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<p>collmom-08, I think someone is trying to pull your leg. GW regularly ranks in the top 10 in PrincetonReview’s “dorms like palaces” list.</p>
<p>Thurston, where most freshman live, is old, dingy, crowded, and noisy. The advantage is somewhat large rooms, although there are 4-6 people in them so they need to be large, and a bathroom per room. Plus you frequently have to walk through a herd of smokers to go in and out of the building. Smoke also drifts up to the open windows. Not palace like at all.</p>
<p>Thurston does have a rep, no question about that. </p>
<p>It depends on where you end up. Many of the dorms - gwfreshmom is right, not Thurston - are converted hotels, and therefore were originally built with some level of comfort in mind. The forms available to sophomores and up are usually very good (doubles, with their own bath, kitchenette, maid service).</p>
<p>But dorm rooms are not really the major reason to decide where to spend your college career, are they?</p>
<p>Can you be in a non -smoking freshman dorm?</p>
<p>do you know anything studying biology (not particularly pre-med)… how accessible are professors if you want to work on research with them, what kind of other opportunities are there for bio students? thanks</p>
<p>My son is not a partygoer and we are not rich. Can he feel comfortable? How is the student organized activity such as rock band , jazz band or a cappella?</p>
<p>Our S was not a partier to any great extent, and we are not rich. He found his niche of friends. The decision to attend GW was heavily influenced by the money, since it was his cheapest choice. He fit in, and loved it. I don’t know anything about musical groups, since if our S ever tried to sing or play an instrument, people would have taken out petitions to get him to stop.</p>
<p>Re: opportunities for bio students: there are plenty. The GW hospital is right on campus, unlike some places where the med school is on a different campus. You can watch from some of the dorms when the Secret Service brings in Dick Cheney every time he has to see his doctor. Bio is very big at GW because of the pre-med program.</p>
<p>Jazz band and ensembles and university band are for-credit groups (usually 1 credit per semester, which also counts for creative arts general curriculum requiresments) and so are conducted by university music dept. staff. Also there is a pep band that plays at basketball games. D has friends in the band and the band members seem to be close and do socialize outside band time (ultimately frisbee comes to mind) They do party, too. There are 8 a cappella groups on campus: The troubadours and the Vibes (co-ed) Sons of Pitch and Emocapella (all-male) GW Geet (south asian) and the Pitches and The Sirens (all female). D is not a partier (not to say that she doesn’t attend or drink occasionally)…and she managed to find a group of friends interested in doing other things. We are not rich either (especially after three kids undergrad and two grad degrees) Again, there are students that seems to have access to unlimited funding…but many others that are mindful of budgets and on scholarship.</p>
<p>i am not pre-med so i would take the other biology. is it the same curriculum just the pre-med one is more rigorous? also another question. as a GW student, do you think GWU has a lot of Grade Deflation? its understandable that college is more difficult and more competitive, but overall, do you notice grade deflation in your own classes or any of your friends’?</p>
<p>collman08 - my daughter, a freshman, was concerned about GW’s reputation for being a party school filled with lots of rich kids. There certainly are kids in who fit the stereotype, but she has found a lot of wonderful friends – serious students who enjoy taking advantage of the museums and concerts (though i thik she calls them “shows”) the city offers. The thing that Ive been most impressed by is the incredible diversity of the student body – a real bonus to a good education.</p>
<p>I haven’t read all the posts and maybe its already been mentioned but some where my son read about a new freshman dorm called Potomac? Anyone know anything about it. He is not a major party animal that wants to be up all night, so we are both unsure as to whether or not Thurston is for him, any thoughts?</p>
<p>hayden, NJmom,cellomom, thank you all. more questions, my son is in ESIA, can you tell me more about this school? Where do the I would like to know how the food plan works. Do kids usually go over the budget?</p>
<p>Could you advise me about a dorm? I am very social but really like my sleep also. WOULD PROBABLY NOT GET A DOUBLE AT tHURSTON BECAUSE I DID NOT APPLY ED</p>
<p>My friend got a double, applied RD, I don’t think is a rule to get larger than a double if you didn’t apply early</p>
<p>I am sure it may be possible to go over the food budget, but I have not yet heard of any student doing that, at any school, where they enrolled in one of the school plans. If anything, most kids under-utilize their food budget. Does anyone else have a different experience?</p>
<p>Most kids I know ran out of their $1000 GWorld money first semester (including me) mainly because we didn’t know how to budget it. It’s hard, especially since food is pretty expensive around here and we don’t have a set meal plan like many other schools.</p>
<p>Hayden- my son is interested in GW for Pre-med bio, it is one of his top choices, what are your thoughts on the program?
He is also looking at Boston College.</p>
<p>NJMom202- I am happy to hear about the diversity of the student body, I am afraid that BC is not diverse at all.</p>
<p>My S did not go over his freshman year, but was very careful. As he pointed out several times, you’re eating in several restaurants…which adds tax and tip that comes out of your gworld. He did run out first semester of his sophomore year as he was in Potomac, no kitchen like most of the sophomore dorms, therefore the amount required for sophomores doesn’t quite cover it if you have no kitchen. The biggest food issue for him was the “effort” it took to go get food, since it isn’t your typical dorm/cafeteria style arrangement.</p>
<p>*The biggest food issue for him was the “effort” it took to go get food, since it isn’t your typical dorm/cafeteria style *</p>
<p>This is actually one of my concerns since my S is not the type who will make effort to eat a balance food.</p>
<p>Can anyone also tell me about the Elliott School of International Affairs?</p>
<p>My S didn’t make the “effort” to get enough food, let alone balanced. He attends the ESIA and absolutely loves it. Quality classes, quality environment with like minded individuals. I’m sorry I don’t feel qualified to say more, perhaps a student will reply.</p>