George Washington University Top Questions

Many people characterize students in GW as dump rich kids. They actually not! The student body here is really activated and have really advocated political voice. Sometimes we may seem a little bit "nerdy." In fact, GW students are very hard working.

The main stereotype of GW students is that they are wealthy and love to show it off. If you take a quick glance around campus you will probably notice girls using their Louis Vuitton bags to carry their books, and guys walking to class in Vineyard Vines. A good percentage of the students at GW come from wealthy families and have the clothes, accessories, cars, and expensive apartments to prove it. There are definitely exceptions to this stereotype because GW is known to give a great deal of financial aid, so not every GW guy and girl have loaded parents, in fact a lot of students have work study jobs or even part-time jobs. This stereotype may be true for the majority of undergrads, but it definitely does not define who they are as a person. After meeting and getting to know different students over the past two years of college, I have come to realize that the amount of money their families have does not correlate with how they act towards others. Many of these wealthy kids are still intelligent, outgoing, and approachable people.

After spending almost 4 semesters at the George Washington University, I would have to say that I have met more people who are foils to this stereotype than otherwise. These people do come from families that are well off compared to most families today; but they are nonetheless down-to-earth and very brilliantly minded individuals. A great number of students receive financial aid as well, which I personally believe proves that GW's stereotype is a little off center. The stereotype seems to target a very small group of people who do stand out, but the stereotype in this instance still remains inaccurate.

B

Being a large school, there are many stereotypes that GW students are associated with, some definitely have some truth to them and others not so much. The stereotype that all GW students are very politically opinionated and active is not true. Although there is definitely a politically vocal community (consisting mainly of the college Democrats and Republicans), the majority of the student body is pretty disinterested in politics. The only time this majority gets involved in something political is when there is a large rally or protest, such as last year's Rally to Restore Sanity and/or Fear. The stereotype that GW students are from NY/NJ/PA and very wealthy is for the most part true. A large portion of GW girls walk around with a blackberry, Starbucks latte, and very expensive designer bag. The stereotype that GW is in part very "Euro-Trash" also holds true. There is a substantial and very present international community, who hang out with each other and like to go clubbing and to NYC every other weekend. As with any large school, there will be a lot of stereotypes, some true and others not so much. Come visit and decide for yourself!

Rich, Spoiled, Smart, Fashionable, Friendly

The stereotype of students at my school are rich, spoiled northeastern kids who like to party all the time but get good grades. Yes, students at GW do like to party a lot, and do tend to maintain good grades at the same time. An overwhelming amount of students are from the northeast, but many also come from California and abroad. The majority of my friends are actually on financial aid, but there are plenty of rich students as well.

Most people have the common misconception that GW students are all rich and spoiled. Many believe that it's a crime to wear sweat paints to class if you attend GW, must own at least 4 Louis Vuitton bags, and wear Hunter boots as soon as you see a drop of rain on the ground. Yes there are of course many who do follow these trends but there is a whole other world of students that chose to drum to their own beat. Same thing for guys, occasionally you will meet that annoying guy who constantly talks about his father's ten businesses and his collection of vineyard vines ties, but there are normal guys here as well!

The first stereotype that comes to mind is "The GWU Girl". I could draw a cartoon of this character. She wears leggings as pants, has a designer bag, an iPhone and Starbucks cup in hand and her daddy's credit card ready to use. Now, there are a lot of wealthier people at GWU, a lot of people who are (or think they are) fashion forward and yes, we are addicted to our phones and coffee. But even the girls that may look like this are likely hard workers, nice people and with an open and international perspective, and there are fewer than people make it seem. Some other stereotypes are the Political Kid (I mean, we are all at least a little interested in politics, but some DO take it to a whole 'nother level) the Frat Guy Who Will Be Senator (this one is true) and the Fabulous Gay Man (yes. there are a lot of them and they are fabulous, being super successful in jobs and internships and always well dressed.)

A large stereotype about GW is the composition of the student population. Generally, it's that the majority of the students are from New Jersey or the New York area. Greek life is also very big on campus now - somewhere around 26{4a082faed443b016e84c6ea63012b481c58f64867aa2dc62fff66e22ad7dff6c} of the student population is involved in a fraternity or soroity. Truthfully, these stereotypes tend to be somewhat true. While these groups are a large part of campus, it's certainly not the majority. These are just the loudest, most noticable groups on campus.