclined. I didn't think that the liberal arts undergrads were cut-throat -- to the extent that they were stressed it was because they generally had not gotten into their first choice colleges (typically Ivy) and were convinced that their futures depended on moving up a rung for grad school. Kids who didn't come in with that POV and who were focused on their studies (rather than their peers or grad admissions) seemed to have a challenging workload but not an overwhelming one. The Homewood campus is not in a particularly dangerous or scary area (it's next to the BMA, so if you've been there you'll have a sense of what it's like).
So if you've got a future PhD candidate on your hands, I think JHU could be a great choice. I'll probably encourage my own DC to apply there.
Wouldn't bother with GW -- the big advantage is DC and for someone who already grew up here, there's no value added. Don't know about UNC Chapel Hill from an undergrad POV. Totally different scale from Hopkins.
Anonymous
09/04/2013 13:51
Subject: Re:What are a few words that come to mind with these schools?
Anonymous wrote:Johns Hopkins is for intellectuals and very focused on academics. UNC is one of the best state schools in the country. GWU (got my masters there) is a so so school academically and not in the same league as the others.
This is a fair assessment. I went to JHU for undergrad. While not a difficult as many Ivies to get into, academically, it is on par. US News has it ranked between 3 and 6 on academic reputation over the last several years. In the world of academia - going to a top grad school is simply easier from Hopkins than the other two.
Anonymous
09/04/2013 09:33
Subject: What are a few words that come to mind with these schools?
Oh, and I know how much my Ivy graduated colleagues in my field make, and their degree made no difference on that score compared to mine.
Anonymous
09/04/2013 09:32
Subject: What are a few words that come to mind with these schools?
I cannot comment on either JHU or UNC. However, I can comment on GWU, as I am an alumnus with a BA in Political Science and International Relations. GWU was my second choice school, so I am not sure what that says. Georgetown was my first, but I did not get in and in the end, after years of Catholic school that was probably better for me. Plus, I did not come out of GWU with significant debt due to financial aid as well as working while in school. Note, that GWU’s average net cost after grants and scholarships is about $27,000.
Why I liked GWU and what I got out of it: GWU is very well connected with "this town." Many of our alumni and very many of our professors are working as pracitioners in the Federal Government and in politics as campaign advisors, communications specialists, diplomats, soldiers, policy specialists, etc. They are all very knowledgeable and bring very good insight to the subjects they teach.
I also feel that the cohort of students I was surrounded with – professionally minded and driven – were all at GWU to take advantage of the school’s location in Washington, DC. We were all doing internships on the Hill, or in the White House, State Department, World Bank, etc. and we were all doing so long before it became a regular part of student life.
GWU’s Career Services Center, IMO, did an excellent job – at least for me – in helping me to learn the skills I needed to find a job after graduation. Working with the Center staff, I really did learn how to build and use a network, ferret out “unlisted” positions and, in the end, obtain my dream job.
I have built a successful and very interesting (for me) career in international relations since graduating from GWU. The school has opened doors for me in my field. Since graduating, I have lived and worked on three continents and lived in six different countries. I might have also done the same had I gone to Georgetown (maybe not), but definitely would not had I gone to my flagship State University (Florida) or a local school near my home.
So, GWU was the perfect fit for me. What school will be the perfect fit for my daughter will be where she goes, and that is as it should be. I am certainly not going to limited myself to the list “top ranked” schools in USNWR .
Why I liked GWU and what I got out of it: GWU is very well connected with "this town." Many of our alumni and very many of our professors are working as pracitioners in the Federal Government and in politics as campaign advisors, communications specialists, diplomats, soldiers, policy specialists, etc. They are all very knowledgeable and bring very good insight to the subjects they teach.
I also feel that the cohort of students I was surrounded with – professionally minded and driven – were all at GWU to take advantage of the school’s location in Washington, DC. We were all doing internships on the Hill, or in the White House, State Department, World Bank, etc. and we were all doing so long before it became a regular part of student life.
GWU’s Career Services Center, IMO, did an excellent job – at least for me – in helping me to learn the skills I needed to find a job after graduation. Working with the Center staff, I really did learn how to build and use a network, ferret out “unlisted” positions and, in the end, obtain my dream job.
I have built a successful and very interesting (for me) career in international relations since graduating from GWU. The school has opened doors for me in my field. Since graduating, I have lived and worked on three continents and lived in six different countries. I might have also done the same had I gone to Georgetown (maybe not), but definitely would not had I gone to my flagship State University (Florida) or a local school near my home.
So, GWU was the perfect fit for me. What school will be the perfect fit for my daughter will be where she goes, and that is as it should be. I am certainly not going to limited myself to the list “top ranked” schools in USNWR .
Anonymous
09/04/2013 07:50
Subject: What are a few words that come to mind with these schools?
All good schools in their own ways. JH excellent reputation but much more of a grad school than undergrad and as an undergrad, typically science and/or lacrosse. But excellent school to be sure (they have a very good English Dept too but my sense is really a grad school dept). UNC is a terrific state school, beautiful campus but overwhelmingly North Carolinians. State schools vary on this score but UNC remains mostly in-state students and quite Southern. Whether it is a good choice for out-of-state really depends on one's interests. GW is tougher to pigeon-hole -- it has improved greatly and one way it has done so is that GW buys lots of top students, and treats them very well. For the rest, it is a more mixed experience, good location, undistinguished campus, mixed reputation outside DC to be sure, but for students who want to be in the middle of the nation's capitol, at a large school, not a bad choice at all.
Anonymous
09/04/2013 07:20
Subject: Re:What are a few words that come to mind with these schools?
Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:GW gets a world rating in the top 100 colleges in North America...
Not surprised. GW is an excellent school. My son chose it over Brown, NYU and a host of other great schools and never once regretted it. He got a fabulous job and several internships while in school, world class professors. Cannot comment on UNC, don't know much and JHU I think for premed is unrivaled (besides the Ivies)
Not surprised that GW makes a "world rating" as a "top 100" college in N. America? Top 100 is meaningless. There are maybe 10-20 truly elite schools in the country and then another 20 great ones. Top 100? What's that, like winning 27th place in a contest? I don't believe anyone that says they chose GW over [insert much better school here] unless [much better school] gave 0 money and you couldn't afford it, and GW gave a full ride. I assume GW would give a full ride to someone that could also get into Brown.
The GW boosters on this thread are hilarious! Elite school. LOL.
I am here to say I am a GW alum and wouldn't trade my experience for anything. I went onto Duke Law school so clearly my start at GW got me somewhere. And I think considering its been a top 50 school for years (its on probation this year) that yes, its considered to be a darn good school. I had a wonderful time, amazing professors, got the internship of a lifetime at the state dept. It was fabulous! So unless you have been and had a bad experience of some kind....please refrain from making blanket statements that have no merit. I personally of several instances where kids chose GW over schools that were possibly ranked higher including my own brother who chose GW over Vanderbilt. It's what you make of it and highly personal in terms of what is deemed a "great school".
Well, that's cute and all, but blanket statements about the comparative quality of schools are pretty much what every ranking in the country (and world) is about. No, of course I don't have any personal experience with GW -- my only experience is knowing what it's ranked and who generally attends. I think that's enough to form an opinion. And OP wasn't asking about people's personal experiences -- she was asking "what comes to mind when...." Well, what comes to mind when someone tells me they went to Johns Hopkins v. what comes to mind when someone tells me they went to GW is very different, and is informed by the likelihood that someone that went to Johns Hopkins -- by virtue of better grades and SAT scores -- is smarter. It's great that you loved your school. Most people that go to American and Catholic and SUNY Buffalo and Rutgers love their schools, too. Doesn't make them top notch. Sorry.
Exactly! OP wasn't asking for an informed opinion, just "what comes to mind" which can included parroting what US news tells you to think[/quote]
I'm perfectly happy to rely on USNWR to tell me how schools rank comparatively, particularly when it generally is borne out by real-life experience. For example, Harvard kids? Generally smarter than GW kids. That means I'm more likely to hire a Harvard kid than a GW kid. I'm sorry if USNWR doesn't give your alma mater enough points for being totally awesome.
USNWR says nothing about the quality of the teaching or what students learn!
Anonymous
09/04/2013 07:04
Subject: What are a few words that come to mind with these schools?
Disagree. GW is a fine school. Putting aside the temporary loss of ranking, it has always hovered at around 50 or 51 in the country. If you are to believe rankings that is saying its one of the best 50 universities out of many hundred in this country. Let us keep this in perspective. With regard to JH, if you are a premed student, admittedly the other two cannot compare but putting aside the premed I would take GWU or UNC hands down over JHU.
Anonymous
09/03/2013 20:33
Subject: Re:What are a few words that come to mind with these schools?
Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:IMO, do not, I repeat, go to GW unless your family has a lot of money and connections.
Why? Please back up such a proactive statement with a reasoning. Thanks! My d is considering applying early there.
It's an expensive school and just not the same caliber as the other two schools OP listed. The best school at GW is probably the law school. Think even the med school lost or nearly lost its accreditation.
Anonymous
09/03/2013 20:30
Subject: Re:What are a few words that come to mind with these schools?
Anonymous wrote:IMO, do not, I repeat, go to GW unless your family has a lot of money and connections.
Why? Please back up such a proactive statement with a reasoning. Thanks! My d is considering applying early there.
Anonymous
09/03/2013 19:31
Subject: Re:What are a few words that come to mind with these schools?
Anonymous wrote:IMO, do not, I repeat, *do not* go to GW unless your family has a lot of money and connections.
Anonymous
09/03/2013 19:31
Subject: Re:What are a few words that come to mind with these schools?
IMO, do not, I repeat, go to GW unless your family has a lot of money and connections.
Anonymous
09/03/2013 19:28
Subject: What are a few words that come to mind with these schools?
My $0.02:
I strongly prefer for my kids (and my money) to go to colleges as opposed to universities, so that their professors are focused on *teaching* as opposed to research. None of those schools would make me happy for undergrad degree. Now, if we are talking about grad school, that's a horse of an entirely different color.
I strongly prefer for my kids (and my money) to go to colleges as opposed to universities, so that their professors are focused on *teaching* as opposed to research. None of those schools would make me happy for undergrad degree. Now, if we are talking about grad school, that's a horse of an entirely different color.
Anonymous
09/03/2013 17:23
Subject: What are a few words that come to mind with these schools?
I have! And it ain't pretty!
Anonymous
08/28/2013 18:01
Subject: What are a few words that come to mind with these schools?
Seriously, how many of you posters have been to the neighborhood where the main JHU campus is located? The hospital/med school are in a pretty bad part of town, but the main campus is in Charles Village, which is actually one of the nicer parts of Baltimore. I lived there for 2 years in law school and didn't have any trouble. Baltimore *can* be a dnagerous city, but Charles Village itself is really pretty safe.