George Washington University Top Questions

Very tough. Tougher than what I expected. Not impossible but just very demanding.

Academics are what you make of them. Professors are usually available outside of class, but you're going to have to make an effort to meet with them. Students are fairly competitive, but it kinda depends on the class and department. Required courses are really easy to get out of the way, and professors who teach these classes tend to know it. They'll push you, but they realize that most people take their classes to just get them out of the way.

.

Teachers and classes - great (besides my experience with Economics and Prof Foster). However, every building besides the Elliott building has pretty much terrible classrooms. And the level of discussion was far underneath the standards I expected. It's not the classes that are disappointing - yet the other students in your classes that will surely slow down your ability to learn.

-

-

Many international students.

GW academics vary. I have had some of the best and worst professors at this university. There are professors that barely speak English, and those that you stare at with awe when you attend class, unable to believe that someone of this caliber and intelligence is teaching you. The amount of work and level of academic focus required for each course also varies, subject to subject and professor to professor. I am a Journalism and Mass Communication major in SMPA, and I have had the privilege of taking classes with professors that have changed the landscape of journalism. They are accessible, friendly and sincerely open to students who show interest. They are also great resources for internships and jobs, which are very important at GW. I have friends studying anything from International Affairs to Chemistry that say the same thing about GW academics: it varies. Therefore, you can choose how involved and academically challenged you will be. I would say most classes have a fair distribution of really competitive students as well as slackers, but overall, the students at GW are street smart and book smart, a combination you will rarely find elsewhere. Students study mainly during exam periods, when the aging library feels like it will explode with books, papers and tired faces, but the library is less populated throughout the semester. Participation is common and encouraged, and students here love to talk.

Almost every student studies political science or international affairs, with the occasional pre-med and journalism students. The student body is made up of aspiring future lawyers, doctors, senators, and maybe one or two presidents. Everyone is overly concerned with getting perfect grades to get into Phi Beta Kappa...and every other honors organization offered at GW. But school is only important on the weekdays - the weekends are reserved for frat parties and hitting up the newest and "hottest" clubs around town. GW kids definitely live by this motto: "Study hard, play hard."

I am an international Affairs major and a Public Health Minor. I'm a student that loves school, and GW has been a great environment for me. I have made a point to get to know my professors and they have done the same. I am taking a class called Philosophy and Nonviolence this semester, and the professor had us introduce ourselves over blackboard before the semester began so that he knew all of our names on the first day. The summer after I took Global Health and Development, I worked for my professor, and he has always been a great asset, giving me career advice. GW professors often have a lot of real work experience in the fields that they teach, which is definitely a good thing if you ask me. Your classes and relationships with professors are definitely dependent on what you put into them though. It's very possible that you won't get to know your professors like I have. The Elliott School has pretty strict requirements, but it's done by category so you can pick from a whole bunch of classes under each category and specialize in whatever you want. In the end you get a very interdisciplinary approach to learning.

Overall, I feel I am getting a great education at GW that will prepare me for the real world. The initial intro classes were large lectures, but that style doesn't bother me. While some students may not be as motivated as they should be, I've met lots of bright kids who are motivated and fun to work with. While I have had some bad profs, I feel overall the professors are pretty good and are teaching me important, useful skills

I've read a few of the other reviews of GW, and I would have to agree with the people who say it's hit or miss with the professors and classes (but where is it not?). I have had some really great professors, even in a couple of my big lecture classes. The professors I haven't liked were just so-so. I have yet to have a truly awful professor, but I guess that I still have two and half more years left so we'll see. Just to make a note of it, everyone should take Foster's Intro Macro/Micro Econ course (and I'm not even majoring in anything Econ related).

Classes at George Washington University are pretty balanced between large lectures and small classrooms. I have three large lecture classes and two smaller classroom experiences. I have a double major in International Affairs (concentration in Latin America) and Political Science with a minor in History. My favorite class is American Politics, Professor Deering is hilarious and explains everything personally! I registered for Legislative Politics with him next semester. The academic requirements are annoying, for example, I have to take a Math and two Science courses, and my AP credits can't count towards those courses. But the general education requirements are very easy to accomplish nonetheless. There hasn't been a class I haven't enjoyed, including those general education courses!

Really great, but I'm much better speaking than typing..

The academics at GW are what you make of it. While some classes are big, others are intimate and you'll get to know your professor well. It is up to you to choose the classes you want to take, pursue what you want to know and make an effort to contact your professors. Most of my professors know my name, and offer help when I need it, but others also have so many students that its hard for them to do so. Professors love it when students make the effort to speak to them in office hours, whether for specific help or just to discuss topics mentioned in class. My favorite class is definitely my beginners' Italian class. While I never expected to be taking this class, and I get the most work from it, it is one of my favorites because of my professor. She takes the time to get to know each of us, pushing us to develop our Italian while making sure the classes are fun. While the syllabus set by the department is very rigorous, she is understanding when we need help or an extension on our assignments. My least favorite class would be my sociology class because it is so big. While the topics are interesting, the focus is too broad and the size of the class makes it hard to participate. By far the most unique class I've taken was called "Europe's War of Ideas," where we focused on the changing views on slavery/ liberation, violence/ war and morality throughout the 18th, 19th and 20th centuries. While the class was listed as a history couse, it was more geared towards philosophy, politics and how the three subjects are closely intertwined. The lectures were always fascinating, and discussion section was continuously interesting and intellectually stimulating. While the environment is competitive, students are most competitive against themselves. Most of us set goals for ourselves and strive to achieve them not to beat the person beside them, but for their own benefit. The school's requirements for incoming freshman are still being developed because there is a new system. I think it needs a bit of work as well as a better system for educating students on the requirements.

Once you find the field your most interested in you start to really get to know that department and it's professors. My freshman year I didn't know any of my teacher's personally, even the small classes. About half your classes each semester are small and half are big. It wasn't til the end of freshman year when I had to get recommendations that I got to know my teachers outside the classroom... in their office. Now that I'm a senior at GW there's about 4 teachers that I have a growing professional relationship with who I admire and would seek for advice. I think the personal relationships you have with teachers will come from the individual student. It's easy to be a student who never has any kind of relationship with any teacher. And it's easy to be a student who goes out of their way to meet with all professors, as they all are very accessible. Classes at GW on the whole I think aren't that hard. It's pretty easy to talk a teacher into giving you extra credit or extra help with an upcoming exam. I put forth average effort and am B student. If I really tried I could def get mostly if not all As. Requirements at GW depend on what school your in. Arts and Sciences school has a lot of requirements. International Affairs school really doesn't have that many at all. It's easy to double major or graduate early. The business school isn't too bad but it's pretty strict. Education at GW is definitly more geared toward getting a job and experiencing life than it is to learning for it's own sake. GW values students with experiences and who want to create more. Everyone at GW has a story to tell.

SO the academics are challenging at GW. They are not as insane as Cornell's or Harvard's but I always have to put in a ton of effort to nab an A. My professors during Freshman year were the most supportive people I had ever met (besides my Sociology Professor....but that 's a whole other story). One of my mentors this year taught my favorite class last semester in the American Studies Department (which is a fabulous place for anyone interested in pop culture). All throughout Freshman year I studied like crazy because I was using the same high school thinking. In college, you have to learn to balance your time or you will legit go crazy. I had about 3 panic attacks last year but learned how to manage my time for sanity's sake. My mother saved all the phone calls of me freaking out various times last year. Got to love her. This year though, my classes are ten times more challenging but I find myself being able to balance everything ten times better. On top of school, I also work at GW's gym, and will start interning next semester. Professors are super supportive at GW and really want you to do well. That being said, make it your mission to make sure each an everyone knows your name by the end of the class. Regardless if the class is crummy or not, keeping a high GPA is super important and could be the deciding factor for a future job. GW focuses on how the academics you learn in the class can be applied to the everyday world, that being said, you are occasionally going to have to take a math class which will have no relevance to you whatsoever.....just suck it up and make friends with the Professor. Like my mom always says, "you get what you put in."

Professors tend to know your name, even in larger classes of 150 or so. Political Science classes are pretty great here. I study around 10-15 hours a week to stay on top of things, but to excel, I pump out a good 40 hours of study. The competition isn't that apparent though, making it even better for good students.

SO the academics are challenging at GW. They are not as insane as Cornell's or Harvard's but I always have to put in a ton of effort to nab an A. My professors during Freshman year were the most supportive people I had ever met (besides my Sociology Professor....but that 's a whole other story). One of my mentors this year taught my favorite class last semester in the American Studies Department (which is a fabulous place for anyone interested in pop culture). All throughout Freshman year I studied like crazy because I was using the same high school thinking. In college, you have to learn to balance your time or you will legit go crazy. I had about 3 panic attacks last year but learned how to manage my time for sanity's sake. My mother saved all the phone calls of me freaking out various times last year. Got to love her. This year though, my classes are ten times more challenging but I find myself being able to balance everything ten times better. On top of school, I also work at GW's gym, and will start interning next semester. Professors are super supportive at GW and really want you to do well. That being said, make it your mission to make sure each an everyone knows your name by the end of the class. Regardless if the class is crummy or not, keeping a high GPA is super important and could be the deciding factor for a future job. GW focuses on how the academics you learn in the class can be applied to the everyday world, that being said, you are occasionally going to have to take a math class which will have no relevance to you whatsoever.....just suck it up and make friends with the Professor. Like my mom always says, "you get what you put in."

I am major in International Affairs, concentrating in International Economics and minor in Business Administration. For most time my classes are small, at around 20 to 40 people. The best class I have taken is introduction to international affairs. It was a big class, and we were divided in small discussion session which meets every week. We did case study and a great international trade project. The project was extremely practical. We were divided into four in a group and assigned to a country and a governmental position each. And we go to that embassy and interviewed people there. We did research according to our title, and as I was the executive of trade I concentrated in trading policies and manufacture sector of the economy. Then the whole class meet together and performed a mock international conference. It was really fun and I have really learnt a lot.