<p>Here’s a list of the schools I’m applying to. As you can see it’s very top-heavy. I’m a good student and prob have a <em>shot</em> at all of these schools, but by no means am I a shoe-in. I was hoping you could give some suggestions of lesser-tier schools that remind you of the ones I listed. Also if you have any opinions on these they would be geratly appreciated. I’m interested in possibly majoring in Economics, Political Science, Industrial Labor Relations. Location doesn’t matter too much, nor does size, though the unintentional trend in my list is medium/large in urban areas. I’d prefer the school to not have any religious affiliation. </p>
<p>If you’re looking at GWU and Georgetown, don’t forget American. It really is a great school, especially for PS, IR, and communications. Lovely campus, too. </p>
<p>ALSO: some sites will say that it’s technically Methodist, but that’s more of a historical thing - in present day, it definitely does not have the feel of a religious school. It’s pretty secular.</p>
<p>^If the OP is trying to make it less top-heavy, UM and UW might not be the best options - they’re quite tough to get into OOS. And aside from that, they seem pretty different in nature than her list of schools. </p>
<p>Denison is a good option, but may be too rural. </p>
<p>I don’t know anything about Holy Cross, so I won’t comment on that one.</p>
<p>If you want something smaller (although BU is pretty darn big), take a look at Drew…I’ve been looking into it as a safety for myself (see my thread on Drew)…it is DEFINITELY a safety for someone with a shot at Penn, Tufts, etc. but it is small and economics is the school’s primary focus.</p>
<p>American is a good option, as is Rochester. If Denison isn’t too rural for you, then take a look at Franklin & Marshall in Lancaster, PA
Someone on this forum brought up Clark the other day…apparently it has a good polysci program and it’s not superselective…the only drawback is its location in a reportedly questionable neigborhood</p>
<p>American is no Rochester, and I have to disagree on American’s “lovely campus.” Poorly kept, cramped quad. GU and CUA have much nicer campuses and GW has the location.</p>
<p>I am not sure about U of Rochester, but my sister goes to college at another school in Roch and the city is extremely nice. A lot of stuff to do around town and definitely a lot of great places to eat at haha.</p>
<p>You state “I’d prefer the school to not have any religious affiliation.” And then you list Georgetown.</p>
<p>Do you know anything about Georgetown? It is a Catholic university run by the Jesuit religious order that runs 28 colleges in the US. The best known (besides Georgetown) include: Boston College, Holy Cross, Fordham, Marquette, and St Louis Univ.</p>
<p>I live in DC and fail to see the appeal of GW. It is truly a city college intermixed with downtown DC office buildings and difficult to even discern what part is GW and which is not. Not really a campus. If you want to be in the heart of DC, it is a good location.</p>
What? Everyone I know has absolutely loved it (myself included). Clean buildings, lots of flowers, nice areas to sit outside. It’s not a large campus, but it is comfortable. And it definitely has more of a traditional campus feel than GW.</p>
<p>I was there last May a few days before graduation. The Quad was in terrible shape, cracks in the sidewalks and ragity, worn grass. You’d think they throw some $$$ into the quad at least right before graduation. AU dad who I was w/ was embarrassed by the its state. No one is arguing that it has more of a campus than GW, but for God’s sake w/ the not a large campus that AU has they can do better upkeep. Maybe things have chged since May…</p>
<p>innocentbystander, I know that Georgetown is a Catholic University, why I said I’d PREFER the school to not have religious affiliation. I made the exception for Georgetown because I think it’s an amazing school; great location, awesome rep, politically active, and opens up many opportunities. I find the school unique because of their Political Economy major, which is rarely offered in other universities. Thank you for your suggestions.</p>