I still feel as though GW is the best school for me and my future (hopeful Poli. Comm. Major), but I’ve read a few scathing student reviews that I have to admit, concern me. The overarching trend seems to be that most students are “stuck up” and well-off kids from the Northeast and that anyone outside of that group is isolated into its own tiny little community and that the culture of wealth and competitiveness is toxic. As a Middle-Class student from the small-town Mid-West, this concerns me, quite a bit. So, for current or former GW students… Is GW really that bad in that regard, or are people just overreacting? As someone from my background and interested in a diverse social circle, will I fit in at GW and in groups like College Dems.?
Bottom line: don’t be concerned with what you’ve heard. Yes, there are people like that at GW (which I’m sure is the case at many private schools) but I’d venture to guess that those people are 10% or less of the population (to show my bias, I grew-up in a small South Dakotan town and didn’t feel left-out). You’ll fit-in just fine, and if you’re looking for groups and student orgs, they cover the whole political and social spectrum.
Also, this topic has been brought-up many times before. I’ll try to attach some links if I can find them:
http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/discussion/comment/17764251/#Comment_17764251
http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/discussion/comment/18881094/#Comment_18881094
http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/george-washington-university/1762378-what-is-george-washington-like.html
http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/george-washington-university/1753785-socioeconomic-friction-at-gw.html
I had a similar concern before coming. Some are stuck up yes, but I wouldn’t say any more than your average top private college. There are so many different types of people at GW.
No, its not
as a middle class student coming from a small town in rural new england, ignore the hype. student reviews tend to come disproportionately from people who had a negative experience with something, and they don’t represent the majority of people. GW has students from basically every state and dozens of countries around the world. the OVERWHELMING majority of students are on some form of need-based financial aid, so the number of stuck-up well-off kids you are likely to meet is statistically pretty low. you’ll find students with many different backgrounds, so i wouldnt stress out too much about it