I’m pretty familiar with all 3 schools. I went to Law School (years ago) at BU, and it’s my son’s first choice. We just toured it recently. George Washington is high on his list, we toured it a few months ago. And my wife is an instructor at NYU. (adjunct… no hook).
Some random thoughts:
- My son is not considering NYU. He likes a city, but not being overwhelmed. The NYU area is a very different vibe than GW or BU. The lack of a real campus doesn’t help either, but the whole city can be overwhelming. Where BU and GW almost feel small in comparison. And parts of BU have a very definite campus feel.
-GW’s strongest programs are political science… BU probably has the strongest programs for the fields your daughter is considering. Though all 3 schools would match.
-If it matters, GW would be the most likely to provide Merit Aid. BU only gives about 5% of students merit aid, I think NYU is even less. GW gives big merit aid packages to nearly have their students.
-Based on her background, I would dare say your daughter is a match/likely for GW, especially if she were to apply ED. For NYU and BU, I’d call them high match / low reach. Her stats are worthy of admittance at BU, but as they play the yield game, lots of worthy candidates can be rejected.
-“Traditional” college experience means different things to different people. I definitely think all 3 of those schools have far less “school spirit” than the more traditional rural campus school. Those rural campuses have more shared experiences for the students, as there is less to do away from the campus. While NYU is the least “campus-y,” I don’t know that the other 2 schools really offer much more in the way of a “traditional” experience. GW does have their Mount Vernon campus, which can give a more traditional feel to those students who live on that campus.
To me, much of the “traditional experience” comes down to the students and what they choose to experience.